Meet Our Board!
Courtney has been a dedicated volunteer at the Teen Center for nearly a year and is excited to now serve on the Board of Directors. With a PhD in Education and a career focused on helping students and faculty succeed, Courtney brings a passion for teaching, learning, and community building to the Center.
Outside of work, she’s an artist and illustrator based in Middlebury, known for her watercolor and gouache pieces that celebrate the small details of everyday life. She also loves knitting, reading, and getting outdoors to enjoy Vermont’s changing seasons. Courtney believes in the power of creativity, curiosity, and connection, and she’s thrilled to support the Teen Center as a place where youth can explore, learn, and grow.
Kathryn (she/her) is the Tween & Teen Librarian for the Ilsley Public Library in Middlebury. Part of Kathryn's passion is creating safe spaces for teens of all identities to feel welcome, included and celebrated. In her spare time, Kathryn can be found playing outside with her dog and reading a good book.
Fable Hawthorne is a local peer support specialist focusing on mental health and recovery in Addison County. When he isn't working as outreach coordinator of the Turning Point Center of Addison County, he spends much of his time renovating his house, gaming and hosting weekly tabletop roleplaying games at the Teen Center. On Thursday nights, Fable facilitates a LGBTQIA+ social and support group at the Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Society building in Middlebury, holding space for queer and trans community members seeking connection. Coming from adverse conditions as a child, and having survived his own trials with depression, he tries to bring his lived experience to his work, valuing empathy over everything else.
Rafaela Botti is a proud Houstonian with Vermont values, which to her means a strong work ethic, community-centered decision making, and perseverance to protect democracy and strengthen civic engagement. Since moving to Vermont before the start of her freshman year of high school, Rafaela has been actively involved in her community as a youth organizer and champion for youth voice and LGBTQ+ rights. Through her time spent with Atria Collective (WomenSafe), Education Justice Coalition, MiddPride, and Outright Vermont, Rafaela has built her network and honed in on her unique skill set, which she puts to use through grassroots organizing. With the support of this network, Rafaela took the initiative to found the Vermont chapter of Vote16 U.S.A., leading the statewide campaign to extend voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds. Currently, Rafaela is a senior in high school, and much to the amazement of acquaintances and colleagues, Rafaela remains homeschooled through a rigorous, classical curriculum. She is deeply fascinated by the intersections of gender and sexuality in policy and economics, as well as making education and awareness of those topics more accessible through art forms such as documentary filmmaking and music; Rafaela plans to pursue a degree in higher education studying one or more of these fields and obtain a JD.
Isabel “Izzy” Gogarty (she/her), based in Middlebury, Vermont, leads at the intersection of of education, community health, and economic development. A proud two-time graduate of Vermont State University–Castleton, Izzy began her career as a Health Educator at MUMS where she met many of the students she serves at the Teen Center. Currently, she is a Middlebury Selectboard Member and transitioned to working in the Vermont Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program on the UVM Campus. She is passionate about sharing with teens skills and tips for life after high school, organization, civic engagement, healthy relationships and financial education. Izzy is a proud graduate of EMERGE Vermont and the Snelling Center for Government Vermont Leadership Institute. Izzy is an avid trivia enthusiast, a frequent reader at Ilsley Public Library, and a fan of the Broadway Series at the Flynn.
