McMeekin Is Chamber's
'Executive of the Year'
By Bob Eddy

Rebecca McMeekin, executive director of the Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph, and her husband Charles, at the annual meeting of the Randolph Chamber of Commerce, where she won the Chamber's top annual award.(Herald photo / Bob Eddy)

Chandler Center for the Arts executive director, Rebecca McMeekin, was named Outstanding Business Executive of the Year by the Randolph Area Chamber of Commerce last Friday night in its annual meeting at Vermont Technical College.

Chandler is celebrating the centennial of its founding this year, and is about to begin a multi-million-dollar capital fund drive to renovate and improve its facilities for the next century.

Chandler has expanded regional arts offerings throughout the past two decades, now providing over 30 stage performances, monthly shows in the gallery space, practice space, a summer musical theater experience for area children and youth, the perennially popular Mud Season Talent Show, and the nationally recognized New World Festival.

Bringing over 15,000 people to Randolph this past year, Chandler is a demonstrated contributor to the area economy.

McMeekin, who became Chandler's lone paid employee in 1998, was introduced by last year’s winner, Joe Woodin. Following Chamber tradition, the recipient was kept a surprise to the very end of Woodin’s speech. Because Woodin is currently traveling in Spain, however, his remarks were pre-recorded as a delightful "satellite downlink transmission" from a small restaurant in front of the majestic Alhambra Palace in southern Spain.

McMeekin grew up in Rochester, N.Y., where as a child she studied violin with teachers from Eastman School. At the College of Wooster, in Ohio, she graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors and also met her future husband, Charlie McMeekin.

Lured to Vermont

After the wedding, Charlie wanted to settle in Kentucky, where he has family, but agreed to try Vermont, where Becky vacationed often as a child. They moved to Randolph in the mid-‘70s. Together they have raised two grown sons, Jesse and David, and a daughter, Hannah, who is a student at Sharon Academy, where Charlie now teaches.

Woodin cited McMeekin’s many activities: she plays cello; sings with "Sounding Joy"; is an active member of Bethany Church; just built a new home on Braintree Hill; and enjoys hiking, snow-shoeing, cross country skiing, reading and knitting.

For 13 years, McMeekin was teacher and director of Randolph Community Preschool. Her first appointment at Chandler was as director of programs and fund development for 20 hours a week. As programs expanded, however, she became the organization’s first-ever full-time director last year.

Receiving her award, McMeekin acknowledged that "My work as executive director at Chandler is very different from the work that many of you do as leaders in business and industry. Chandler’s paid staff is very small, so we are very dependent upon the work of volunteers.

"Standing up here with me should be: our Board President, Janet Watton, who has given her life to Chandler for over a decade; Laura Morris, Chandler’s first paid staff person, whose position was entirely funded through the visionary leadership of board member, Bill Markle; Sharon Rives, the head of fundraising; Tim Branstetter, invaluable member of our building committee; board and committee members past and present; and literally hundreds others who have served as volunteer ushers, gallery sitters, contributing artists and in countless ways with our New World Festival.

"These people all receive this award with me. This hall couldn’t even accommodate them all!"

McMeekin closed by expressing hope that the voters in Randolph will support the upcoming bond vote for renovation of the facilities, saying, "Chandler is invaluable. It’s hard to imagine the Randolph area without it."

Officers Elected

In other business conducted at Friday’s Annual Meeting of the Chamber, Lynn Irish, Chamber executive director, recognized board members that left the board last year. Among them was Edna Burnett who retired from Randolph National Bank and subsequently from the Chamber after 17 years. She served as a director, president in 1998-99 and most recently as secretary.

Also recognized were Laura Kent of the Vermont Tech Enterprise Center, Anne Silloway from Randolph Rotary Club and Rick Schnaedter, former Randolph Town Manager.

Officers elected to another one-year term included Presiden Joe Boyd, Vice President Rob Niebling, Treasurer George Gray, and Past President Marty Strange. Clark Leonard will join them as secretary.

New directors are Ed Lincoln, Maple Cake Farm; Barbara George, Three Stallion Inn; Max Bryant, Boys & Girls Club; Mona Colton, Randolph National Bank; and Fred Newhall, ClearSource.

Re-elected to another term are Rick Goodall, DuBois & King and Arnold Spahn, Randolph Rotary Club.

Continuing in their present terms are Brent Kay, OSSU; Mike Van Dyke, Vermont Technical College; Ashley Lincoln, Gifford Medical Center; Karen Warner, Valley Bowl/WCVR; and Bob Wright, CFM, Corp.

Rounding out the evening was speaker Jay Craven, a Vermont filmmaker, arts activist and instructor at Marlboro College (see other story).

President Joe Boyd closed the evening at 9 p.m.