Board of Directors
Alyx Lyons, Chair
Elementary & Middle School Parent; Charlotte, VT
Alyx (she/her) has two kids at the Schoolhouse – a Delta (sixth grade) and a Tau (third grade). Both kids are long-timers at the school, both starting in preschool when they were two years old. Even before having kids at the Schoolhouse, Alyx has been indirectly involved with the school over the past couple of decades – in a multicultural performing and educational group Kwanzaa with a couple of alum teachers, and even as a housemate to alum teachers. When her kids came along, she had no doubt that she wanted them to go to the Schoolhouse.
Alyx is a creative and strategic senior project manager with experience in planning, portfolio management, and operations. She has over 30 years of experience across multiple sectors – from natural foods retailers and coops, to energy sustainability, to academia, and in the behavioral health services sector where she currently works. A whole-systems thinker, she is skilled at helping individuals and teams move ideas to action. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Geology from the University of Texas (her home state) and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Vermont.
When not taking long walks in the woods with the family dog, perfecting her sourdough starter, cooking elaborate family meals, she is happy being a baseball/piano/soccer/etc. queer mom.
Will Mitchell, Vice Chair
Alumnus Parent; Shelburne, VT
Will (he/him) is the grateful parent of two boys who spent their critically formative middle school years at The Schoolhouse.
Will is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts with BS degrees in Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering. Will is a career semiconductor verification engineer with decades of experience working on some of the industries most complex digital designs, including: server class microprocessors, memory subsystems, network processors, gaming chips, DSPs, network hubs, medical devices and assorted digital logic.
Will is a co-founder and Executive Vice President of Correct Designs, an engineering and consulting services company serving the semiconductor industry for over two decades. In addition to providing consulting services to company clients Will manages business operations at Correct Designs including finances, contracts, employee placement and recruiting. Prior to founding Correct Designs Will spent a decade as a Senior Engineer at IBM developing server class microprocessors.
With a passion for the outdoors, Will enjoys skiing, hiking, camping, backpacking and boating. Will lives in Shelburne with his wife, two sons and the worlds sweetest dog.
Catherine Palopoli, Treasurer
Middle School parent; South Burlington, VT
Catherine (Kate, she/her) is the parent of a middle-schooler at The Schoolhouse. She came to know the school when looking for a smaller, supportive, individualized educational environment for her then-fourth grader, after having moved to South Burlington from the suburbs of Boston, MA. Recognizing how transformative the Schoolhouse model of learning and growth has been for her child, Kate is honored to serve the school as its Treasurer.
Kate is a former CPA and currently the Executive Director of Finance at St. Michael’s College (her alma mater) in Vermont, returning to campus after 25 years in various finance roles in public accounting, human services and manufacturing industries in the Boston area. Kate has extensive experience in financial reporting, analysis, cash management, financial modeling, and corporate risk and governance.
Kate enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters - as well as the family hound dogs - in addition to skiing, cooking up recipes from the New York Times, sewing and light carpentry.
Christina Colletti, Secretary
Alumna Student; Burlington, VT
Christina (she/her) is a Schoolhouse alumna and Burlington, Vermont native with expertise in child psychology and an enormous love for The Schoolhouse.
Christina earned a BA in Psychology from Hamilton College, an MS in Clinical Psychology from Oklahoma State University, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Vermont. Early experience taking care of four children in a neighboring family inspired her to spend a decade building expertise in the field of child psychology. She has since put her varied skill set to use in public arts and a return to childcare. She currently works as a senior gallery staff at the non-profit, city-run Burlington City Arts, where she engages with the public in a customer service capacity. She also provides childcare to individual families in the community.
Christina thrived at The Schoolhouse and feels enormous gratitude for her time there. She has great appreciation and respect for its mission, values, and contributions to the Vermont community, and it is her honor and pleasure to now be a member of its Board. In her free time, Christina enjoys swimming in Lake Champlain, hiking, theater, documentary films, and spending as much time as possible with her two nephews and other family and friends.
Lorraine Carter-Lovejoy, Faculty Liaison
Middle School Teacher and Elementary Parent; Burlington, VT
Lorraine (she/her) is originally from Richmond, VA. She attended West Virginia University, where she studied music and wildlife management. She spent these days hanging in the woods to look for ginseng, and playing trombone at football games across the country.
After working in outdoor education and for Outward Bound, Lorraine moved to Vermont in 2012. She taught at Centerpoint School, Rock Point School, and then worked in HR administration at the UVM Medical Center. At Schoolhouse she teaches the middle schoolers, who are active learners interested in creating a meaningful educational experience for themselves. What she likes about Schoolhouse is the flexible and supportive community for both teachers and students.
In addition to teaching at Schoolhouse, Lorraine also plays and coaches Ultimate Frisbee. In her free time, Lorraine likes to ski, canoe, travel, and “yarden" with her family in Burlington.
Wesley Davis
Alumnus Student and Former Staff; Maynard, MA
Wesley grew up in Burlington, VT, fostering a lifelong love of learning over the course of six years at Schoolhouse. He continued on through Burlington public schools and attended Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, graduating with a dual major in German Language and Medieval History. Wes started his career teaching ESL, first in Leoben, Austria through the Fulbright Commission and then in Boston, MA, at several adult-education organizations. He also found his way back to Schoolhouse as a staff member for SH Summer Camp, ultimately serving as Assistant Director.
From teaching, Wes was recruited into tech and has since joined numerous Seed and A-Round startups, including two based out of Vermont. He has taken on foundational and leadership roles responsible for customer success, revenue generation, systems administration and software engineering – that last thanks to attending the Launch Academy coding bootcamp in Boston. In addition to strategic contract consulting for tech companies, Wes currently works with a Boston-based educational non-profit, STEAM Ahead, which provides STEM+Arts programming for underserved and underrepresented students.
Wes remains passionate about learning, loves the challenge of strategy games and puzzles, and enjoys spending time outdoors – especially with his family in Burlington & South Hero, VT.
Liz Doran
Elementary & Preschool Parent; Hinesburg, VT
Liz (she/her) is a research professor at the University of Vermont, where she currently studies regional land use change and human motivation to address water quality challenges in the state of Vermont. She is the parent of a K-1 Alpha student.
Liz holds a PhD in Environmental Science from The Nicholas School for the Environment at Duke University in North Carolina, where she studied Sustainability and Urban Climate in the context of long term regional land use planning. She also holds a BS in Environmental Engineering from Tufts University, and a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Duke.
Liz brings to The Schoolhouse board over ten years of experience serving in leadership positions for both educational and environmental non-profit boards and organizations. She is a pilot, runner, skier, and cyclist, and she enjoys sharing adventures of all kinds with her family.
Katie Mather
Elementary Parent; Richmond, VT
Katie (she/her) learned about The Schoolhouse from her kids' in-home daycare provider, who understood Katie's desire that her children experience a child-centered, progressive education. She has two kiddos at The Schoolhouse, a Sophos and a Tau who have been here since they were an Alpha and a Wild Grape.
Katie was a high school English teacher, soccer coach, and dorm parent at a boarding school for seven years, and then spent four years as an English teacher at an all-girls school. When her kids were born, she became a stay-at-home parent and also dedicated more time to writing. Her first novel, Rage is a Wolf, was published in 2020. She is currently at work on two other novels and will enter her third year as a high school soccer referee in the fall of 2024. She also served as a member of the Richmond Select Board from 2019 - 2021.
When not writing, reading, or spending time with her friends and family, you can find Katie hiking, traveling, baking, gardening, volunteering, or at Champlain Valley Community Fitness.
Rhonda Pagnucco
Alumna Parent, Charlotte, VT
Rhonda (she/her) is passionate about education and supporting students and families in developing communication skills and systems to enhance their personal and academic paths. Rhonda is a licensed speech-language pathologist with expertise in working with preschool and early elementary students. She earned an MS in Communication Sciences and Disorders with an emphasis in Early Childhood Special Education from The University of Oregon and a BS in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Queens College. Rhonda is also trained in several movement practices and teaches classes that invite folx to develop and deepen connections with their physical body as a way of accessing aliveness, strength and joy.
Rhonda’s child attended The Schoolhouse from 2018-2022 and had an extraordinarily positive and transformational school experience. During that time, Rhonda was an involved member of the community and Zeta Owls parent group. She particularly enjoyed participating in Schoolhouse traditions such as short courses and seasonal celebrations. Rhonda feels very connected to The Schoolhouse mission and is grateful for the opportunity to serve the community as a Board member.
Rhonda enjoys traveling with her family, surfing reasonably-sized waves, snowshoeing, seeing live music, dancing and cooking. Rhonda is originally from New York and has called Vermont home since 2004. She lives in Charlotte with her husband, teen and very large dog.
Liz Shayne, Non-Voting Member
Head of School, Alumna Parent; Burlington, VT
Liz (she/her) has spent her professional career in and around education and became the Head of School at The Schoolhouse in August 2011. Liz was a middle and high school teacher, administrator and technology specialist at the Spence School, an independent K-12 school in Manhattan.
Liz is co-founder of the Rosie’s Girls Summer Program, an award-winning trades exploration program for middle school-aged girls, and she continues to serve as a consultant to the program’s replication partners nationwide. She has served on the board and advisory committees of area non-profits, including the Fletcher Free Library, Vermont CARES, and The Schoolhouse. She received a Masters in Public Administration from Columbia University and an AB in Modern European History from Harvard University.
Liz’s two children have attended Schoolhouse, and she served on the Board of Directors for seven years before becoming Head of School.