Yestermorrow Announces Changes to Board, Welcomes New Neighborhood Design/Build Studio Instructor

Waitsfield, Vt. -- The Yestermorrow Design/Build School is pleased to announce the appointment of Erin Maile O’Keefe to position of Chair of the Board of Directors; the addition of Blain Snipstal as a new member of the Board; and welcomes Sam Batchelor, who takes over the reigns of the highly regarded Neighborhood Design/Build Studio.

“We are extremely excited to welcome such a diverse group of building professionals to our leadership and teaching team,” said Britton Rogers, Executive Director of Yestermorrow. “We are excited about the leadership and energy we have added to our team as we continue to further our mission.”

Erin Maile O’Keefe: As an educator, trainer and community artist/activator, Erin has developed kinesthetic, multigenerational curricula that facilitate group inclusion, connection, co-authorship and empathy for over 25 years. Her fascination with space all started with the study of dance and architecture—how humans experience and move in spaces both built and temporal. After initially attending architecture school, her work turned towards movement arts and the relational spaces between people and groups. In 2016, she co-founded Tiny House Fest Vermont. The Fest focuses on regional housing solutions, innovations and resources. In that same year, Erin designed and began building a tiny house called the Paper Boat. She and her husband Kevin have been living there since April 2018 and loving it! 

Blain Snipstal: Blain Snipstal is the founder, designer and lead builder for Earth-Bound Building. Blain has a long history in farming and land-based organizing both domestically and internationally. Blain is a dedicated craftsman, and member of the Timber Framer's Guild.

Sam Batchelor: Sam is a partner at designLAB architects in Boston, which has developed an approach to architecture called "Critical Stewardship" that looks at the intersection of history and the environment through the lens of community. Sam's work in the firm focuses on environmental education and interpretive centers including the living-building challenge certified Hitchcock Center for the Environment, a carbon-neutral Coastal Education Center for the Trustees of Reservations, and the Worcester Blackstone Visitors Center.  Sam also led and founded the MassArt Community/Build studio and taught furniture making at the Boston Architectural College.  Sam studied with Steve Badanes at the UW Community Design Build studio in Seattle before returning home to New England.