20 Rock Point Road
Burlington, VT 05408
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Board of Directors
Rock Point Commons' Board of Directors is a dedicated group of community members working together to enact our mission of cultivating an inclusive, place-based community for education, spirituality, and environmental stewardship.
We are actively recruiting board members! We welcome you to be a part of this community, and we seek to create a space where all feel welcome to participate in this mission.
Meet Our Board:
Rt. Rev. Dr. Shannon MacVean-Brown
Board Chair
Bishop Shannon MacVean-Brown has served as the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont since her consecration in 2019. Ordained a priest in 2005, Bishop Shannon is particularly committed to community engagement, social justice, and leading multigenerational and multicultural communities through formation, liturgy, pastoral care, and the arts. Bishop Shannon has held national leadership roles with Faith in Action, a national community organizing network, and has led Faith in Indiana and Act Indiana, partner organizations working on innovative, multi-faith solutions to statewide issues including immigration, mass incarceration, and access to healthcare and childcare.
C.J. Spirito
Board Vice-Chair
C.J. is the Head of Rock Point School, a small day and boarding high school, serving bright, creative students who have also had a winding path and have decided to make positive changes in their lives by engaging in their learning here. The school is located on the Rock Point property. C.J. and his family also reside at Rock Point, where he has lived and worked for 36 years. He is committed to building positive community on many levels: at the school, on the property, in Burlington, and beyond.
Michael Green
Board Treasurer
Michael practiced law in Burlington for 40 years and was chair of the Burlington School Board for five years. He is a gardener, home chef, and dog companion. Michael and his wife Sarah enjoy many human powered outdoor activities in and around the Champlain Valley.
The Rev. Charlie Nichols
Board Secretary
Charlie moved to Shelburne in 2023 and was appointed by the Bishop of Vermont to the board of Rock Point Commons later that year. He serves as Secretary of the Board and as Deacon at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Middlebury. He feels strongly that the Rock Point landscape is a gift to all, offering a place to refresh one's spirit through the quiet beauty and majesty of nature.
Walter Poleman
Walter Poleman is the director of the Field Naturalist Graduate Program at the University of Vermont, and is a faculty member in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources where he teaches Natural History and Human Ecology to first-year students. He also teaches ecology to lawyers-in-training each summer at Vermont Law & Graduate School. Walter is the founding director of the PLACE (Place-based Landscape Analysis & Community Engagement) Program, and is co-coordinator of both the Greater Burlington Sustainability Education Network (GBSEN) and the Ecological Planning Laboratory (EPL).
Abraham Awolich
Mr. Awolich is a PhD student in Sustainable Development, Policy, Economy, and Governance at University of Vermont’s Gund Institute for Environment, with a special focus on governance and community resilience. Mr. Awolich is also a co-founder of the People's Coalition for Civic Action (PCCA).
Frank Guillot
Frank Guillot is a semi-retired architect with G-V-V Architects. His special interest at Rock Point is the Solar Orchard and maintenance of the buildings and grounds. He is active also with Vermont Interfaith Power & Light and the Episcopal Diocese Zero Emissions Task Force as well as the Board of Green Mountain Rowing.
Betsy Ferries
Now retired, Ms. Ferries served as the Executive Director for Mercy Connections and as a guidance counselor at Essex High School. She is an active member of the Unitarian Church in Burlington, Vermont and an honorary member of the Fletcher Library Capital Campaign. She previously served on the board of the United Way. Betsy's hobbies include lots of time with her granddaughters, watercolor painting and cultural travels. She is inspired by her frequent walks on the Rock Point trails.
Sam Jackson
Sam Jackson is a school administrator with experience across Chittenden County. He is committed to supporting all youth and advancing inclusive practices that create meaningful change for students and families. He is a proud father of three and feels deeply grateful for his family.
The Rev. Nancy Ludwig
Reverand Ludwig is a priest with the St. Thomas & Grace church in Brandon, Vermont.
Alexa Visco
Alexa is a neonatal nurse practitioner in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Golisano Children’s Hospital at University of Vermont Medical Center serving critical infants in Vermont and Adirondack region. She grew up attending Rock Point Summer Camp in the 1990’s and spent three summers on the property as a camp counselor. She and her family live on UVM’s campus in Burlington, where they spend their winters skiing in the mountains and the summer beekeeping, gardening, adventuring on the lake or river, and enjoying live music on Burlington’s waterfront.
Ann Guillot
Ann is a retired pediatrician, and has spent many happy years volunteering in various capacities on the Point. She is a big fan of Rock Point School, and has always admired the many ways that spirituality and education intersect at Rock Point. She currently serves on the Rock Point Center Board as a representative of the Diocesan Trustees.