Board of Directors
Board Bios:
Matthew Peake, M.D. is a 28 year resident of Saxtons River, VT, who served the Greater Rockingham community as a family physician for 24 years. Currently, he is a visual artist, making art and teaching the making of art since 2006. He and his wife, Leslie Goldman, a family nurse practitioner, were among the twelve community members who originally founded the Compass School in 1999, and he remains on the board today, presently serving as its president. Their two sons both attended Compass School, one of whom for two years and the other for six, graduating in 2005. Matt not only loves painting, but sculpting, dancing, running, cooking, building, writing, and just about everything else where there's an action verb attached.
Linda Quimby is a 20 year resident of Walpole, NH with a son enrolled at Compass School since 2009, currently in the 9th grade. Linda is Director of Admissions at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, NH. She has over 25 years of experience in higher education having worked in both financial and admission positions serving both traditional and non-traditional student populations at FPU and Oklahoma State University. Previously, she served as President of the Board for the Saxtons River Montessori School. She holds memberships in professional organizations including the National Association of College Admission Counselors and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. Quimby has a BS from the University of Massachusetts. She also enjoys travel, gardening, cooking and sewing in her spare time.
Tom Lowell was born in Boston 1947, moved to Marlboro, Vermont in 1966 to attend Marlboro College. Lowell moved to Canada in 1972, returning in to the Brattleboro Area in 1977 to work in engineering high vacuum equipment at Omega Optical. In 1979 he was hired by Appropriate Technology Corporation to develop the window insulating product sold as Window Quilt. He left ATC/Window Quilt in 1982 to start the Marina Restaurant in Brattleboro with his wife. In 1985 Lowell joined with current business partner to start Vermont Photonics, selling the restaurant in 1987 and continuing with Vermont Photonics until the present. Vermont Photonics supplies highly-accurate electro-optical measuring instruments to the aerospace, automotive, optical, medical and semiconductor industries. In 1989 he worked with a good friend and building-designer to develop an award-winning, super-insulated house that was featured in Fine Homebuilding Magazine, and he has lived in the house with his family for the past 22 years in Dummerston. His son Peter graduated from Compass in 2007. Lowell joined the Compass board of directors in 2004. His other interests include energy conservation, sailing and aviation.
Darlene Kelly is a long time resident of Westminster who's son attended Compass for 7th and 8th grade. Darlene is a housing counselor for Windham and Windsor Housing Trust in Brattleboro. She has a Bachelors degree in Accounting from New Hampshire College and has served on many local boards over the years including SEVCA, warming shelter and the local Alumni associations and currently is a part of the Compass finance committee. Darlene lives with her husband and three children and enjoys traveling, biking and coaching her children's sport teams.
Tom Hennigan, a parent of a graduate of Compass and a 17 year old currently enrolled, is a graduate from ASU Medical School and has been practicing medicine for 34 years with the last 17 years in the ER at Cheshire Medical Center. He lives in Spofford, NH with his wife and three children and was a host family for an exchange student at Compass in the 2010-2012 school year. He volunteers in Haiti, Nicaragua and Liberia and enjoys biking and traveling off the beaten path with his family.
Karen Hennigan, a 2003 graduate of Antioch New England Graduate school, has been a RN for over 30 years holding many positions from staff nurse in a NICU to assisting the State of New Hampshire start a medical program with DCYF. She resides in Spofford with he husband and three children. She enjoys traveling, most recently climbing Kilimanjaro, and saving furniture from dumpsters and the side of the road.
Jocelyn Peknik graduated from Compass School in 2004, having been with the school since the year it first opened its door. As part of the student body that was integral to the development of Compass, and as the founder of the school’s Student Judiciary Committee, Jocelyn offers a unique perspective as a board member. After graduating she traveled to West Africa, Ireland, England, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Nicaragua, Jamaica, and took a long, easy road trip exploring the United States. She has been a professional nanny, gourmet cheese maker, barista, and theater laky, to name a few on a varied resume. Currently she is employed as the Head Coffee Roaster at Mocha Joe’s Specialty Coffee Roasting Co. Among many, her hobbies include music, hiking, swimming, crafting, traveling, and being on the Compass School Education Committee. She lives in Brattleboro with her boyfriend and their spunky hound mix.
Eaddy Sutton received her M. Ed from Antioch New England in 1997 and has been involved with teaching and educational administration for nearly 20 years. During eight years at the Upper Valley Waldorf School in Queeche, where she carried the same class of students through grades 1 to 8, she served six years on the Board of Trustees. As the Board/Faculty Liaison, she played a key role on the Finance Committee and helped guide a successful Capital Campaign, which resulted in the design and completion of a new campus facility. She moved to the Brattleboro area in 2008 and joined the Board of Directors of Oak Meadow, which led to a 3 year position as Executive Director. Founded 35 years ago, Oak Meadow is an international company that develops curriculum for use by homeschoolers and schools and offers an accredited distance learning school with over 600 students enrolled in grades K – 12. During her time as Director, she oversaw a comprehensive review of all aspects of educational standards and practice, rebuilt structures for fiscal management, developed a new strategic plan and completed a successful re-accreditation with CITA. She has two children, ages 15 and 6, currently enrolled in Compass and the Westminster Center School. She enjoys substitute teaching in all subjects, taking MBA courses and business workshops, and occasional trips to her hometown of Sarasota, Fl.
Jan McGonagle became involved with the Compass school recently; when one of her sons began to attend in the fall of 2011. She has been living in Keene New Hampshire with her husband and children for about twenty years. Professionally, she is a developmental pediatrician. She works at Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center and for the state of New Hampshire in clinics for children with disabilities. Prior to subspecializing she was a general pediatrician in New Hampshire and Vermont. In her free time she enjoys sharing good food with family and friends, skiing, swimming, music, turning wood and taking walks with her dogs.
Eric Rhomberg is a faculty representative on the board. He has been a high school teacher and administrator for 23 years in both public and private schools, including the past 12 years at Compass serving as teacher, advisor, director, and assistant director. Additionally, Eric is an adjunct faculty member at Antioch University New England, teaching their science teaching certification students. He resides in Westminster with his wife and son, and is active in coaching local youth sports as well as volunteering each summer at a nearby residential camp. He is also a performing musician, an avid skier, and enjoys camping and travel.