Kevin Ellis
Chair
General Board Member
Kevin Ellis is the Chair of the Downstreet Board of Trustees, and joined in 2016. Kevin is a communications consultant and writer specializing in political and cultural change. With extensive experience in political consulting, he has managed strategy campaigns and advised executives on communications, including Vermont’s marriage equality campaign. Kevin previously worked as a newspaper reporter, covering politics and environmental issues in various cities. He currently serves on several boards, including Downstreet, the Vermont Journalism Trust, and Chelsea Green Publishing. Kevin lives in East Montpelier.
Lori Belding
Vice Chair
General Board Member
Lori Belding joined the Downstreet Board of Trustees in 2019, and is currently the Vice Chair. Lori is the Community Reinvestment Act Officer for Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, working to support small businesses and low- to moderate-income families. She holds a degree from SUNY Brockport and has been living in Vermont since 1997. Lori and her husband, Russell, moved to Barre Town in 2022. Prior to that they lived just up the hill overlooking Downstreet Apartments and our office headquarters, and enjoyed watching that important property being built from the ground up. Lori and Russell are also proud to have sold Russell’s family home into a shared equity program managed by Downstreet.
Daphne Makinson
Treasurer
Resident Board Member
Daphne Makinson is the Treasurer of the Downstreet Board of Trustees, and joined in 2019. Daphne is an immigrant, a single parent, an educator, a sheep farmer, non-profit administrator, affordable housing advocate, gardener, and a DIY homeowner. Not all at once and never forever. Daphne is now retired and a resident of Downstreet’s French Block apartments in Montpelier.
Pegeen Mulhern
Secretary
General Board Member
Pegeen Mulhern is the Secretary of the Downstreet Board of Trustees, and joined in 2020. Pegeen is a is a passionate community volunteer, and returned to Vermont after 28 years in the Seattle area where she worked as an attorney with the firm of Nicoll Black & Feig. From 2017 to 2019, she served on the City of Bainbridge Island’s Affordable Housing Task Force, creating a plan for the city to implement a number of affordable housing initiatives. Before her Seattle adventures, Pegeen served as a member of the board for the King Street Center and the Vermont Attractions Association. In her free time, Pegeen enjoys skiing, backpacking, biking, sailing and traveling with her family. Pegeen lives in Waterbury.
Sam Abare
General Board Member
Sam Abare has served on the Downstreet Board of Trustees since 2021, and also serves on the Fiduciary, Fundraising, and Executive Committees. Sam has worked at Northfield Savings Bank since 2012 and enjoys helping people learn about homeownership as a Mortgage Banking Officer. In her free time Sam can be found spending time outside and attending the Norwich Hockey games. Sam has lived in Vermont her whole life, and is currently a resident of Moretown.
Jim Alvarez
Public Board Member
Jim Alvarez joined the Downstreet Board of Trustees in 2019. Jim has served as the Vice President of Support Services at Central Vermont Medical Center since 2018, where he oversees teams responsible for the hospital's physical structures and various non-clinical services. He brings over 30 years of healthcare leadership experience, including previous roles at Trinity Muscatine hospital in Iowa and Harrison Medical Center in Washington. Jim holds a Master’s degree in organizational leadership and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
Rubin Bennett
General Board Member
Rubin Bennett has served on the Downstreet Board since 2022. He follows a family tradition of serving his community, including over 10 years on the Capstone board and 9 years as the chair of the East Montpelier Elementary School board. His core values arc toward social justice and equity, and he is powerfully motivated by the belief that social policy must lift and support our least privileged neighbors first. By trade, Rubin is a computer network & security engineer, working at rbTechnologies, a local IT Managed Service Provider that he founded in 1997. He coaches his daughter’s robotics team, and enjoys more hobbies than he has time for including playing fiddle, whitewater kayaking, mountain biking, skiing and hiking.
Sarah Copeland Hanzas
Public Board Member
Sarah Copeland Hanzas joined the Downstreet Board in 2021, and is currently serving as the Secretary of State of Vermont. She previously served in the Vermont House of Representatives from Orange County's 2nd district, having been first elected in 2004. Originally from Illinois, Sarah moved to Vermont in 1971 and has since built a diverse career, including teaching secondary science, owning a small business, and serving on various committees as a State Representative, including chairing the Government Operations Committee and participating in the National Conference of State Legislatures' Executive Committee. She lives in Bradford with her husband and their three children.
Priscilla Gilbert
Public Board Member
Priscilla Gilbert joined the Downstreet Board in 2023, and cares deeply about everyone having a home where they feel safe and comforted. Priscilla is a financial adviser and runs a small financial advisory firm working with individuals and small businesses. Priscilla also serves on the Board of the Vermont River Conservancy. She lives in East Montpelier and loves to run, mountain bike, ski, and explore the outdoors with her husband and twin teenagers.
Debb Hill
Resident Board Member
Debb Hill joined the Downstreet Board in 2023. She has held many roles in life, from mother to grandmother and teacher to tutor, with a deep-rooted passion for helping others. Whether caring for animals, offering shelter to those in need, or serving on volunteer Boards, she has always prioritized service. Debb's career as a teacher reflects this, as she focused on helping students succeed and giving back the encouragement she received. As a homeowner in Downstreet's Shared Equity Program, Debb continues her long-standing commitment to community support by giving back to the very program that helped her become a homeowner.
Terri Jordan
Resident Board Member
Terri Jordan joined the Downstreet Board in 2023 and is a Resident Board Member, currently living at Downstreet's Wheeler Brook Apartments in Warren. Terri holds a Masters in Education from Castleton, and works at an afterschool program at Moretown Elementary. Working with children has been a life-long career and joy. Another joy is spending time with her two adult children whenever their busy lives allow.
Polly Nichol
Public Board Member
Polly Nichol has served on the Downstreet Board of Trustees since 2022. She strongly believes that housing is a human right and has spent many years, both professionally and as a volunteer, advocating for and helping to create affordable housing in Vermont. She retired in 2016 from her position as Director of Housing Programs for the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, a position that she held for 28 years. Prior to VHCB she worked as Director of Multifamily Housing for the Vermont Housing Finance Agency, Community Development Director for the Town of Randolph, an energy planner and grant writer for Capstone Community Action, a land use planner for the Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Planning Commission, and a private consultant. Polly lives in Montpelier.
Emmanuel Riby-Williams
Resident Board Member
Emmanuel Riby-Williams joined the Downstreet Board in 2021. He has lived in the Barre-Montpelier area for 19 years and teaches Physical Education for grades K-4 at Union Elementary School in Montpelier. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Johnson State College and a Master's in Sports Management from American Public University. Emmanuel and his partner, Suzy, have five children, three of whom attend Montpelier Roxbury Schools, and they enjoy participating in sports and family activities. As a homeowner through the Downstreet program, Emmanuel is dedicated to making a lasting positive impact on his community.
