Our
Mission
The Institute for Human Flourishing will work to restore the traditional family to its central, pivotal, and honored place in civil society, by adhering to the principles of individual initiative, limited government, free enterprise, and personal responsibility.
Education
We wish to make available to parents scholarship opportunities for school (K-12) that demonstrated high expectations and a commitment to instill in their students a respect and appreciation of the American Odyssey.
Additionally, we will promote a 12 hour course for grades 8-12 on America’s Founding, entitled “Becoming America.”
Entrepreneurship
We will help establish a trade school for young, male Torah scholars and work with other local organizations to promote the well-being of our veterans.
Family
We will seek out and support programs sponsored by Vermont’s churches and synagogues that promote and support marriage and the family. We will work with and support local organizations, that promote the habits and conditions by which families are strengthened.
Our Team
Deb Billado
CEO
Deb is a native Vermonter and is one of eight children. She graduated from Trinity College in Burlington, Vermont. She has worked in the banking business in Burlington for 10 years, then IBM for 15 years in Facilities Engineering. She has also been a small business owner for
over 35 years in Chittenden County. Deb is married and is the proud mother of two daughters and several grandchildren.
She served in municipal governance in Essex Junction for 12 years on the Board of Trustees and became the first woman to serve as president of that board as well as the first person to serve as vice president. As an elected official she has been a justice of the peace and on the board of civil authority. Deb has assisted on many committees in service to her community. She proudly looks forward to dedicating her time on the Vermont Institute for Human Flourishing.
Lenore Broughton
Vice-President
Lenore Broughton is the oldest of three children born and raised in Evanston Illinois. She received her MS in Speech/Language Pathology at UVM at a late age and subsequently served on the teaching staff of an elementary school in Starksboro, Vermont.
For many years she served on the boards of two non-profits, Vermonters for Better Education and Ed Watch VT, in efforts to further the idea of school choice. She also worked side by side with fellow Jews and Christians in a group called We Stand with Israel.
She currently serves on the Board for the Registration of Voters in Burlington while owning a small on-line publishing business. Lenore has one son and is a proud grandmother of two. She attends Chabad, an orthodox synagogue in Burlington.
Robin McCormick
Board Member
Robin is currently the Assistant Principal and Development Director at Saint Francis Xavier School, which serves students from preschool to 8th grade.
Robin grew up in Ohio, graduating from Ohio University in 1975 with a B.A. in English. She graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1978. Immediately following graduation, she married a very cute law school classmate, Tom McCormick and moved to his home state – beautiful Vermont. Robin and Tom practiced law together in Burlington for twenty years until she took the world’s longest maternity leave in 1999 when her youngest child arrived
When her youngest was still a toddler she was asked to serve on the Saint Francis Xavier School Board and since that time has been continuously involved with the school in various capacities. Her current position as Assistant Principal and Development Director allows her to spend time with a wonderful community of students, teachers, staff, parents, volunteers, and incredibly generous benefactors. It provides her with a front seat view of the challenges facing families, students, and educators in the 21st century.
She and her husband Tom have seven children and (so far!) nine grandchildren. Robin’s motto is “Rarely rested, never bored.
Tom McCormick
Board Member
Tom McCormick is ALMOST a lifelong Vermonter having spent all but the first 6 months of his life in the Green Mountains. He has practiced law in Burlington since 1979 and is now slowly easing into a life after law. As a father, and as a grandfather of a growing herd of grandchildren, he has an abiding interest in educational and social issues that affect the health and wellbeing of future generations. He and his wife Robin enjoy carving out whatever time they can together and he is grateful that being on the Board of VIHF gives them the opportunity to be in the same place at the same time occasionally.
Mike Blair
Board Member
Mike is a Colonel and F-35 pilot in the Vermont Air National Guard where he is the 158th Operations Group Commander. He is responsible for the 134th Fighter Squadron, 158th Operations Support Squadron and the 229th Cyber Operations Squadron.
Mike grew up in Lake Placid, NY where he was a ski jumper for 10 years. His passion for flying led him to graduate from the United States Air Force Academy with a B.S. in Biology. He soon married his wife Beth and entered pilot training at Vance AFB, OK. Mike went on to fly the F-15E at Seymour Johnson AFB NC, Royal Air Force Base Lakenkeath Enlgand, Mountain Home AFB ID, and then back to Seymour Johnson AFB. While in Idaho, Mike and Beth had their two children Mehren and Holden. In 2008 Mike attended the United States Air Force Weapons School, the Department of Defense's premier warfighter and leadership school, where he found the leadership motto he yearns to live by: humble, approachable, credible. Mike joined the Air Force Reserves for a short period in 2012 and then joined the Vermont Air National Guard. He flew the F-16C/D for 8 years and then transitioned to the F-35 in the Air National Guard's first ever F-35 squadron.
Mike has been on 4 combat deployments and has spent a lot of time away from his family. His time in the Vermont National Guard has given his family stability and his experiences have demonstrated the importance of building a strong family that values strong moral character, which was something he saw in VIHF and the foundation's values.