BRATTLEBORO — The Brattleboro Retreat announced the appointment of two new trustees, Kate O'Connor and Adam Grinold, who officially joined the hospital's board of directors on Sept. 23.
Brattleboro resident Kate O'Connor currently serves as the executive director of the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce and the vice chair of the Brattleboro Selectboard, according to a news release.
She began her career in public service as an aide to former Vermont Gov. Madeleine Kunin. For 14 years, she was a top policy and political advisor to Howard Dean during his tenure as Vermont governor and as a candidate for U.S President.
O'Connor received a B.A. in political science from Bates College. She is a member of the Vermont E911 Board and chair of the Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel, having been appointed to both boards by Gov. Peter Shumlin.
Adam Grinold is a business man, realtor, and lifelong resident of Southern Vermont who has served as executive director of the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation since 2014.
He also owns and operates Wahoo's Eatery in Wilmington, and serves as chair of the Wilmington School Board. Many know Grinold as the former general manager of another local business - The White House of Wilmington - which he and his family sold in 2008.
Over the past 20 years he has worked to contribute to the vitality of the local community in myriad ways. A graduate of Wilmington High School, Grinold received his B.A. with honors from Castleton State College in 1995.