Jeweler highlighted at River Artisans; Permanent Fund names new CEO

Jewelry designer Cindy Moses named RAC artist for September

Cindy Moses, owner of Canal Street Beads in Bellows Falls has been making beaded jewelry for the past 20 years. She enjoys sharing her skills and knowledge by offering classes for amateur beaders.

Cindy Moses’ jewelry is featured this month at River Artisans in Saxtons River

Moses’ jewelry is displayed as Maple Leaf Designs and is available for purchase at the River Artisans Cooperative shop. The care she takes in her craft is evident in her   high-quality wearable creations. She explains her love of jewelry making, saying, “I am so fortunate to have found a craft that not only has been my source of income for so many years, but also is my passion.”

River Artisans Cooperative is located in the center of Saxtons River Village, across from the Saxtons River Inn at 26B Main St. Open year round, RAC’s May–December hours are: Monday–Friday, noon–5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

More than 50 juried members keep the store filled with a wide variety of items, each crafted by hand. New artists are welcome and may apply for membership at any time. To learn more about Moses’ work, or the River Artisans Cooperative, call 802-869-2099, visit www.riverartisans.com or stop by the gallery.

Permanent Fund names new CEO

The Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children has named Alyson Richards as the fund’s new chief executive officer. The deputy chief of staff for Gov. Peter Shumlin will assume her duties at the Permanent Fund Sept. 1. Her last day in the Governor’s Office was July 24.

Alyson Richards

“Last week the governor noted that kids born in Vermont are better off today because of the good work Aly has done,” said Rick Davis, president and founder of the Permanent Fund. “At the Permanent Fund, we have a simple idea that is going to require the kind of leadership Aly brings: We want to assure that every Vermont child has access to high quality and affordable early care and learning.”

A native of Newbury, Richards has had leading roles in several of the Shumlin administration’s efforts to support early childhood including the federal Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge and Preschool Expansion grants. With experience in education dating back to a gubernatorial appointment to the State Board of Education when she was still in high school, Richards has also convened the coalition that helped to pass a set of education initiatives including free lunch for all low-income Vermonters and the Flexible Pathways bill, which creates a statewide program for expanding dual enrollment and early college.

Prior to joining the Governor’s Office, Richards served on the 2008 Obama campaign and worked as the mid-Atlantic deputy finance director at the Democratic National Committee. A graduate of Brown University, Richards lives in Montpelier.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity because I see the Permanent Fund and its partners making real progress on issues that will greatly impact our state’s future, “said Richards.

Founded in 2000, the Permanent Fund (permanentfund.org) is a philanthropic organization that partners with other early childhood organizations to promote access to high quality, affordable early care and learning in Vermont.