List of 3 members.

• 

  Ms. Lisa McNealus '79 

  Art Department Chair

  (802) 869-6251

  University of Vermont - BA

  Bio

  Lisa McNealus has taught in the Visual Arts Department at Vermont Academy since 1999  and is currently the Department Chair. She graduated from VA when both the arts and the number of girls on campus were in short supply. Now she is grateful for all of the fantastic progress that has occurred over the decades, both with arts offerings and a range of students!

  While soccer and nordic skiing have long been her thing, she was a founding member and captain of the girl’s soccer team while she was a student at Vermont Academy'. She is now working with the Equestrian program, which is another life love.

  Before becoming a teacher, she worked as a Commercial Photographer’s Assistant on Madison Avenue and as the Director of Development at Burr and Burton Academy. At Burr and Burton, she helped the school develop its first large-scale campaign and reach its first million-dollar donation.

  When possible, she keeps up with her artwork and is represented at the Canal Street Art Gallery in Bellows Falls. She enjoys spending time with her two grown children and two grown stepchildren. She also loves to read, grow flowers, and generally remain active. She lives with her husband, just a short drive from campus.
• 

  Mr. Ryan Burch 

  Ceramics Teacher / Assistant Coach, Snowboarding / Security

  NYSCC at Alfred University - BFA

  Bio

  Ryan Burch began teaching at Vermont Academy in 2016. Previous to this, Ryan received his BFA with a concentration in ceramics from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. After graduating, he interned for a potter and gallery owner at the Artstream Nomadic Gallery and Harvey Meadows Gallery in Aspen, Colorado, before moving to Vermont to teach at the Academy.
  
  

  Ryan’s value of handmade objects and interest in contemporary craft stems from a childhood in which his parents operated and maintained a family lead glass-blowing business. Since 2015, he has managed and grown his own business out of his personal studio located on VA’s campus. Ryan’s passion for teaching stems from his desire to share his experience and values with a younger generation. He can directly share his own personal pottery practice with his students by allowing students to visit his studio and giving them a window into the life of a craftsperson.
  
  

  Vermont Academy has been able to allow Ryan to pursue both of his passions in one location. The campus has allowed him to progress his personal studio practice while providing him the opportunity to teach and share his knowledge and excitement of craft with his students. Both of these seemingly separate passions and opportunities can be intertwined on Vermont Academy’s campus, which is incredibly beneficial to Ryan, his students, and campus culture as a whole.
• 

  Mr. Peter Barreras 

  Media Arts Faculty

  University of Wisconsin - BA
  School of Visual Arts - MFA

  Bio

  Pete is a member of the arts faculty at VA where he teaches Media Arts. After growing up in Madison, WI and attending the University of Wisconsin, Pete moved to New York where he studied Photography at School of Visual Arts. 

  
  

  He has worked as a photographer in the world of journalism, public relations & corporate communications, covering sports, entertainment, energy, manufacturing, and tech. While maintaining that practice, he also taught photography at Columbia College Chicago for two decades.

  
  

  During the summer of 2023, Pete moved to VA from San Francisco, CA. Although he is new to the area, his relatives have resided nearby for over a century. He and his daughter Hazel live on campus in 25 House. Hazel is excited to be attending VA as a junior, her older siblings Henry and Alice are students at UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz. Some of Pete’s hobbies include hiking, alpine skiing, learning about US history, and record collecting.