As your State Representative, I will bring experience in budget management, conflict resolution, public relations, customer service, and the ability to work with others in a collaborative manner no matter our differences.

​

My pledge to the Washington-Orange district is to listen carefully, ask thoughtful questions, and do my best to represent the voices of our community in the statehouse for the next two years.

​

I am a Florida native with New England roots. I have lived in Vermont since 2008 and have been a resident of the Town of Barre since 2016. My husband Shadi and I have two amazing children who love attending Barre Town Middle and Elementary School.

​

I have spent over 25 years in the nonprofit sector starting my career by creating and running an after-school tutoring program for kids in the neighborhoods surrounding the college I attended. I have worked for non-profit organizations around the world teaching English in Nepal, coordinating volunteer programs in Thailand, and managing grants in the Middle East. 

​

After completing a master’s degree in Conflict Transformation and Sustainable Development from School for International Training in Brattleboro, I chose to make Vermont my home as the people reminded me of the village where I grew up - a place where everyone knows, cares and looks out for their neighbors. And when my husband and I decided to buy a house, we spent months driving through neighborhoods in Washington county. We knew we wanted land and access to nature. We also wanted a good school system for our kids to grow in and a safe neighborhood to live in. We found all that and much more in Barre Town. We fell in love with the area instantly knowing this is where we wanted to put down roots and raise our family. We are committed to this community and want to see our children and their children grow up here.

​

What makes our district so amazing are all the community members who give richly of their time and talents to allow Barre Town, Graniteville, Websterville and Williamstown to grow and thrive. I firmly believe part of living in a community is actively participating in it. Because of this conviction, I have been an active volunteer at the Greater Barre Community Justice Center, the Vermont Ethnic and Social Equity in Schools Coalition, with my child’s ECO class at BTMES, a coach with the Barre Youth Sports Association and currently serve as the Chair of the Board for the Good Samaritan Haven and our Barre Town representative on the Curriculum Committee of the BUUSD School Board. I am also a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd. 

​

I would love to hear from you and look forward to seeing you out on the campaign trail. In the meantime, please feel free to be in touch if you have any questions for me: melissaforbarretown@gmail.com