RACHEL Feldman
Favorite Part of Job? The best thing about being Chief of Staff to Lt. Governor Phil Scott is getting to work with Phil Scott and Vermonters every single day. I’m never bored, I’m constantly inspired, and I’m always learning something new.
Most Inspiring Mentor: My sister, a nurse for Doctors Without Borders, because she takes the world under her wing and reminds me that it is always possible to change things for the better.
Tell us something fun about yourself that few people know: I play the hammered dulcimer. I still have to call my father for help tuning it, though…it’s 46 strings, after all.
Favorite Hobby: I’m a voracious reader, to the point where I think I’ve physically run out of room for books. I currently have 400 and counting.
Favorite Vermont Escape:
My mother’s home in the Mad River Valley is my favorite spot in Vermont. Not only is my mother there, but as an added bonus it also happens to be a breathtakingly beautiful place.
Favorite Social Media: My favorite form of social media is Skype; it’s the closest you can come to a face-to-face conversation, which is the most valuable form of socializing.
Favorite Website: www.google.com. Anyone who handles constituent questions understands the value of a good search engine.
Vermont Business Person you would like to have lunch with: Senator Dick Mazza, ideally pizza and pie at the diner in his “Garage.”
Career Highlights: Working with the Times Argus staff to report on the Barre flood of 2007, despite firemen urging us to evacuate the building as the water rose outside the windows. Telling the story of the old Champlain Bridge for WCAX, complete with archival footage of then-New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt walking across it. Selling most of my belongings and moving to Israel for a teaching fellowship, even though I didn’t speak or read a word of Hebrew. Being able to live and work in Vermont upon my return, thanks to the creative and open minds at the Vermont Arts Council. Everything about working with Lt. Governor Phil Scott.
Community Involvement: My favorite volunteer activity is Phil Scott’s Wheels for Warmth; I get to help plan the event, work with the diverse and hilarious team who all donate their time, and then the day of I get a massive workout hauling tires. I also serve on the Board of Directors for Onion River Community Access (ORCA) Media, volunteer as a “Social Media Surgeon” for nonprofits seeking advice on social media engagement, and assist in outreach for Vermont Green Up Day.
