TA News

The Thetford Academy Board of Trustees elected a new cohort of members for the start of the new fiscal year in July 2023. We welcome the five new trustees and thank them for their willingness to take on this important volunteer governance role.

• Erika Hoffman-Kiess, TA Class of 1986, brings personal and professional connections to her role as trustee. She is an alum who moved back to Thetford in 2010, after many years away, and has appreciated the experience of reconnecting with her community and seeing the evolution of Thetford Academy over the decades. In addition, Erika brings a career angle to the role. As the Executive Director of the Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation, she sees the education system as a critical partner in addressing workforce needs. Erika is also proud to be following in her father’s footsteps; her dad, John (Rick) Hoffman, served on the TA Board years ago. 
• Marty Jacobs is a resident of East Thetford and the parent of three TA grads (Classes of 2014, 2015, 2016). She has a PhD in organizational systems and leads her own social impact consulting business. Marty brings expertise in board governance, strategic planning, and community engagement to her role as trustee. She is looking forward to reconnecting with the TA school community and contributing to the school’s growth and success.
• Jeff Jamele was elected to the Thetford Town School Board in March 2023 and will serve as the Town of Thetford representative to the TA Board of Trustees. Jeff is the Director of Information Technology at Concepts NREC. Jeff is a native Vermonter and a long-time Washington, DC resident, who returned to Vermont to raise his family. Jeff has three young children, two of whom attend Thetford Elementary School. He and his family live in Thetford Center.
• Darin Knaus is representing the sending town of Lyme, NH on the TA Board. Darin and his family live in Lyme, NH, with a child at TA (class of 2024), another in college, and the youngest at The Lyme School. Darin is a research engineer at Creare in Hanover, NH, and leads a variety of research and development projects for the company. During covid, he was drawn to become more active in his community and is looking forward to contributing by serving on the TA Board.
• Francine Moody A’ness is the Associate Director of the Guarini Institute for International Education at Dartmouth College, and holds a doctorate in Hispanic Languages and Literature from UC Berkeley. She brings her expertise in the education field and her personal experience as a first generation college student to her trustee role. Francine is the parent of a TA graduate (class of 2021) and a current high school student. She is an avid panther fan and can often be seen on the sidelines, in the bleachers, at robotics meets, and in the theater audience of TA competitions and performances. She and her family have lived in the Union Village neighborhood of Thetford for approximately 20 years.

Visit the TA website, thetfordacademy.org/about-ta/board-of-trustees, to view the complete list of trustees for 2023-24, learn more about the role of the TA Board, access meeting agendas and minutes, and view TA’s Strategic Plan.

The Thetford Academy Board will hold its first monthly meeting for 2023-24 on Thursday, September 21. The meetings will continue to include in-person as well as online options for attendance this year; the community is welcome.