A personal portrait
Elizabeth Skarie is one of the weavers of Vermont’s modest civic life for decades. I found no public record of her not being a psychologist with a 1987 Ph.D. She is a spouse, parent, board member, donor, and former candidate. Her life is a record of education, community involvement, and targeted giving. The parts form a person who values impact over headlines but has left an imprint on nonprofit, election, and organizational lists.
Family and personal relationships
I want to introduce the family around Elizabeth as though I were arranging portraits on a wall. Each name helps explain the social architecture in which she moves.
Jerry Greenfield – spouse
Jerry Greenfield is widely known as the co founder of Ben and Jerry’s. He and Elizabeth were married on February 26, 1987. Their marriage is more than a personal union; it is also a partnership that shows up in joint philanthropy and shared public service. They have appeared together on donor lists and as directors of a private family foundation.
Tyrone Greenfield – son
Tyrone is the couple’s son and a named director alongside Elizabeth and Jerry on the family foundation. Public filings list him as an active participant in the family’s charitable vehicle. He represents the next generation in a family that channels resources into community causes.
Margaret R. Skarie Thomas – mother
Margaret R. Skarie, Elizabeth’s mother, is listed in public obituary records and ties Elizabeth to a broader Skarie family network. That extended family appears in local records and provides the background for Elizabeth’s Midwest roots.
Siblings
Public notices list several siblings by name. They include Mary, William, Richard, and Christine with their respective family connections. These relationships appear in formal family notices and reflect an extended kin network that is typical of Elizabeth’s generation.
I present these names not to pry, but to map the social coordinates that shaped Elizabeth. She is not a celebrity who lives in public light. She is a professional and civic actor whose relationships are visible mostly through community institutions and legal filings.
Career highlights and achievements
Elizabeth Skarie’s career is based on academics, public service, and nonprofit leadership.
Her psychology Ph.D. was in 1987. Her dissertation examined female adolescent development and family relations. That intellectual focus shapes her community and civic engagement.
Public service: Elizabeth campaigned for state representative as an independent in a contentious local race in 2000. She garnered 870 votes, 40% of the contest. Her candidacy proves she was ready to go from volunteer leadership to electoral competition.
Nonprofit leadership: She served on environmental and civic boards. Her name occurs frequently on nonprofit rosters and annual reports. Hands-on donor and organizational governance steward.
She mixes psychologist reflection with civic volunteer practice. These two tendencies provide a subtle but powerful participation.
Finance and philanthropy
I examine the financial picture in public terms: a private family foundation operated by Elizabeth, Jerry, and their son. The foundation files standard forms and shows assets and grantmaking activity. The couple’s names appear on donor lists across multiple Vermont organizations including public media, environmental coalitions, and preservation groups. The financial footprint is not ostentatious. It is targeted and steady, a drip irrigation of grants and sponsorships rather than a single headline gift.
A compact timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1987 | Ph.D. in psychology completed; married Jerry Greenfield on February 26. |
| 1988 | Approximate birth era of their son Tyrone. |
| 1990s | Active on nonprofit boards and in civic organizations in Vermont. |
| 2000 | Ran for Vermont House of Representatives as an independent; received 870 votes. |
| 2000s to 2020s | Ongoing foundation work and recurring donor acknowledgments in nonprofit reports. |
The timeline is a spine with many small cross ribs: board meetings, annual reports, grant cycles. Those small events are where influence is often exercised.
Recent mentions and public presence
I note that Elizabeth appears in donor lists, event programs, and nonprofit acknowledgements from the 2010s into the 2020s. Her public mentions are transactional rather than performative. They read like credits at the end of a film: names that indicate support and participation. Social media references are sporadic and mostly tied to community events and sponsorship notices.
Style and approach
I find her career to be defined by two complementary modes: reflection and action. The reflective mode is the psychologist in her training. The action mode is the boardroom, the ballot box, and the foundation checkbook. Think of it as a well tended garden: analysis provides the design, and grants provide the irrigation. Both are necessary to keep something alive.
FAQ
Who is Elizabeth Skarie?
I describe Elizabeth as a psychologist with a Ph.D. who has been deeply involved in Vermont civic life. She is a spouse, a parent, a nonprofit board member, and a philanthropic actor who prefers institutional work over media attention.
What is her family structure?
She is married to Jerry Greenfield since February 26, 1987. They have a son named Tyrone. Elizabeth is one of several children of Margaret R. Skarie. Siblings named in public records include Mary, William, Richard, and Christine.
What are her educational credentials?
She completed a doctoral degree in psychology in 1987. Her dissertation examined female adolescent individuation and family variables. That credential anchors her public roles in a professional discipline.
Has she held public office?
She ran for a seat in the Vermont House of Representatives in the year 2000 as an independent candidate and received 870 votes in that race.
What kind of philanthropic activity does she engage in?
She co directs a private family foundation with her spouse and their son. The foundation has made grants to environmental groups, public media, preservation organizations, and local community programs. Their giving pattern is frequent and focused on local impact.
How public is her life?
Her life is relatively private. Most available information appears in formal nonprofit records, election archives, and organizational rosters. She does not cultivate a large public persona. Her influence shows up in lists, board minutes, and the steady line items of donor acknowledgements.
