NEWFANE — Windham County Sheriff Mark Anderson has established the Windham County Sheriff's Advisory, comprised of a group of county residents who will advise him on community needs, interests, and concerns as they relate to the operations in Vermont.
The Advisory, which first began organizing last August, is now reviewing the department's fair and impartial policing policy, last revised in 2019, to ensure that it addresses the needs, values and concerns of county residents.
According to a news release, while the Advisory has no statutory or oversight responsibility, Anderson says he has assembled the group because he is “committed to the community's input regarding policing and services provided by the Windham County Sheriff's Office.”
The Sheriff's Advisory meets the second Monday of each month at noon, currently via Zoom. Citizens are encouraged to contact the Advisory with problems, questions, or other concerns that need to be addressed by the group.
Citizens can also access the meetings to express their concerns.
Anderson, who succeeded Keith Clark as sheriff in 2019, is a lifelong resident of Brattleboro and a 2004 graduate of Brattleboro Union High School.
He began his career with the Windham County Sheriff's Office. He earned a degree in Business Administration from the Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He is a member of the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council, which guides training, policy, and oversight for all state law enforcement.
Members of the Advisory include:
• Dr. Cliff L.Wood, chair, a resident of Westminster since 2017 and a retired college administrator/president. He is a volunteer for Brattleboro Area Hospice and Loaves and Fishes, an incorporator for Kurn Hattin Homes and School, a member of the Windham County NAACP, and a volunteer coordinator for a prison ministry at the Southern State Correctional Facility on behalf of St. Michael's Episcopal Church.
• Lamont Barnett is a Windham County assistant judge and a commissioner with the Vermont Housing Finance Agency. A Bellows Falls native, he is also a former chair of the Rockingham Selectboard and a Navy veteran.
• Chris Day is an assistant principal at Brattleboro Union High School and a lifelong resident of Brattleboro.
• Steffen Gillom, of Brattleboro, is a doctoral student in psychology at Antioch University and is president of the Windham County NAACP. He serves on numerous boards statewide and in Windham County.
• John Hagen, of Guilford, the high bailiff of Windham County, is a retired Air Force officer. He is a professor at Park University, where he designs adult education programs.
• Wendy Harrison is interim town administrator for Vernon and, most recently, was interim executive director of the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA). A resident of Brattleboro since 2015, she also serves on the Vermont Transportation Board, the board of directors of Southeast Vermont Transit, and the board of the Brattleboro Outing Club.
• Jeff Lewis, photographer, is retired from a career spanning business consulting, circus management, economic development, and state policy leadership. He has lived in Brattleboro for 19 years.
• Etan Nasreddin-Longo, orchestral composer, is co-director of Fair and Impartial Policing and Community Affairs for the Vermont State Police. A long-time social justice advocate, he is also chair of the Legislature's Racial Discrepancies in Criminal and Juvenile Justice System Advisory Panel.
• Knowles Wentworth is a police liaison and crisis clinician with Health Care & Rehabilitation Services (HCRS). A resident of Brattleboro since 2007, he came to Vermont to study conflict transformation and peace at the School for International Training.
The advisory would like to increase the number of women on the panel and add a high school or college student. Persons interested in joining the group are encouraged to contact Wood at [email protected] or Anderson at [email protected].
Documents regarding the advisory are available on the department's website at windhamcountyvt.gov/page.php?id=72.