Liza Alrick moved to Vail in 1997 from New York. She holds an AB in History from Harvard University, which served her well as a loan officer for nonprofits renovating aging facilities in New York City, then as Executive Director for the Jay Heritage Center in Rye, NY. She has been with J. Krueger and Company, a general contractor in the valley, for 21 years. In 2017, Liza opened Maker+Stitch, a yarn shop in Edwards, with another VMS parent. She has served on the boards and as treasurer of The Vail Valley Charitable Fund, Unity of the Mountains, and Mountain Montessori School. She has also served on the VMS Gala and Audit Committees. She has one child at VMS.

Pepper grew up in the Vail Valley and, along with his two siblings, attended VMS from Kindergarten through Senior Year ('98).  He studied Cultural Anthropology and International Eco-tourism at Colorado State University before returning to the Valley where he met his wife, Jody, while they were working locally as whitewater raft guides. In addition to many years as a guide around the world, Pepper also ran a freelance photography company before attending PA school at The George Washington University. After several years in Minnesota working for the Mayo Clinic health system, Pepper returned to the Valley and currently works as a Physician Assistant with Vail Health and Colorado Mountain Medical. Pepper and Jody have two children at VMS, Bodhi '29 and Kayla '26. Pepper has been active on the VMS Strategic Planning Committee and Alumni Committees and looks forward to extending his service to the school as a member of the Board.  

Markian Feduschak has lived in the Eagle Valley since 2007 and served as Executive Director and President of Walking Mountains Science Center since 2004. Walking Mountains has grown significantly since its founding in 1998, including opening the doors of the Tang Campus in Avon and serving all public and private schools in Vail/Eagle valley, including a close relationship with VMS. Markian grew up in Colorado and graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in English Literature. Prior to Walking Mountains, Markian worked as a professional ski patroller and for the Colorado Outward Bound School as an instructor, course director and program director. Markian is married with two daughters, both of whom graduated from Eagle Valley High School. Markian has volunteered his time with various outdoor nonprofits and currently serves as board chair of the Friends of Colorado Avalanche Information Center. 

Amy Gish has been a part of the VMS community since 1991 as both a member of the Lower School faculty and a substitute teacher. She holds a B.A. in Communications and a Masters in Elementary Education from University of Oregon. Amy has volunteered her time with Rocky Mountain CASA, The Literacy Project, and the Hope Center of Eagle River Valley. Amy has four daughters, two of whom are currently at VMS, and two are VMS alumnae.

Paul Graf works in Venture Capital and has many years of experience in start-up and business management. He is a founder of the Vail Mind Center and Healthy Young Minds. He holds a BS in Business Economics from Lehigh University. Paul and his family have lived in the Vail valley for 12 years. He and his wife, Susanne, are the parents of two VMS students in grades 6 and 3. Paul serves on the Finance Committee.

Joe Hanlon's bio is forthcoming. 

Larisa Haytmanek holds a bachelor's degree from Wake Forest University and a MBA from Villanova School of Business.  Before having children, Larisa was the CFO of a fixed income broker dealer.  The Haytmanek Family lived in the Vail Valley for one year in 2013 and permanently moved back in 2017.  Since being back, Larisa has served on the Board of Children’s Garden of Learning Preschool.  She is also a member of the VMS Advancement committee and is the Co-Chair of VMS Homebase Parents.  Larisa’s two daughters have attended VMS since Kindergarten. 

Mandy Jaffe is a graduate of Brown University and holds a B.A. in Biology that she put to use as a researcher for the Women and Infants’ Hospital in Providence, RI, and for the Pfizer Clinical Trial Development in Connecticut and New York City. Mandy met her husband, Tom, on a chairlift while vacationing in Vail and the two of them moved here in 2009 from New York City. Since then, Mandy has immersed herself in nonprofit fundraising and development, chairing the children’s annual preschool fundraiser from 2010 to 2012 and moving on to chair the VMS Gala in 2016 and 2017. She has two children at Vail Mountain School.

Rebecca (Becky) Kinney and her family moved to the Vail Valley in 2018. Becky is a graduate of Harvard University, Mount Sinai School of Medicine (now the Icahn School of Medicine), and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Trained as a primary care physician, Becky is now the Executive Director of The Beckon Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to improving health equity. Becky and her husband, Toby, are proud parents of three VMS students in grades 8, 5, and 3. Becky serves on the Strategic Planning Committee and the Development Committee.

Susanne Johnson and her husband Ted operate Vail Valley Waste and Edwards Excavating; family businesses serving the Vail Valley. She currently serves on the VMS Committee on Trustees, is a Co-Chair of the Advancement Committee, and a Co-Chair of VMS Parent Partners. Like so many others, Susanne came to the Vail Valley for “just one season” shortly after earning a degree in Marketing from Michigan State University. She enjoyed her work as Admissions Director for Students Shoulder-to-Shoulder, has served as the Marketing Director for the Vail Recreation District, and played a key role in the development of Chatfield Corners in Gypsum. Susanne and her husband are the proud parents of three VMS students.

Nicole Magistro is a reader, writer, mentor, journalist, consultant and community leader. She is the mother of Silas (Class of 2030) and lives in Wolcott with her husband, Zach Locke. Nicole moved to Vail in 2002 and owned The Bookworm of Edwards for 15 years, during which time she was the recipient of the ABA's Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, WNBA's Pannell Award and James Patterson indie bookseller grant. Magistro judged the Kirkus Prize for Fiction and has served various nonprofits including the American Booksellers' Association, The Literacy Project, and The Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers' Association. Her current role is publisher of Read Island, an upbeat brand of children's books and gifts. 

Philip Pillsbury III moved to the Vail Valley in 2019 with his wife Cynthia, and 3 children, all of whom are current students at VMS. His love of Vail was cemented during family trips starting in 1985, fortified during his undergraduate years at CU - Boulder, and finalized during longer visits where he and his family recognized the amazing VMS community and the entire Vail Valley. Philip’s career has included work in state politics, video production, the digital music market, online marketing software sales, and most recently Phil’s Secret Sauce, which he started in 2020. Philip’s volunteer work and board involvement has included VPAC, The Hotchkiss School, Musicians on Call and Bread and Roses, which brings hope and healing through live music.

Melissa Provencher and her family moved to the Vail Valley in 2016 from Boston. She is a graduate of Cornell University and University of San Diego School of Law. Prior to moving to Vail, Melissa practiced complex business litigation in California for more than a decade. Melissa and her husband Matt have four children at Vail Mountain School. She chaired the VMS Gala in 2018 and 2019 and is on the board of the Vail Valley Lacrosse Club

Chris Rozzell is the Managing Partner of Cresta Energy Capital, a private equity company located in Dallas, TX.  He majored in finance at Southern Methodist University and serves on the Board of Directors for multiple portfolio companies of Cresta’s funds.  Chris has three sons, two of which are currently at VMS.

Dave Saunders has been part of the VMS community since 2019. He is currently the Director of Alternative Investments at Aspen Grove Capital. Prior to moving to Vail, Dave was on the investment team of the Colorado Public Employees Retirement Association, and he served on the Board of the Colorado Venture Capital Authority. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Dave and his wife Ashley have two children attending VMS, currently in grades 9 and 6. Dave serves on the Finance Committee.

Karen moved from upstate New York to the Vail Valley in the fall of 1998 to teach skiing for "just-one-winter," but she fell in love with the mountains and never left. Karen is a graduate of Bucknell University where she earned a BA in Mathematics. As a member of the VMS community since 2001, she has served in many roles over the years including Middle/Upper School math teacher, soccer coach, mentor, tutor, volunteer, and substitute teacher. She is currently serving as a Co-Coordinator for the VMS Homebase Parent Program for grades K-12 and is also a member of the Alumni Committee. Karen and her husband Greg Ciluzzi live in Edwards and have two boys attending VMS, Hudson '30 and Tyler '28. 

Kristin Tang is the owner/director of Gore Range Montessori Preschool and a former kindergarten teacher at VMS. Born and raised in New York City, she majored in Asian Studies at Skidmore College and Special Education at NYU, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Vail Valley Foundation. She lives in East Vail and has two children at VMS and two alumni attending college.