BRATTLEBORO-The town has named SerahRose Bissell as its new finance director, filling a position that has been vacant since the start of 2025.
Bissell brings extensive experience in financial management, accounting, and organizational operations through her work as founder of Aerialist Accounting, a Massachusetts-based consulting firm that supports nonprofits of all sizes.
She holds a master’s degree in accounting and has “spent her career helping organizations build sustainable accounting practices and strengthen internal processes to ensure compliance,” as described in a news release from the town.
Among recent projects, she “developed protocols for a nonprofit client that will allow the organization to manage its own accounting independently rather than relying on a third-party vendor,” the town said.
Bissell said she was drawn to the position here because it blends two things she enjoys most about her field.
“I was first attracted to this job because of the combination of responsibilities. I like both numbers and people,” she said.
“This position requires the ability to work with numbers for the purposes of analysis, reporting, and budgeting, as well as work across departments and teams,” Bissell said. “And, of course, communicating with the Selectboard and public. It is a dynamic position with a lot of moving parts, which is also a draw for me.”
A team already running strong
The finance director post has been empty since former director Kim Frost stepped down in January 2025.
Patrick Moreland, who served as assistant town manager for 14 years and had been filling in, left in March 2025 to pursue the executive directorship of the Deerfield Valley Communications Union District, which operates the nonprofit DVFiber, a fiber-optic Internet provider serving southeastern Vermont.
The town subsequently began contracting with Bonnie Batchelder, the town’s former auditor, in May 2025 to help keep operations steady.
Bissell credited that continuity to the strength of the existing team.
She credited Town Manager John Potter, Human Resources Director Sally Nix, and the rest of the municipal staff for maintaining “such a high functioning finance team while this position remained empty,” she said. “I’m looking forward to supporting them as we move forward together. They are a great team.”
Looking ahead, Bissell said her first order of business will be learning the inner workings of town government.
“The biggest challenge initially will be learning the systems, processes, and priorities that keep the town running smoothly,” she said.
“Municipal finance touches every department, so it will take time to gain a full understanding of each department’s needs and goals,” Bissell said. “Thankfully, with a remarkable group of department heads and a great finance team, I have a strong foundation to build on and will be up to speed before long.”
Nonprofit experience translates to municipal finance
Beyond her consulting work, Bissell has held leadership positions in nonprofit organizations and has guided companies through significant organizational change.
“That experience translates well to municipal finance, in which multiple funds are managed independently while functioning as a whole,” she said.
A central theme of her career, Bissell said, has been “turning complex financial data into information organizations can actually use,” the town wrote.
Bissell lives in Greenfield, Massachusetts, with her husband, Kyle Bissell, and their children. She said she is looking forward to becoming more involved in the community now that she’ll be working here.
“I think Brattleboro is a great place to be. It has so many cultural and recreational opportunities,” she said. “I’m very excited to get more involved in that. I’ve really enjoyed visiting Brattleboro, and I really look forward to getting to know the town and everyone in it better.”
This News item by Virginia Ray was written for The Commons.