Board of Directors

 
 

Virginia Barbatti

Virginia Barbatti is the Development Director of Island Grown Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to building a regenerative and equitable food system on Martha’s Vineyard. She brings over 15 years of corporate leadership experience from Fortune 500 companies, including Wayfair and Stanley Black & Decker, where she specialized in commercial and talent strategy. Virginia earned her B.S. in Business Management with a concentration in Organizational Behavior and Design, along with a minor in International Business, from The Smeal College of Business at Penn State. Originally from Washington D.C., she now lives year-round in Chilmark with her husband and three young children. She joined the Chilmark Preschool Board of Directors in 2023, inspired both by her passion for early childhood education and her experience as a parent with children in the program.

 

Bruce Golden

Bruce Golden retired in 2020 from pediatric dental practice after 50 years of continuous commitment to the well-being of children including private practice in White Plains, New York and later Martha’s Vineyard and a part-time, Clinical Associate Professor at New York University. Since moving to Martha’s Vineyard, Bruce has been involved with Big Brothers – Big Sisters of Cape and Islands, Head Start of Martha’s Vineyard Health Advisory Committee, Vineyard Conservation Society’s Board of Directors, and Meals on Wheels. Bruce has served on the Chilmark Finance Advisory Committee since 2014.

 

Nancy Grundman

A former commercial real estate lawyer, Nancy Grundman is a Board member and the Program Coordinator for Martha’s Vineyard Mediation Center. She is a mediator and conflict coach trained in family and divorce, reentry, housing, workplace conflict and multi-generational mediation. Nancy moved from New York to Martha’s Vineyard in 2018 after being a seasonal Chilmark resident for almost 20 years, during which time she served on the Chilmark Town Affairs Committee and Summer Program Committee at the Chilmark Community Center.

 

Anne Mayhew (Treasurer)

 

Debbie Milne

Debbie Milne is a retired Early Childhood educator (Wheelock College B.S. Ed, ‘73; M.Ed, ’83), who came to the Vineyard as part of Helen Maley’s Urban/Rural student teaching program in the 70’s. She was Lead Teacher/Director of the Title I Preschool Program (MV Public Schools) for 8 years and then served as the Director of the Early Childhood Programs of Martha’s VIneyard Community Services in 1982 until her retirement in 2017.  Over her 35 year span as Director, Debbie was instrumental in the creation and development of the Family Day Care System, Infant/Toddler Center, Home-based Head Start program, MVCS Childcare Center, Family Network programming, and the MV Family Center.

 

Ellen Rossi

Ellen grew up in Oak Bluffs and now lives in West Tisbury with her husband and three children. She taught in North Carolina for four years before moving back to the island. She has been teaching in the Up Island schools for 10 years and has been at the Chilmark School for six years in kindergarten and first grade. She joined the Board of Friends of Chilmark Preschool in 2023 and loves being a part of this wonderful organization where children grow and thrive. The connection between Chilmark Preschool and Chilmark Elementary School is truly something special!

 

Rebekah Thomson (President)

Rebekah is a mother of three and a pediatric sleep coach. She grew up in Washington, D.C. and graduated from Wesleyan University. Rebekah taught middle school English and history for nine years – first in San Francisco and then in Barcelona, where she met her husband, Joshua. They moved to the Vineyard in 2010 where they are raising their three children. Rebekah also supports young families at Martha’s Vineyard Community Services’ Family Center, coaches youth soccer, and is a founding member of The Field Fund, Inc. She has proudly served on the Board of Friends of Chilmark Preschool since 2012.

 

Steve Warner

 

Lynne Whiting

Since the mid 1970s, Lynne Whiting has devoted her time to education on Martha’s Vineyard. Her career included preschool (Island Children’s School), public school (West Tisbury School and then Chilmark School) and museum education (Martha’s Vineyard Museum). She also served as Martha’s Vineyard Community Services’ Family Day Care Coordinator. After retiring to the Island world of nonprofits, Lynne has served the West Tisbury Library Foundation, Martha’s Vineyard Museum, Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard, Martha’s Vineyard 4-H and as President of the Island Grown Initiative (IGI).

 

Debbi Zetterberg (Clerk)

Debbi Zetterberg is a retired educator with 34 years experience in public schools with a focus on early childhood. Debbi graduated from Skidmore El Ed, Lesley Special Ed, and Suffolk Ed Leadership. She was a first grade teacher in Norwell MA, a special education teacher and coordinator in Fairfax, VA, and principal in Duxbury, MA for 16 years. She has been a Chilmark Preschool board member for several years and is an active volunteer with Vineyard Independence Partnership, a non-profit organization for adults with disabilities and their peers. She is thrilled to be part of the Chilmark early childhood team.