Board of Directors
Dana Lawrence, Board Chair, Montpelier
Dana’s long history of youth work began in high school as a youth leader at the local YMCA. His career with Vermont’s child welfare agency spanned 43 years – as a residential counselor, special educator, supervisor, administrator, and program manager. During much of that time he worked closely with WCYSB and joined its board when he retired in 2019. He has spent his life helping youth and is happy to continue this work together with WCYSB and its leadership.
Dana has a BA in history, special education certification and MSW from the University of Vermont. When not serving as a church trustee, Green Mountain Club officer, Trout Unlimited camp instructor, or choir member, Dana and his wife Nancy Thomas can be found pursuing adventures in the outdoors and visiting family in Vermont, Alberta, Seattle, and Finland.
Linda (Tomasi) Babic, Barre
Linda’s life has revolved around children – with her family, her career, and as a community volunteer. Now retired, Linda worked as a Multiple Family Therapist at the State Hospital and as a School Counselor both in Burlington and Barre City for 30 years. She served on the boards of Our House of Central VT, Orange County Mental Health, VT Association for Mental Health, and the Central VT Chapter of the American Red Cross. She actively supports Barre Rotary projects, volunteers at schools and is a Vision Screener for the Lion’s Club. She and her husband Tom have four children and have been foster parents. They continue to be great advocates for children and now have the luxury of enjoying their grown kids and grandchildren.
As a School Counselor, she worked with WCYSB to co-facilitate substance abuse prevention groups, run a mentoring program at the school and serve on the school’s advisory committee for WCYSB’s after school programs. Linda is pleased to continue her support for youth in our communities as a member of the WCYSB board.
David Batchelder, Barre Town
David’s entire career was in middle and elementary school education. First a middle school teacher, and then co-principal at Barre City Elementary School and Middle School, his school career spanned 39 years – all in Barre City. David first became acquainted with Washington County Youth Service Bureau through the Cityscape afterschool program that WCYSB ran at his school in the 1990’s. After seeing hundreds of children’s lives enriched through this program, he enthusiastically joined the Youth Service Bureau’s board of directors. David has previously served as board chair, and still enjoys “being part of an organization that does so much for so many young people.”
David has a BA from Johnson State College and a Master’s degree from the University of Vermont. He lives in Barre Town with his wife, Sandra, and Labradoodle, Charlie. They enjoy a very active life that includes hiking, cycling, camping, golf, snowshoeing and skiing.
Paul Richardson, Montpelier
Paul Richardson is a photographer, publisher, and author of over a dozen books, most recently Resilience: Life Stories of Russians Born in the Year of Revolution.
He is the founder and principal owner of StoryWorkz, which offers creative and marketing services to companies and nonprofits. A graduate of Central College (Pella, IA), Richardson received an MA (Political Science) and Russian Area Studies Certificate from Indiana University, Bloomington. He and his wife of 34 years, Stephanie Ratmeyer, have lived in Vermont for 30 years. They have two grown children. Paul got involved with WCYSB because he believes there is nothing more important to protect and invest in than our children.
Peter Cobb, Barre Town
Cobb retired from a 33-year career as director for the VNAs of Vermont, the trade association that represents Vermont's Visiting Nurse Associations. He was a reporter for the Barre Times Argus, Rutland Herald and Black River Tribune in Ludlow and worked with adults with disabilities for Washington County Mental Health. As a college student at the University of Vermont he was one of the founders of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. He also coached middle school soccer for 25 years.
In retirement Cobb is a volunteer driver for the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Handicapped, a volunteer teacher for Central Vermont Adult Education and is a correspondent for the Times Argus. He also has written two novels, To Alice, which was published in 2020 and Some Things Aren't Meant to Be, scheduled for publication August 2024.
Christina Farnham, Northfield
Christina’s first experience with Elevate Youth Services was as a recipient of our Transitional Living Program when she was precariously housed at age 19 and pregnant with her first son. While in transitional housing, Christina attended the Community College of Vermont and earned her Associate’s degree in Human Services. She continued her college education and attended Springfield College in St. Johnsbury where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Human Services and was part of the honor society. She started her Human Services career working one on one with children with disabilities and behavior issues. While enrolled at Springfield College, she was hired as a case manager with Elevate’s Transitional Living Program and became the Director. She went on to work as a Social Worker at the Department of Children and Families and is currently the Social Worker at Mayo Healthcare.
Christina is a life-long resident of Washington County. She has three boys and enjoys gardening and camping, hanging out with friends and spending time with her family.