We’re excited to introduce the newest members of the Vermont Arts Council Board of Trustees!

🌟 Emma Makdessi of Winooski is the director of camp programs at Outright Vermont. They oversee the vision and implementation of Camp Outright and Camp BranchOUT, Outright’s summer camps with a queer twist. Throwing themselves wholeheartedly into different communities and types of work shaped Makdessi into a creative, flexible leader who can hold the big picture.

🌟 Alia Quart Khan of Randolph centers her work on connection through story, whether shaping strategy, producing cultural events, or amplifying creative voices. From red carpets to red barns, she’s helping shape a cultural narrative rooted in place—one that champions equity, access, and creativity across the Green Mountains.

🌟 Kurt Shaffert of White River Junction is the Cartooning Chaplain and Type Designer for http://pearlpress.xyz?utm_campaign=meetedgar&utm_medium=social&utm_source=meetedgar.com, a family-run type found and graphic design studio that he co-founded in 1995. He has served in leadership positions with several community organizations, was the first Will Eisner Fellow in Applied Cartooning with the Center for Cartoon Studies and illustrated “The Philosophy of Comics.”

🌟 Stephanie Zak Jerome of Brandon recently completed three terms in the Vermont House of Representatives and served as vice-chair of the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development, where she was a strong advocate for the arts. She and her husband founded Visual Learning Systems, a core-curricular K-12 science education publishing company, and they own The Granary, a renovated historic building in Brandon that serves as a hub for artists and creative businesses.

For more information on the Vermont Arts Council Board of Trustees, visit https://www.vermontartscouncil.org/about-us/board?utm_campaign=meetedgar&utm_medium=social&utm_source=meetedgar.com

Image: A color-blocked yellow and blue collage of each new board member. From left to right, top to bottom: Emma Makdessi, Alia Quart Khan, Stephanie Zak Jerome, Kurt Shaffert.