A slew of appointments to key positions in state government were announced Monday, including the Department of Health, Department of Liquor and Lottery, and the Natural Resources Board.
In the health department, Elizabeth Bundock will be Vermont’s new chief medical examiner, leading the state’s forensic investigations of roughly 10% of yearly deaths in the state, identifying their causes, manners and contributing factors. The state office and lab facilities are located at the University of Vermont Medical Center.
Bundock, a forensic pathologist and neuropathologist, has worked for the health department since 2007, when she was named deputy chief medical examiner. She will succeed Steven Shapiro, who is retiring after nearly 20 years on the job. Health Commissioner Mark Levine appointed Bundock.
According to the health department, the caseload at the medical examiner’s office has nearly doubled in the past 10 years and is expected to increase further, largely due to Vermont’s aging population, opioid epidemic and coronavirus pandemic.
Additionally, Gov. Phil Scott on Monday appointed two new officials to lead the state Department of Liquor and Lottery: Wendy Knight will be the department’s commissioner and Andrew Collier will be deputy commissioner.
Knight had been deputy commissioner since April of this year, and has held a number of other positions in state government. She also has significant experience in the hospitality sector, formerly owning a craft beer store and working with distilleries, wineries, restaurants and more.
Collier will succeed Knight as deputy commissioner. Collier has been a Vermont State Police trooper for the past 11 years. He specifically worked as a drug recognition expert and as a DUI enforcement officer.
Also on Monday, Scott announced the appointment of Sabina Haskell as chair of the state Natural Resources Board. She replaces Dianne Snelling, who retired this year.
Haskell has held various positions in state government over the years, including deputy commissioner of the Department of Liquor and Lottery and deputy secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources.
In Monday’s announcement, Scott’s office emphasized Haskell’s “wide-ranging business background” in the state. She was director of public affairs at the Vermont Student Assistance Corp., regional communications director for FairPoint Communications, and spent more than a decade as a newspaper editor with the Manchester Journal, Bennington Banner, Rutland Herald and Brattleboro Reformer. She was president of the Vermont Press Association for three terms, and a founding member of the Vermont Coalition for Open Government.
