NEWFANE — Capt. Mark Anderson has been appointed Windham County Sheriff by Gov. Phil Scott.
Anderson fills the vacancy left by his predecessor, Sheriff Keith Clark, who retired June 30 after 12 years as sheriff.
The new sheriff brings more than 15 years of law enforcement experience to the role, including extensive expertise in budget management, drug recognition, and records management.
Anderson most recently served as chief deputy of the Windham County Sheriff's Office, managing operational and internal affairs and developing strategic and tactical goals and strategies. He was also elected Windham County High Bailiff in 2018.
A resident of Vernon, Anderson is also a staff sergeant in the Massachusetts Air National Guard and serves on the board of directors for INSPIRE for Autism, a nonprofit school in Brattleboro for students with autism.
Anderson earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and an associate's degree in business administration from Greenfield Community College.
As part of a longstanding tradition of appointing officials who are members of the same political party as the elected office holders who departed, the Republican governor appointed Anderson, a Democrat, to the role.
Clark won his first race in 2006 as a Democratic Party nominee.
In 2018, facing no opponents from any party, Clark received 99 percent of the vote.