Media Factory Board of Directors

In 2012, Eric moved from an international broadcasting career at the Voice of America in Washington DC and CNN in West Africa to Vermont with the strong desire to grow sustainable roots. In less than two years later in Burlington, he was already taking a significant part in the local political, social, and economic conversations. But rapidly, he couldn’t climb any further on the social ladder. Though Vermont was enthusiastically starting the race conversation at that time, the Green Mountain state was not ready for equity yet. Disillusioned, he took a job in Africa, where he assisted various organizations in nurturing fruitful dialogues between their stakeholders.

After a decade-long professional and philosophical voyage throughout Africa, Eric Agnero is back in Vermont to find that VT has made significant progress in inclusion and diversity. He is now looking forward to sharing his international experience and confidently contributing to the local leadership. He is currently working for various community media projects with the Association of Africans Living in Vermont, CCTV, VICII, and was recently coopted to serve on the board of Toward Freedom.

Art Bell founded Dreamlike Pictures in 2008, a video-based marketing agency which produces television commercials, music videos, digital signage, and branded content.

Prior, he was CTO of Oxygen Media Television, New York, co-founded with Geraldine Laybourne, Oprah Winfrey, and The Walt Disney Company.

Before Oxygen, Bell was co-founder of Alias Research, Toronto, heading the development of Alias and Maya 3D, the world leader for 3D animation and special effects for motion pictures, television, and gaming.

He was most recently on the Boards of CCTV and the Vermont CURE.

As a first generation American, a singular thread in Katherine's career has been advocacy. She attributes this to her working-class roots and gratitude to those who helped her find her way educationally and professionally. With a BA in History and an MPA, she's worked as a civil rights investigator, legislative liaison, consumer advocate, prison educator, college instructor, newspaper columnist and Development Director at Laraway Youth & Family Services. She hosts a radio show—Present Time—on WBTV LP, 99.3 FM in which she strives to bring the voices of those less represented in our culture to the airwaves.

Board Secretary

Shelagh Connor Shapiro hosts a show called Write the Book on our affiliate community radio station, WBTV-LP. Write the Book features interviews about books for writers and curious readers. Her novel, Shape of the Sky, published in 2014, was nominated for the Vermont Book Award. Her stories have appeared in North Dakota Quarterly, The Baltimore Review, Short Story, Gulf Stream and others. Her story “somewhere never gladly” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She has an MFA in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Shelagh lives in South Burlington, Vermont with her husband, Jerry. They have three sons: Bennett, Connor, and Aaron. Shelagh's involvement in community radio has allowed her to learn many new skills: interviewing, audio editing, and broadcasting among them. She loves being a part of community radio, which offers people with or without broadcast experience a voice on their local airwaves, participating in conversations about music and the arts, news and politics. Community radio encourages participation and story sharing. It brings people together.

Board Treasurer

Chris Dissinger joined the RETN board in 2014. He is currently the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Fleming Museum of Art at the University of Vermont where he handles all aspects of marketing, publicity, graphic design, photography, as well as social and electronic media. Prior to moving to Vermont, Chris was publisher and editor of two daily newspaper in New Mexico for 15 years. A graduate of Towson University, Chris holds degrees in both History and Journalism. Chris believes that technology is a core component of growth for public institutions and, through its use, can reach and be relevant to wider and more diverse audiences. Chris lives in Underhill with his wife and daughter and enjoys skiing, ice and rock climbing, cycling and water sports in his spare time.

Outside of my time on the board I’m a documentary filmmaker and outdoor enthusiast. I teach in the Film & Television Studies Program and co-direct the Reporting and Documentary Storytelling minor at UVM. I love bringing my students to the Media Factory. I share the story of the Media Factory with friends and colleagues and they want to know more. How many people out there want to know more? One of my goals is to continue to spread word of the opportunities available to more people. From my point of view the Media Factory is one of the greatest resources our community has to be creative, to express ideas, and to promote civic discourse. I look forward to continuing to serve on the board. Thanks!

Colleen is a video producer, writer, and media educator who lives in the New North End.

Currently, she is the communications manager for UVM Food Systems Research Center, the first USDA-funded research station to study the interconnectedness of all parts of a regional food system, from farm practices to food access. She is also a contributing arts & culture writer to Seven Days.

Prior to moving to Burlington, she worked at Dartmouth College where she ran a student media production unit and facilitated digital storytelling workshops to students, faculty, staff, and community members. Previously, Colleen has worked on a wide range of documentary film and television programs for HBO, PBS, MTV, the Annenberg Foundation, and more. In her free time, she enjoys gardening and improv comedy.

Board President

Keith Oppenheim has been an instructor at Champlain since 2014. His courses in Broadcast Media Production include Video Storytelling, News Writing and Production and Video Field Production. In addition, seniors in the broadcast major work with Keith on their capstone project, a series of documentaries that air on local cable television. Before coming to Champlain, Keith was a broadcast journalist. He worked in local markets for 12 years, followed by 11 years at CNN where he was a correspondent based in Chicago. Keith taught at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan for 5 years, then made the move to Vermont. Keith is currently a regular contributor to Vermont Public Radio's commentary series.

I am a resident of Shelburne and a member of Media Factory. I currently work as a water resource planner for a regional public agency. In that role I assist communities, non profit organizations, and other partners throughout northwestern Vermont. Our common goal is to implement projects that will reduce the amount of phosphorus entering Lake Champlain. Previously, I was employed by a municipal government whose meetings are recorded and broadcast by Media Factory. Some of my other experiences include print journalism and college radio.

I've been a fan and supporter of Media Factory – and before that VCAM – for many years. I believe the services it provides are hugely important, and their value was only magnified during the COVID crisis. Media Factory is also responsible for helping me get in touch with my creative side. My partner and I participated in Crowdsourced Cinema in 2020 and again in 2022. I've benefited from the work performed by the organization and members of its talented staff since 2002. 

Jason Raymond is the instructor of the Digital Media Lab at the Burlington Technical Center (BTC). Prior to working at BTC, Jason worked for several years as a community media educator at Tualatin Valley Community Access (TVCA/TVTV) in Beaverton, OR teaching field and studio production workshops and coordinating media productions with community volunteers. He has also taught middle school Broadcasting in Little Rock, AR, developing collaborative projects with the Little Rock Film Festival, AETN (Arkansas Educational Television Network-PBS), the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, and the PBS Student Reporting Lab. He holds Master’s degrees in Education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin, with a specialization in copywriting from the Texas Creative program. Jason was also an undergraduate of Bennington College, with a focus in creative writing and media studies. Jason is interested in engaging youth in a collaborative exploration of the creative possibilities of filmmaking, electronic music, and emerging technologies.