Board Bios

Chair

Susan loves to support the healthy development of nonprofits. Seeing systemic issues among organizations, she earned an M.S. at Johns Hopkins and an M.A. at Fielding Graduate University in organizational and human development.  She facilitated strategic planning and conflict resolution with federal agencies and hundreds of nonprofits. Now retired, she is interested in building community through the arts.

Treasurer

A California native who has lived and studied in various states and countries over these many years, Alan has always been interested in community connected endeavors wherever I have settled.  His lifelong connections with things technical since vacuum tube training in the Army have given him a knack of helping people relate to change in its various forms.  Experience in business, both large and small, helps him relate to the challenges of organizations such as Main Street Arts. Alan and his wife Pat are retired after years of owing the Village Square Booksellers in Bellows Falls. 

Secretary

Miriam has appreciated MSA since she first moved to Saxtons River in 1988 to work as a chiropractor at Saxtons River Family Chiropractic with Dr. Linda Balamuth (neé Haltinner). She sang and played classical piano as a youth, then became a theater and modern dance double major in college. The early MSA offerings fit her creative needs beautifully. Her career focus has been helping others to heal themselves through holistic natural health, yet she has continued to dance, sing, and be artistic. She is pleased to be able to give back to MSA by joining the Board, supporting its values, and nurturing the gifts that MSA brings to the community.​

​Jim has been an appreciative supporter of MSA since the early 1990’s, when his two children, Caitlin and Tim, had roles in such wonderful productions as The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Stone Soup, and The Little Red Hen. He continues his involvement as an occasional performer at the MSA Open Mic and Songwriter’s Circle. Jim was the founding academic dean at Landmark College in Putney, where he taught courses in education and psychology until his retirement in 2020. He has served as a Member of the Board of Trustees for several educational organizations, including the Fall Mountain Educational Endowment Association, whose mission is to provide supplemental funding for the arts in the Fall Mountain Regional School District. Jim is also a Board Member and very amateur actor with the Walpole Players. He received a B.A. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He and his wife, Pam, live in Walpole, New Hampshire, where they enjoy cycling, hiking, skiing and making the short trek over to Saxtons River to enjoy MSA events.

​​Mike Peller began his tenure as Head of School at Vermont Academy on July 1, 2025, bringing more than two decades of leadership in purpose-driven, experiential education. Known for blending innovation with mission clarity, he has led academic redesigns, launched new school models, and supported enrollment and advancement growth across multiple institutions. Prior to Vermont Academy, he was Founding Head of Upper School at Hillbrook School in California and Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning at The White Mountain School, following earlier leadership at The Nueva School. Mike holds degrees from Harvard University and Teachers College, Columbia University, and is a frequent speaker on innovation and human-centered learning. A lifelong boarding school educator, he lives on campus with his family and is deeply committed to cultivating a community where students have the room to become.

Kelly Hopkins, she/her, is a dynamic artist, organizer, leader, and small business owner based in Southeastern Vermont.  Kelly has a B.M. in Vocal Performance from Boston University and an M.S. in Union Leadership and Activism from the Labor Center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is currently the Director of Finance for the Professional Staff Union at the University of Massachusetts and the co-owner and artist behind Singing Stones Jewelry. Kelly has decades of professional experience in operations, finance, technology, and events. She has worked at Harvard, MIT, the Museum of Science, Samaritan House San Mateo, and a variety of arts and labor organizations. Kelly was the primary organizer for the founding of AFSCME local 2353, is a vocal advocate for patient and disability rights and medical access in rural areas. She spoke at the state house in Montpelier in conjunction with the Vermont Workers Center on the topic of healthcare accessibility and delivered her graduate thesis on Accessibility in Labor at UMass Amherst. As a professional musician, Kelly has performed all over the greater Boston area, has a discography of more than 20 titles, and has performed in venues as diverse as Symphony Hall, the Orpheum, and the Latchis Theater. She is also an artist, nearly lifelong vegetarian, and an animal rescuer with a specialty in rehabilitating puppy mill dogs. Kelly and her husband live in the Greater Falls area with their three small dogs and three variously sized cats.