Meet the Board
Alex Herchenreder,
President
Grew up in South Deerfield graduating from Deerfield Elementary, briefly attending Frontier Regional School, to complete high school at Four Rivers Charter. Attended Westfield State University and graduated with a B.S. in Regional Planning with a Art & Geographic Information Systems Minors. Currently working on his Graduate Degree at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Regional Planning and concentrating in Community Development.
Alex is dedicated to the Town through volunteering on the Zoning Board of Appeals and throughout the Municipal Offices in pursuit of learning the craft of Local Government. Involvement in these endeavors provide interactions with residents and professionals alike resulting in much imparting wisdom to be carried on in future undertakings.
A committed member of the community and will continue to strive for Deerfield to be the best it can be.
Christopher (Chris) Harris, Treasurer, and Founding Member
Christopher (Chris) Harris grew up in South Deerfield, attended public grammar and junior high schools, and then attended Deerfield Academy for four years. He graduated from Deerfield
Academy as the Robert B. Crow Most Outstanding Scholar, then earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with Distinction from Cornell University.
Chris’ professional career spans three decades in global specialty
chemicals/advanced materials in technical/operations, commercial and executive leadership positions, most recently as President of Aristo LLC [Hobart IN] and as CEO & President of the then NASDAQ-listed CDTi Advanced Materials Inc (formerly Clean Diesel Technologies Inc) [Oxnard CA].
In 2020, Chris spearheaded a major public/private-funded historical gravestone preservation project at Old Deerfield’s Laurel Hill Cemetery. Since 2020, he has also served on the Board of the Deerfield Economic Development & Industrial Corporation (DEDIC).
Chris has also served for many years on the Board of the non-profit Family and Friends of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment Association. His uncle, James Allen Childs, was an original Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division who parachuted into Normandy, France on June 6, 1944, then jumped into Eastern Holland in September 1944 where he was killed on Day 2 of the operation that came to be known as “A Bridge Too Far.” In El Paso TX, he serves on the Boards of the Benavidez-Patterson All-Airborne Chapter of the 82nd Airborne Division Association and on the Board of the El Paso Council for International Visitors.
Chris’ mother, Alice Childs Harris, was the last of eight generations of the Childs family name in
Deerfield (1709-2018), so family and town history is forever linked.
Stan Adams, Clerk, and Founding Member
Stan Adams resides in Deerfield, MA. He dedicated 30 years as the Event Coordinator for Amherst College. As the Event Coordinator, he managed guests expectations by ensuring the appropriate location, funding, entertainment and staffing were maintained for each event.
Mr. Adams dedicated 25 years to volunteering at the Holy Family Church of Deerfield. During his time there, he co-chaired their large annual craft fair; served as a member of the Pastoral Counsel; and served as a CCD teacher. Over the years involved with the Parish, he dedicated his personal time to creating beautiful flowers in his garden to be utilized in the parishes alter arrangements.
Jennifer Remillard, Former President, and Founding Member
Jennifer M. Remillard, a triple alumna of Bay Path University, completed her MBA in 2015. A resident of Deerfield since 2014, her ancestors, the Stebbins, Catlin and Corse families, resided in Deerfield in the 1670s.
She is a member of the Deerfield Historical Commission, Deerfield Ad Hoc Senior Housing Committee, and an alternate member of the Deerfield ZBA.
Jennifer's professional career in human services spans more than 10 years. She spent more than 7 years dedicated to providing support to the military, veterans and their families. Jennifer continues her dedication to supporting our community as the current Director of the South County Senior Center.
Her professional experience also includes: professional speaker; dessert catering; business and political consultant.
Tim Hilchey, Former Treasurer and Founding Member
Tim Hilchey, who started his newspaper career at The Greenfield Recorder, spent 35 years as a journalist. He retired from The New York Times in 2015.
He studied journalism at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH, and electrical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA.
Tim was a founding member of the Friends of Deerfield, serving as Treasurer of the nonprofit until May 2022, when he was elected to the Deerfield Selectboard. He also was a founder of the citizen advocacy group Deerfield for Responsible Development.
Tim previously served as chair of Deerfield’s Conservation Commission and its Community Preservation Committee.
He and his wife, Pat Ryan, an author and retired journalist, moved into their Deerfield home in 2015.
James L. Cambias, Former Vice President, and Founding Member
James L. Cambias writes science fiction and designs games. Originally from New Orleans, he was educated at the University of Chicago and lives in western Massachusetts.
His latest novel is The Godel Operation, from Baen Books. He started writing science fiction with A Darkling Sea, published in 2014, followed by Corsair in 2015. Baen Books released his third novel Arkad's World in 2019, and The Initiate in 2020. His short stories have appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Shimmer, Nature, and several original anthologies; most recently in the collection Retellings of the Inland Seas.
In March 2020 his story "Treatment Option" was adapted for audio by DUST Studios, starring Danny Trejo. Mr. Cambias has written roleplaying game sourcebooks and adventures for Steve Jackson Games, Hero Games, and other publishers, and in 2003 co-founded Zygote Games. Since 2015 he has been a member of the XPrize Foundation's Science Fiction Advisory Board. Check out his blog at www.jamescambias.com.
Marie Lynn Bourassa Thomas, Former Vice President
Marie L.B. Thomas recently retired from a long and varied career in Archaeology, (both field and government administrative jobs), Cultural Resource Management, having worked for the Consulting Archaeology Program at UVM and the US Army Corps of Engineers in New England and at HQ in Washington and Federal Disaster Recovery reviews for compliance with Environmental and Historic Preservation laws with FEMA.
In the non-profit world, she has been the Executive Director of Mount Mansfield Community Television, in Richmond, VT (a public access television station) , was briefly co-editor of a monthly newspaper, the Times Ink of Richmond and Huntington, VT and most recently was Executive Director of Our Community Cares Camp, Inc., a summer food and enrichment camp in Richmond Vermont.
Marie also has a strong record of community service with Beacon Light Grange – late of Richmond, VT, and with the Friday Food Affair @ Five, a weekly free meal site in Richmond VT. Marie has volunteered at numerous 4th of July festivities as well as holiday markets and other community endeavors and was on the Board of Directors of the RATC Nest – a non-profit teen center, and Radiate Art Space – a non-profit art center for Children.
Marie attended U.Mass Amherst and the Women’s Small Business Program in Vermont, as well as the Non-Profit Management Program through Marlboro College. Marie is also a Master Gardener and Master Composter.