Grace Cottage announces new board members

TOWNSHEND

Claussen holds an MBA in Business Administration from Norwich University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Maine – Orono.

Al Claussen

He works as project manager for Noho Health Inc. dba Care/of in Brattleboro. Previously, Claussen was branch officer for Berkshire Bank in Manchester and, before that, he spent 15 years as a store manager and category sales manager for Yankee Candle in S. Deerfield, Mass. He was awarded a Wholesale Leadership Award in 2014.

Claussen is chair of the West River Education District board and clerk for the Windham Central Supervisory Union, where he is responsible for fiscal controls and governance.

Claussen lives in Townshend with his wife Tammy and four sons.

Meyer earned a Master of Education from Cambridge College and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education from University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. She is currently pursuing a second Master’s from Castleton University.

Karren Meyer

She teaches driver education at Leland and Gray High School and was named the 2019 Southern Vermont Driver Educator of the Year and the 2020 Vermont Driver Educator of the Year. Recently, she also received a National Teacher of Excellence Award. She is Leland and Gray’s “Refuse to Use” coordinator, working to discourage teens’ use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco, and she is president-elect for the Vermont Driver Traffic Safety Education Association.

Meyer grew up in Falmouth, Mass., and has lived in Vermont’s West River Valley area for 23 years. A resident of Newfane, she lives with her husband Steven and their son and daughter. She has volunteered for many civic endeavors, including West River Valley Thrives, the Moore Free Library in Newfane and the Timpson Hill Preschool in Williamsville, and she has been an avid Grace Cottage Hospital Fair Day volunteer for many years.

“Grace Cottage is well served with these new additions. We are grateful for the time and energy that Al and Karren bring to the board,” said Kevin Meyer, board president at Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital and president of Mary Meyer Stuffed Toys. Karren Meyer is the sister-in-law of Kevin Meyer.

Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital includes a 19-bed hospital and ER, a primary care clinic, a full-service lab and radiology department, and both inpatient and outpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapy.  For more information, go to  or call (802) 365-7357.