[Photo by Shelly Banford. VLCT Executive Director Ted Brady and Vernon Recreation Department lifeguard/2026 VLCT Municipal Service Scholarship recipient Elizabeth Brown are joined by members of her family and Vernon Recreation Director Seth Deyo at a pool-side scholarship presentation ceremony in Vernon Tuesday, July 14]
Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT) Executive Director Ted Brady visited the Vernon town pool Tuesday to award Elizabeth Brown, a lifeguard and rising college sophomore at the University of Vermont, with the 2026 VLCT Municipal Service Scholarship.
Vernon Recreation Department Director Seth Deyo, Vernon Town Administrator Shelly Banford, and members of Brown’s family joined her for a brief scholarship presentation ceremony on the pool deck during one of Liz’s breaks. The mercury rose to over 90 degrees in Vernon Tuesday, ensuring the lifeguards at the pool, including Liz’s sister, had plenty of customers all day long.
In brief remarks before the scholarship presentation ceremony, Brady explained that Brown stood out among the applicants because of her academic achievements and a well written essay. He credited a letter of recommendation from Director Deyo as an important factor in the VLCT scholarship committee’s decision to award the $2,000 scholarship to Brown.
Deyo wrote: “She is the ‘glue’ that holds the staff together…She is a great leader in terms of how she approaches her responsibilities. She is always prepared not only for her tasks but ways in which she can elevate those around her. She can be firm when required, a shoulder for someone to cry on, or quick to provide a joke making us all smile.”
Brown grew up on a farm in Vernon, has been a seasonal camp counselor, lifeguard and swim instructor with the Vernon Recreation Department since 2021. She graduated from Pioneer Valley Regional Highschool in 2025 and is majoring in wildlife and fisheries biology at the University of Vermont.
The VLCT Municipal Service Scholarship was established in 2023 to encourage Vermonters to serve in a city, town, or village government. Applicants may apply through the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation each winter.