Board of Directors

Norm Frates is the founder and president of the Zack’s Place Board and the father of Zack Frates, whose life continues to inspire everything we do at Zack’s Place. Zack passed away in 2011, but his spirit, kindness, and love for others live on through the community that has grown from his legacy.

Norm recently retired as Vice President of Mortgage Lending at Mascoma Bank after more than 30 years in the mortgage industry in the Woodstock area. He also owned and operated Eastern Mountain Mortgage for 15 years.

A dedicated community leader, Norm has served on numerous local boards, including Ski Runners, Woodstock Selectboard, Woodstock Recreation Center, Woodstock Foundation, Mount Ascutney Hospital, and Woodstock Rotary. He currently serves on the Alice Peck Day Lifecare Board.

Norm and his wife, Dail, live on their farm in Woodstock. They have four adult children and three grandchildren. In his free time, Norm enjoys working on the farm, hockey, skiing, cycling, and being outdoors.

For Norm, Zack’s Place is deeply personal. It is a way to honor Zack’s memory while helping create a place where people of all abilities are welcomed, valued, and given the opportunity to connect, have fun, and build meaningful friendships.

Ron Jaynes recently retired as President of Jaynes and Berge Inc. He has lived in Woodstock since 1971. He received his BA in Business Administration from the University of Georgia. He has served on many local boards, including:

• Woodstock Elementary
• Woodstock Union High School
• Woodstock Foundation Advisory Board
• Vermont National Bank Advisory Board
• Unitarian Universalist Church
• Mertens House
• Lawrence and Mary Rockefeller Woodstock Foundation Fund
• Woodstock Associates
• Wise Development Committee
• Zack’s Place

He was the recipient of the Woodstock Recreation Center Volunteer of the Year award in 1991, Chairman of the Woodstock School Fund, and Woodstock Citizen of the Year in 2015. His interests include volunteer work, improving his Spanish, travel and sports.

Jim is a Partner with the accounting firm Tyler, Simms, & St. Sauveur, in Lebanon, NH. Jim’s specialization in the firm is working with not-for-profit organizations, for which he has a comprehensive understanding of their needs and the myriad of issues that they face. After graduating from Woodstock Union High School in 1984, Jim attended the University of Vermont. Jim was raised in Killington along with an older brother with intellectual disabilities. His professional and personal experiences allow him to contribute meaningful input to the Board and help the organization achieve its mission.

Jim is also the former Chair of the Board of Directors for Special Olympics Vermont, and currently serves on an advisory committee to the Vermont Alzheimer’s Association. He currently resides in Woodstock with his wife Eileen, and their son Lucas is pursuing his MBA at Boston College. He tries to spend as much of his free time as he can in the outdoors: skiing, hiking, and kayaking.

Lynne McEvoy is the Special Events Coordinator at River Valley Club in Hanover, NH. She resides in Quechee, VT, with her husband, within three hours of their three children and seven grandchildren. Zack Frates was Lynne’s nephew, and her dedication to supporting Zack’s Place continues, as it is an incredible place for individuals with disabilities to be active community members.

Lynne spent 18 years living in Spring, TX, raising her children, volunteering, and working in education. After volunteering and coordinating the Klein High School Bearkat Bash, a 5K event that raised over $50,000 for the high school, Lynne brought the idea of a Turkey Trot to Zack’s Place. Lynne, her sister Chelle, and the Zack’s Place staff and volunteers successfully orchestrated the first Zack’s Place Turkey Trot, which continues to be one of the most lucrative fundraisers and community events for Zack’s Place.

Lynne also graduated from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, where she played both field hockey and tennis. She continues to play sports, engage with her community, and spend valuable time with her family, all fostered by her love of helping others. Lynne is honored to be a part of the Zack’s Place Board of Directors and looks forward to working closely with the other members to provide the best support for the participants.

As the Co-Founder of Zack’s Place, with over 20 years of experience in organizational leadership, Dail has transitioned from founder to Executive Director and back to the Board of Directors, ensuring the center’s long-term stability. She combines a background in the travel industry and real estate with a deep commitment to financial accountability and program excellence. Dail is passionate about leveraging her diverse business management skills to enrich the lives of the clients Zack’s Place serves.

As Executive Director from 2010 to 2024, Dail steered the organization through significant growth, expanding from a grassroots start-up to a staple community institution serving over 100 participants. She led all development efforts, transitioning the center into a financially robust entity through diversified fundraising streams; managed daily business operations, including human resources, facility management, and financial reporting to the Board; and pioneered program development initiatives that introduced art, music, and fitness curricula designed specifically for the special-needs community.

Dail has been a licensed real estate agent with Snyder Donegan Real Estate in Woodstock since 2002, using her vast local network and business acumen to support the Woodstock community. Before that, she spent 18 years in the travel industry, developing a foundation in logistics, high-level customer service, and international coordination. She attended the University of South Florida and Edison State College, and graduated from Woodstock Union High School.

Dail looks forward to sharing her experience and is eager to help in any capacity at Zack’s Place to ensure ongoing programs that enrich the clients they serve.

Helen Norton has been involved with Zack’s Place for 20 years. As the parent of an adult with special needs and a former executive director of another nonprofit, she is passionate about creating engaging, fun opportunities for people with diverse intellectual and physical abilities.

Helen especially enjoys working with the board and staff to bring enriching programs to Zack’s Place participants and the wider community. She believes what makes Zack’s Place special is its commitment to offering high-quality programs free of charge and welcoming people of all abilities.

Outside of her work with Zack’s Place, Helen is an avid biker, skier, and sailor. She especially enjoys these outdoor adventures with her daughter, Erin, and her husband, Emmett.

Jeff Dillon is a global healthcare professional. He has held senior executive roles at several Fortune 50 corporations. Currently he is active on several board positions for both non-profit and for-profit domestic and global corporations, as well as serving as a Rotarian. Having a brother with special needs, he has been an active advocate in all types of organizations to generate opportunities and improve the well-being of his brother and his peers.

Kathleen Casey brings a unique perspective to Zack’s Place as a result of her multiple leadership positions in both corporate and educational environments, where she has been instrumental in achieving strategic and operational goals and objectives. In her work, Kathleen has an established track record of increasing development and enrollment, building influential networks and enhancing the sustainability of communities to support the school’s mission. By leveraging private sector corporate experience, Kathleen helps optimize both “mission and margin.”

Kathleen is currently a Senior Partner with Partners in Mission, consulting with administrators and boards to develop strategic plans, leadership and advancement solutions for Catholic schools across the United States.

Earlier in her career, Kathleen spent 10 years as a Business & Senior Strategic Planner for General Motors Corporation, where she was responsible for the marketing and strategic development of several key domestic and international business units.

Kathleen earned an MBA from the American Graduate School of International Management (’87) and a B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (’84). She and her husband, Chris, reside in Quechee, VT and are the proud parents of two grown children.

As a special educator, parent, and community member, it is my pleasure to participate as a board member at Zack’s Place. My love for special needs children, teens and adults has been a lifelong passion for me. Currently, I teach in the community classroom at Woodstock Union High School. I retired last year after 26 years as a special educator; however, my call back to the students and a new opportunity to coordinate programs at the high school with Zack’s Place has filled my bucket with purpose. This new role allows me the joy of continuing support for this program so that participants can be a part of a community while learning and finding purpose with others who share similar interests. I feel very lucky to be able to belong to such a wonderful organization.

Chet Marcus’ involvement with Zack’s Place began as a volunteer for our annual Turkey Trot fundraiser. After retiring from his career as a Certified Financial Planner, Chet decided to deepen his involvement by joining the Zack’s Place Board of Directors, where he currently serves on the Finance Committee.

Chet is passionate about giving back during retirement and helping service organizations achieve their long-term goals. Throughout his career, he has served on nonprofit boards and brought his financial expertise to finance committees, helping organizations build strong foundations for the future.

While Chet currently serves on three boards, he describes Zack’s Place as the most heartwarming. He believes it is the combination of our dedicated staff, wonderful participants, and the mission of Zack’s Place that makes the organization so special. He especially enjoys the positive energy and genuine sense of happiness that he experiences whenever he is at Zack’s Place.

Chet is proud to contribute his time, experience, and financial expertise to an organization that brings so much joy and meaning to the lives of its participants and families.

Ann spent twenty years in corporate America working in investments and navigating mergers in Houston, Washington, Baltimore and Charlotte. After leaving the corporate world, Ann created workshops for women in transition in the Baltimore and Metro DC area. From early 2007 through 2013, Ann was the host of WomanTalk Live Radio in Baltimore, interviewing guests and having conversations about topics important to women. It was there that she started the annual Girls Gone Great Scholarship Essay Contest to honor a young woman in Maryland making a difference in her community. That scholarship has evolved into a nonprofit, The Grace Erline Memorial Scholarship, that honors two to three young women annually to help them fund their continued education. Ann continues to serve on the board.

In 2014, Ann and her husband, Bob, relocated to Woodstock after spending several years vacationing and road biking in Vermont. She has spent her time in her new home creating an amazing garden, volunteering, taking art and cooking classes, biking and enjoying this new chapter. Both Ann and Bob are loving life and their community in the Green Mountains.