LEGISLATURE:  Kate is serving her first term in the Vermont House of Representatives.  She currently serves as clerk on the Fish, Wildlife and Water Resources Committee.  The Speaker appointed her to the Vermont Citizens Advisory Committee on Lake Champlain’s Future in January, 2009.  This committee is a diverse group of citizens, lake advocates, business representatives, farmers, and legislators united through their interest in a clean, health Lake Champlain.

FAMILY HISTORY: Kate grew up in Chappaqua, NY. Her father was active in politics and was Deputy Director of Small Business under Nixon/Ford and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Ronald Reagan. Political discussions were exciting and sometimes too exciting in her family particularly during the contentious Vietnam War years. From these discussions, she learned that people are often closer in belief than they appear and striving toward understanding the motivation behind opinion was far more interesting than the diatribe.

EDUCATION:  Kate moved to Vermont in 1971 to ski and fell in love with the state, making it her permanent home in 1972. She received her BA in Psychology and MS in Communication Science from UVM. In addition to her teaching activities in the public schools, she is also a clinical professor for the University of Vermont Communication Science Department and has completed additional coursework in educational leadership through St. Michael’s College.

EDUCATIONAL CAREER:  Kate has been a Speech Language Pathologist and Special Education Case Manager in the Chittenden South Supervisory Union for 14 years. She describes herself as a life-long learner. Her educational leadership activities include the following:

• Served on the Williston Resource Allocation of Programs and Services team. Helped the team make explicit the team’s vision, purpose and roles.
• Collaborating with the Stern Center and DOE, created and implemented a model language arts program for middle school students with language-based learning disabilities.
• Presented introductory workshops to faculty and staff as well as several non-profit organizations on the value of understanding personal psychological preferences and how these differences affect our style of communication, teaching, learning, leadership and response to change and stress.
• Member of a team of professionals from CSSU and the Baird Center to address services, costs, facilities and service delivery for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Instrumental in bringing in a state-of-the-art social skills program for students with social cognitive deficits.

BUSINESS EXPERIENCE:  Kate worked in the real estate business from 1985-1991 and was a partner in the firm Farnham Associates.

FAMILY:  Kate is married to Marshall Webb, a man who wears many hats at Shelburne Farms. Marshall is Kate’s mentor on environmental issues and sustainable, renewal, energy.  She has two daughters and two stepdaughters.  Sarah, 32 and husband Will live in Groton, MA.  Diana, 26, lives in Aspen, CO.  Molly, 35, and husband Paul live in London, England.  Lila, 28, partner David and son Rowan, age 2 live in Shelburne.