Public Schools

Public Schools/Raised-a-Quaker/Silence/Cox, Lisa/Local woman listens to her own voice/Brattleboro Reformer/Brattleboro/VT/USA/17-Feb-2006//

Lisa Cox's secret is listening.

Cox said her Quaker background taught her the benefits of sitting quietly.

Quaker services are built around silent meditation and Cox said in those countless hours of board meetings, both as a member of the Brattleboro School Board and as a member of the Vermont State Board of Education, she would listen to all sides of an issue before committing to an opinion. And then when she did share her thoughts, her words would often be accepted with authority.

"Being a Quaker has given me the patience to sit and wait for a decision and not impose one," Cox said. "I have learned how to sit with people I don't agree with and find points of agreement to work together toward goals we have in common."

"Lisa is a thoughtful listener," said Richard Cate, Vermont's education commissioner. "And when she does speak, everyone listens." ...