Chair they/them/theirs

Vie grew up on San Juan Island, in the Pacific Northwest. In 2007 they received their Bachelor of Music Degree from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. In 2011 Vie moved to Burlington. To plant their roots
in Vermont a little deeper, they recently bought a house with their wife in Winooski, with their frisky cat, and tender-hearted dog.

Since 2011 Vie has been involved in the theatre scene in Burlington. They performed with Spielpalast Cabaret for 8 years, assisting on the production team, and playing the role of Emcee for 3 years.

Vie loves teaching, being an advocate for diverse communities, and uplifting others. In 2009, they became certified in Vinyasa Yoga, and have taught Yoga and Bootcamp style fitness classes in Seattle and Vermont for over 5 yrs. Vie instructed Yoga classes for LGBTQIA+ youth at Outright Vermont, and LGBTQIA+ adults at All Wellness VT. In the Spring of 2020 Vie instructed a series called “Intro To Burlesque” at Spotlight VT, where dancers of all levels, abilities, body types, gender orientations and expressions are welcome and celebrated. Vie currently works at Retina Center of Vermont as an Ophthalmic Assistant/Surgical Coordinator. Vie has worked in healthcare for 8 years, and views this career choice as an opportunity to help others.

When Vie is not exploring the outdoors of Vermont, they are exploring their passion for culinary arts, comedy, and writing. This fusion unfolded for them about 3 years ago when they created their blog and social media presence: sprinkleofsage.com

Vie is thrilled to be a Board Member at Pride Center of Vermont with such an incredible group of folx advocating for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, POC, and QTPOC communities.

Treasurer he/him/his

Art has a life long love of Vermont having annually visited family as a kid and having gone to college in VT. He and his partner, Wayne (a native Vermonter), met 25 years ago in Boston, first bought a home in Vermont’s Upper Valley about 20 years ago, and have been married for 10 years. Art works in banking with a focus on risk management within commercial lending.

“We moved to Burlington in 2013 and since then helped with the formation of the LGBTQIA Alliance of VT, volunteered at the Pride Center with Momentum, and volunteer/are on the steering committee for Out in the 802 often with a focus on getting various groups and organizations to come together given the belief that the combined forces of the community offer the ability to make new connections and ties, and ultimately helps make the community stronger.”

Art is honored to have joined the board of an organization that serves such a strong LGBTQI+ community. He recognizes our community is our strength, is built on the sacrifices and courage of many people over the years, and hopes to further build on that strength with the Pride Center for all the members of the LGBTQI+ community.

Secretary he/him/his

The proud father of an trans daughter, Rex is an avid activist and ally. In addition to being the author of Now What? A Guidebook for Families with Transgender Children, Rex has been a long-time, passionate advocate for the LGBTQ community. Prior to moving to Vermont in 2016, Rex served on the Board of the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Center and co-founded the Kingston, NY, PFLAG Chapter. He has presented workshops and trainings at conferences and organizations across the nation and has mentored hundreds of families with LGBTQ loved ones. At the Pride Center, Rex has been an integral volunteer, and through his work as facilitator for FPFATA (Families, Partners, Friends, and Allies of Trans Adults) he has assisted many individuals in learning to better support their transgender loved ones.  

she/her/hers

Mary-Katherine Abdel-Ghany Stone is an Alabama native and proud Egyptian-American who graduated from The University of Alabama with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a Depth Study in Human Services and Special Populations. She then went on to pursue a graduate degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and post professional specialization through George Washington University’s Center of Integrative Medicine. She currently works as an occupational therapist at the University of Vermont Medical Center but spends a large majority of her time serving our community through volunteer work including serving as: a Justice of the Peace for the City of Burlington, President of the Junior League of Champlain Valley, Vice President of the Inclusive Arts Vermont Board of Directors, a committee member for the Burlington Advisory Committee on Accessibility, a committee member of Burlington City Art’s Education and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committees, Junior Membership committee chair for the Green Mountain Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and as a Deacon of College Street Congregational Church. When she’s not volunteering and serving in the community, she spends her time dancing with Green Mountain Cabaret and Ballet Vermont, creating stained glass art at Shelburne Craft School and enjoying the great outdoors.

She is honored to serve on the board and looks forward to investing her passion and experience of serving this community into the work being done at the Pride Center of Vermont.

Mary-Katherine resides in Burlington.

she/her/hers

Wendy is a lesbian civil rights attorney and mom to two amazing teenage sons. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis, and a Juris Doctorate from Boston University School of Law. She began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, NY, specializing in domestic violence cases.  In 1992, after tiring of life as a NYC attorney (and coming out as a lesbian), Wendy discovered Vermont and moved to Burlington. She served as Executive Director of Women In Crisis in Bristol, Vermont, and was one of the founding members of the Vermont Network Against Domestic Violence.  She joined the original Right To Marry Taskforce and volunteered with the nascent Outright VT.

Wendy then returned to the practice of law, joining the Mental Health Law Project of VT Legal Aid, protecting the rights of individuals living with major mental illness.  This began her life’s work as a mental health civil rights attorney. For almost 2 decades, Wendy served as Chief Counsel to the VT Dept. of Mental Health, where her responsibilities included: supervision of DMH’s legal division, advocacy at the state and federal level, drafting and implementation of internal and statewide legislation and policy, advising the Vermont State Hospital and community mental health agencies, and working with numerous statewide committees tasked with improving Vermont’s mental health service delivery system. Wendy left DMH to head up the Vermont chapter of the National Alliance of Mental Illness VT (NAMI VT).  

It’s been a while since Wendy has been an active volunteer in the LGBTQ+ community.  She is thrilled to have the opportunity to join the Pride Center board at this critical point in the queer rights movement.  She’s looking forward to using her professional experience and skills to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ Vermonters. Wendy lives in South Burlington with her two teenage sons and a bunch of much-loved animals.

she/her/hers or they/them/theirs

Renee grew up in upstate New York and graduated from college in 1989 with a degree in nursing. For several years she worked in New York and Massachusetts before settling in Vermont. During her time in nursing she specialized in cardiology, high-tech infant care and labor and delivery.  

In 2007, Renee changed careers and began working with a statewide non-profit organization that assists individuals with disabilities. Renee is currently the Operations Manager managing the day-to-day happenings, including HR, benefits and technology. In addition Renee has managed staff, and also implemented a wellness program for the organization. In 2014 she received the Governor’s Excellence Award for Workplace Wellness. Renee has also previously served on the Governor’s Committee for the Employment of People with Disabilities.   

Renee lives in Williston, has 5 children and 1 grandson, as well as 2 grand-dogs. In her free time she likes spending time outside, kayaking, bicycling or riding her Harley motorcycle. Renee also has a strong love for art, and enjoys time in her art room, sketching and painting. Community has always been a significant part of Renee’s life, having volunteered as a firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician for 16 years.   

She is excited and honored to be on the board at Pride Center, and looks forward to the opportunities to get involved with members of the community in this new capacity, and new chapter of life.