News from The News – December 15, 2022

Welcome aboard, Meredith
This newspaper is thrilled to announce that Meredith Moses has joined the board of The Charlotte News.

Meredith retired a year ago from a 40-year nursing career. She and her husband Peter have lived in Charlotte for 28 years, and their son John (who wrote a music column for The Charlotte News at one time) attended Charlotte Central School, Champlain Valley Union High and the University of Vermont.

In her last 20 years at the University of Vermont Medical Center, Meredith led the office of patient and family advocacy; served on numerous quality, operational and ethics committees; and was involved in policy development, hiring and education. She further trained in mediation and conflict resolution at Woodbury College and worked with plaintiffs and defendants in small claims court. She is a skilled copy editor, and enjoys new learning and problem solving, attributes that are important to daily operations and future developments at The Charlotte News.

Meredith has been involved around town as a Scout leader, as a volunteer with the Charlotte Food Shelf and a participant in a myriad of community and school events over the years. In all seasons, she tries to spend some time outdoors each day. She is grateful to have made her life in Charlotte and is a strong supporter of the paper.

She writes, “The Charlotte News is an important vehicle for building community and elevating a variety of voices and perspectives. This is particularly important in these divisive and isolating times. I am honored to join the board and eager to contribute to the continued success of The Charlotte News.”

The Charlotte News is grateful to Meredith Moses for offering her time, skills and experience to the paper and looks forward to working with her in the months and years ahead as we navigate our way through the many challenges and opportunities that come with the community newspaper business.

Thank you, Gay
Long-time Charlotte resident, Gay Regan has stepped down from the Charlotte News Board. We’re grateful to her for the eight years that she served on the board, for staying on for several months past the date of her intended departure and for continuing to work with us as a member of our fundraising committee.

Gay Regan is well known to many Charlotters, having first visited Thompson’s Point when she was 13. The family camp has been a central point in her life ever since.

Gay has seen many changes in the Thompsons Point community over the years. In an earlier story in The Charlotte News, she said, “The Country Club used to be quite snobby. You had to have two letters of recommendation and then be interviewed, but now anyone can join.”

On the other hand, she appreciates the importance of traditions, like the annual Fourth of July celebration. “We walk to the end of the point, and someone gives a speech, and we sing the Star-Spangled Banner,” she said.

Gay may have started a Thompson’s Point tradition herself. For the past two years, she hosted a summer thank-you party for staff, board members, advisors and volunteers at her camp. She has offered to bring us together again next year.

I started working with Gay in May of 2019, and in the years since, came to appreciate her informed and thoughtful contributions to the work of the board. She hardly ever missed a meeting, always showed up having done her homework and inevitably sharpened our thinking and improved our decision-making with her questions and ideas. Between meetings, Gay could be counted on to respond to every email request in a timely and sometimes provocative manner. As a member of the fundraising committee, Gay has not only provided financial support, but has also drawn on her extensive community connections to bring others into our community of supporters.

Former publisher Vince Crockenberg writes, “While Gay had no formal training or experience in community journalism, she did bring to her work on the board a deep love of writing, as well as a broad understanding of the Charlotte community, particularly the summer community on Thompson’s Point, which the paper had paid too little attention to before her arrival. For a community newspaper, which depends on the written word to convey the community’s stories, these were immensely valuable contributions to our work.

I was the publisher of the paper during some of its most challenging times financially, and I’m happy to credit Gay, with her community savvy, her constancy and her clear-eyed critique of the ideas and proposals that we discussed — including whether we could actually stay in business — as one of our most valuable board members in helping us get through very tough times and emerge stronger than ever.”

In reflecting on her time on the board, Gay writes, “My connection with The Charlotte News has deep roots. I first became aware of the paper through my friend Nancy Wood. Over the years I have submitted occasional articles. Most recently, while serving on the board, I have been inspired by the teamwork of the staff who produce the paper, by impressive leadership from our publishers and presidents, and the civic generosity of the board who have worked hard to provide good governance and financial stability. I leave the board confident that The Charlotte News is in good hands to move forward even when the news industry is troubled with today’s tough times.”

We’ll miss you on the board, Gay, but are very thankful that we’ll see you around town and at fundraising meetings and events. Take it easy now.