 Marsha Bancroft, President - Board of Directors
Marsha is the Grant Coordinator for VP&A's Federal TBI Grant. She is a member of the State of Vermont TBI Advisory Board and serves on the Steering Committee. Marsha enjoys facilitating the Montpelier Evening TBI Support Group on the first Tuesday of each month.
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 Ashley Couture, Secretary - Board of Directors
Ashley Couture, M.S., CCC-SLP, has been a member of the board since 2008. She has been affiliated with the University of Vermont since 1999. As adjunct faculty, she has served as co-instructor for Aphasia in Adults, Swallowing Disorders and Updates in Speech Language Pathology. She currently provides clinical supervision to graduate student clinicians in the communication sciences program. Ashley is also currently a Clinical Lead at the Center for Disorders of Communication at Fletcher Allen Health Care where she has worked for the past 9 years. She has worked with clients in all medical settings but currently works primarily in acute inpatient rehabilitation. Her areas of interest include adult neuropathology, particularly survivors of traumatic brain injury and stroke.
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 Sue Zamecnik, Board of Directors
Sue Zamecnik has nearly 30 years experience working in human services programs in Vermont. Sue has been a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor with VocRehab-VT since June 2008, with specialty areas working with individuals with traumatic brain injury as well as veterans and active duty service personnel.
She also worked in the fields of early childhood education, childcare licensing, and Therapeutic Recreation.
Sue has a BS in Therapeutic Recreation and M.ED from the University of Vermont in early childhood Special Education.
Sue is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist.
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 Michele Carrow, Board of Directors
Michele has been employed for over 20 years in the field of Human Services in several states, finally deciding to make Vermont her home. She has worked in every capacity, with a variety of persons with different disabilities, and is well versed in how to access and locate resources to meet the needs of each individual. Working with survivors of Traumatic Brain Injury is a passion which she has held for a number of years and the inception of PRIDE, Inc. has allowed her to achieve her personal dream. Michele has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Norwich University. She received her Master's Degree in Community Psychology from Springfield College where she focused her education on ways to provide supports for individuals with numerous challenges adequately in the community. She has provided training and consultation to a number of programs in Vermont and the surrounding states. Michele considers her expertise to be in locating and accessing community resources to ensure that TBI survivors are able to live valued and productive lives. Michele's passion for the work which she does is contagious, her energy feeds the entire organization, it is impossible not to feel the power of her vision and believe that all things are possible with the right support. |
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 Leigh Clark, Board of Directors
Leigh Clark has been a board member since 2002. She is the Support Group Coordinator for the Brain Injury Association of Vermont. In 2003, she was awarded the "TBI Survivor of the Year / Governor’s Award” for her outstanding commitment, perseverance and advocacy. Leigh is a Brain Injury Survivor from a motor vehicle accident in 1998. She’s been a Physical Education teacher since 1979. Leigh has a BA in Physical Education and Health from Johnson State College and a Masters in Education (Adaptive Physical Education) from the University of Vermont. She’s been a Ski Instructor since 1975 and an Assistant Ski School Director since 2002.
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 Peter Daigle, Board of Directors
Peter Daigle was one of the founders of the Brain Injury Association of Vermont and has been on the board since it's inception in 1999. He facilitated the Newport Support Group for 4 years. Peter has proficiency in computer research skills and was instrumental in researching brain injury information and helpful links for our website.
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 Kim Daniels, Board of Directors
Kim has worked passionately for many years to ensure that the voice of all people, regardless of their disability is heard. Prior to becoming one of the owners and directors of PRIDE, Inc. she was employed providing consultation to non-profit groups supporting self-advocacy for individuals in Vermont. She is a highly sought after presenter at conferences and for consultation at programs throughout the country working towards teaching those with disabilities to learn to guide their service plan. Kim is highly knowledgeable about multiple resources related to providing services to persons with special needs and is herself the parent of three children with different needs, thus is empathetic to the challenges of caring for family members with disabilities. Kim's commitment to hearing the dreams and desires of individuals and guiding them to achieve their goals makes her a respectful and supportive provider of services to persons who have survived a TBI. Her basic philosophy and her willingness to do anything to support a person to achieve independence ensure that she services all persons in a manner that is compassionate, yet strengthening. |
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 Bob Luce, Board of Directors
Bob Luce, Esquire, has been a board member since 1999. He is the Coordinator of Legal Affairs for the Brain Injury Association of Vermont. Bob is the chairman for the Down, Rachlin & Martin Litigation Group. He is a member of the Traumatic Brain Injury Group of the American Association for Justice (formerly called The Association of Trial Lawyers of America). Bob is listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2008, and is recognized in the International Investor, Benchmark: Litigation guide as one of the preeminent litigation practitioners in the country. Bob was recently ranked among the top five percent of attorneys in Vermont by Super Lawyers magazine. The listed attorneys were identified by their peers and through the independent research of Law & Politics magazine. Bob received Martindale-Hubbells AV peer rating, which is the highest rating possible. Bob regularly lectures to other members of the Vermont Bar on litigation topics and periodically organizes a legal conference on representing traumatic brain injury victims. Bob received his Law Degree from Boston University Law School (J.D., 1979) and graduated from Williams College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1975) Phi Beta Kappa. Bob's Bar Admissions are as follows: Vermont (1979), U.S. District Court, District of Vermont (1980), U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit (1998).
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Linda M. King, MA, EdS
Linda is a native Vermonter, originally from Rutland County. After earning her B.A. from The King’s College in Briarcliff Manor, NY, she headed to Washington, DC where she worked and lived for the next thirty-five years, always intending to return home. She originally taught French, Spanish, and English in a parochial school for over a decade. Then she took “a year off” to do something different which led to a decade working with adults with mental illness and adjudicated adults. She found so many of these individuals had fallen through the cracks in school (usually as special education students labeled with “emotional disturbance”) so following an M.A. from George Washington University, she returned to teaching as a special educator in schools that specialize in working with such students. In working with these students, she discovered many students had experienced brain damage, either through a traumatic event or acquired through life’s circumstances. This led to a return to George Washington University for an Ed.S. in acquired brain injury. As it had always been her intent to return home to Vermont, she was fortunate to do her internship for this program with the Vermont Traumatic Brain Injury Project under the mentorship of Lorraine Wargo. After returning to Vermont in 2005, Linda accepted a position as special educator at Missisquoi Valley Union Middle/High School, specializing in students with diagnoses of “emotional disturbance” and traumatic brain injury. Linda continues to work with the State TBI office and the Vermont BIA each summer doing consultations and trainings. Linda also facilitates the St. Albans Brain Injury Support Group.
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Lorraine Wargo, RN
Lorraine Wargo recently retired as the Director of the Division of Disability and Aging Services, with the Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living,. Her responsibilities included administration of the 1115 Choices for Care Waiver, Developmental Disability Program, Traumatic Brain Injury Program, personal care services for children and adults, the High Technology Home Care Services Program, and services under the Older Americans Act. Lorraine has worked in State government for over 17 years and has over 30 years of experience in developing programs to serve individuals with multiply disabilities. Her responsibilities have also included administration of the Home and Community- Based Medicaid Waiver for Individuals with TBI, Program Director for the TBI Implementation Grant, Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Cash & Counseling Grant, and manager of the TBI Supervised Apartment Program. She is a member and past president of the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators. Lorraine has also had the unique experience of wife, parent, and sibling of individuals with brain injury. Lorraine has recently accepted the position of Executive Director for the National Association of State Head Administrators.
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