Introducing the 2025–26 Maple Street School Board of Trustees

We are proud to share the full roster of Maple Street School’s Board of Trustees for the 2025–26 academic year. This dedicated group of parents, alumni, educators, and community leaders brings a wide range of expertise and a shared commitment to our school’s mission and future. Their leadership supports every aspect of Maple Street’s growth—from strategic planning and financial stewardship to community partnerships and educational excellence.

We are deeply grateful for their time, insight, and ongoing dedication to the students, faculty, and families of Maple Street School. Learn more about each of our trustees below.

Amanda Baer – Board Chair

Since moving to southern Vermont in 2016, Amanda has devoted her time to local organizations such as the Ekwanok Scholarship Trust, the Community Sharing Project, the Board of the Manchester Community Library, and co-chairing the Parent Association at Maple Street School, where her three children are students. Amanda joined the Board of Trustees at Maple Street School in 2023. She and her husband, David, are very active in supporting local youth sports, volunteering for organizations including the Manchester Tritons Swim Team, Equinox Lacrosse, the Northshire Hockey Association, and Manchester Youth Soccer. The Baers live in Manchester Village with their four dogs and two cats. Amanda enjoys golfing at Ekwanok, hiking and skiing at Bromley, and fishing in local ponds with her family.

Billy Brownlee

Billy Brownlee graduated from Burr and Burton Academy in 1994 and earned a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management and Information Systems from the University of Vermont. He took over the family business, HN Williams Store, in 2001. Billy married Blair in 2004, and together they have raised three children: Willie, Max, and Katie. Max and Katie both graduated from Maple Street School. Billy currently serves on the Bank of Bennington Board of Directors, the Riley Rink Board of Directors as Treasurer, and the Manchester Youth Baseball Board as Treasurer.

Vicki Coxon Muller

Vicki Coxon Muller is a Partner in the Cyber, Risk & Regulatory Practice at PwC, where she focuses on governance, risk management, and internal controls. She has more than 25 years of global experience, including time at Ernst & Young and Clear Channel International, and currently leads learning and development for over 600 practitioners at PwC.
Vicki’s expertise spans accounting, internal audit, personnel management, AI governance, and enterprise risk strategy, all of which align closely with the Board’s strategic needs. She has worked with both public and private companies across sectors, helping them prepare for IPOs and build strong internal governance. Vicki holds a BSc in Business Management and Accounting from the University of London and is a Chartered Accountant and Certified Internal Auditor. As a current Maple Street parent, she adds strength in compliance, education, global business, and parent representation.

Tim Fitzsimmons

Tim Fitzsimmons spent over 25 years in private equity and investment banking, most recently as a Partner at Lorient Capital, a healthcare-focused private investment firm. Prior to Lorient, Tim was a Managing Director at Moelis & Company and a senior member of Credit Suisse’s Private Funds Group. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Georgetown University.
Tim offers deep expertise in financial management, fundraising strategy, and governance, developed through both his professional work and his tenure as president of Delbarton School’s Alumni Association and member of its Board of Regents. In addition to his experience at Delbarton, Tim serves on several corporate and volunteer boards, including his current role as treasurer of Equinox Lacrosse Association. Tim is currently coaching lacrosse for both Equinox and Maple Street and recently completed his first admissions season as an alumni interviewer for Georgetown University. He is a parent of two current Maple Street students and two alumni.

Sara Howard Garay

Sara Howard Garay has taken an active role in the community since moving to Dorset in 2005. She graduated from Lasell College as Valedictorian with a B.S. in Science and serves as a trustee of The Crawford Howard Private Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee. The Foundation was established by her father, Hal B. Howard, who instilled the guiding principles of philanthropy in Sara’s life.
She is also the co-founder of “Raising Resilient Children,” an endeavor designed to bring awareness, support, and access to resources for children’s mental health and wellness. Sara works closely with many local schools, as well as the Community Sharing Project and the Summer Lunch Program.
Sara loves raising her daughter Izzy in Dorset, Vermont. She enjoys skiing, hiking, gardening, and needlepoint, as well as tending to her family of dogs, cats, goats, and chickens.

Chris Howe

Chris Howe grew up in southern New Hampshire and enlisted in the Navy immediately after graduating from high school. During his eight years on active duty as a Navy SEAL, he served in two overseas combat deployments in 2008 and 2010 to Fallujah and Baghdad, Iraq. For the past twelve years, Chris, his wife Kacie, and their three children—who have all either attended or are currently attending Maple Street School—have called southwestern Vermont home.
After returning to New England, Chris earned his BA and MA in performance psychology. He now runs a small business where he teaches leadership development, team-building training, and performance optimization coaching to top business professionals and academic institutions across the country. Chris also works with professional and collegiate sports teams and athletes, having helped his teams secure eight NCAA National Championships.
Chris is dedicated to helping and inspiring individuals, teams, and organizations to become the best versions of themselves. Passionate about outdoor and experiential education, Chris often spends his free time exploring the local wilderness with his family.

Clare Kelley

Clare Kelley is a healthcare strategist and Senior Consultant at Stroudwater Associates, where she partners with rural hospitals across the country to strengthen care access and financial sustainability. Her work focuses on strategic planning, hospital affiliations, physician partnerships, and community health needs assessments. She earned her MPH from The Dartmouth Institute and her B.A. in Geography from Middlebury College.
Clare brings extensive experience in strategic planning, nonprofit management, data analysis, and public health. She has presented nationally and advised hospital boards and leadership teams on long-range strategy. A Maple Street alumna and Manchester resident, Clare enhances the Board’s focus on community impact and evidence-based decision-making.

Jenny Niederhoffer

Jenny Niederhoffer is a producer and philanthropist whose work spans commercial and nonprofit theater, strategic philanthropy, and community relief. She has produced shows on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in London’s West End, and served for seven years as Chair of the award-winning Off-Broadway company Transport Group. Under her leadership, the organization doubled its annual fundraising and launched two new programmatic initiatives.
Jenny previously worked in the nonprofit sector in fundraising, strategic planning, and program development, including with UJA-Federation of NY, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, and the Harmony Program. Her service on the NYC Landmarks West Preservation Committee reflects a long-standing commitment to civic engagement. Jenny is a current Maple Street parent and brings strength in nonprofit management, fundraising, media and arts networks, and mission-aligned leadership.

Edward “Ned” Parsons

Edward “Ned” Parsons has worked in the independent school world for over 30 years. He began as a teacher, coach, and dorm parent at Salisbury School (CT) and Loomis Chaffee School (CT). Ned moved into administrative roles as Dean of Students and later Dean of Faculty at Loomis. He left Loomis in 2014 to become Head of School at The Rivers School (MA), serving in that capacity for nine years until 2023.
He will be stepping into the role of President/CEO of Crossroads Youth Development in Duxbury, MA, running leadership programming for Boston-area youth from second grade to college. Ned holds a B.A. in Political Science and an M.A. in English from Middlebury, as well as an Ed.M. in School Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Bob VanDegna

Bob VanDegna is an Army veteran, a graduate of Harvard Business School, and a retired managing partner of Nautic Partners in Providence, RI. He is a husband, father, and grandfather, splitting his time between Dorset in the summer and Arizona in the winter. Bob is a founding donor to Maple Street School and serves on the boards of the Southern Vermont Arts Center and Southwestern Vermont Healthcare. He is also a photographer, movie producer, and budding bass guitar player.

Kathy Zilkha

Kathy Zilkha grew up in the area and graduated from the University of Vermont. She moved to Manhattan and worked as an Accessories Buyer for Barneys New York before returning to Vermont with her husband Patrick and their three children—Ava, Annette, and George.
For the past ten years, Kathy has worked with Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty, helping clients buy and sell real estate. Her children all graduated from Maple Street School and attended Burr and Burton Academy, where Patrick is a teacher. Kathy is thrilled to be a part of the Board of Trustees of Maple Street School. She loves sharing her passion for the area with those making the move to Manchester.