The Sharon Community Trust is a locally-run organization dedicated to building community through preservation and development.

Our inaugural project is refurbishing, upgrading, and improving the Sharon Congregational Church, as we transition the church from a worship-specific space to a welcoming, shared space that can be utilized by the entire community while continuing to serve the needs of the congregation.

This project is a partnership with the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD), the Preservation Trust of Vermont (PTV) and the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF), under an award called the Village Trust Initiative.

Officers

Malcolm McShinsky

Malcolm was born and raised in Sharon. He is a carpenter, artist, outdoor enthusiast, and father of two Sharon Elementary School students. He serves as the artistic director, treasurer and Board member of Sharon Connects. His experience with music and theater production was critical to the success of the first annual Sharon Music Festival, which was held on the Village Green (adjacent to the Sharon Church) in July 2025. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Ashley Community Forest and the Sharon Conservation Commission.  He has provided most of the labor for the interior revitalization project for the Sanctuary in the Sharon Church.

President

Ken Wright

Ken has been a member of the Sharon Congregational Church for 39 years; he has served as a Trustee for over 20 years and has been the Treasurer for the last 15 years. He is also a founding Board member of the Sharon Academy and has been a Lister for the Town of Sharon for 35 years. He has worked in many practical jobs throughout his life, including as a carpenter, a mechanic, and with his wife, Nancy, he has led 11 cross-country bicycle tours. Ken's dedication to quality, fiscal certainty, and tasteful quirkiness are some of his important contributions as an active Board member of Sharon Connects. 

Vice President
Treasurer

Dee Gish

Dee is a supportive community member and relentless volunteer at the Sharon Food Shelf and the Sharon Sprouty. She also serves on the Sharon Energy Committee, the Sharon Planning Commission, and the Sharon Opioid Settlement Action Commission. In addition, Dee serves on the Board of Trustees for The Sharon Academy and the Baxter Library. Dee enjoys spending time in the garden, curling up with a good book, experimenting with oil painting, and taking long walks with friends, family, and a dog or two.

Secretary

Ryan Haac

Ryan leads Sharon Connects, a community group that organizes community gathering and enrichment opportunities throughout Sharon. His day job is working as a Noise Control Engineer at Resource Systems Group (RSG) in White River Junction, where he primarily manages staff and projects to assess community noise impacts imposed by proposed and existing facilities. Ryan is a contributing DJ at WFVR-LP South Royalton 96.5 FM as the Hacman. He has served on the Sharon Energy Committee for over 10 years. Ryan has a lovely wife, two children at Sharon Elementary School, and is directly involved with the Sharon Ice Rink. He maintains a prolific homestead in the lower Faybrook valley.

Board of Directors

Cheryl Foote

Stacey Young

Judy Moore

Kristin May Senger