Prior to his election as first selectman, Ted Shafer served for four terms on Burlington’s Board of Selectmen (where he was the liaison to the Charter Review Commission) and as chair of the town’s Economic Development Commission. He also spearheaded the creation of the town’s Conservation Commission. The holder of undergraduate and graduate degrees in business management, Shafer is an experienced corporate insurance risk manager. His employment experience also includes working in the Washington, D.C. office of former U.S. Representative Barbara Kennelly. The father of three children – Ethan, 13, Abby, 11 and Ella, 9 – Shafer has coached several teams in the Burlington Junior Soccer Association and is an active member of the Burlington Historical Society and Burlington Land Trust.