MIDDLEBURY — Mary Johnson Children’s Center has hired Dave Mandel as its new executive director. The resident of Connecticut and New York City will succeed Barbara Saunders, who is retiring after more than 30 years of service to the Middlebury childcare center. Mandel will assume the leadership role on July 8. Dave Mandel most recently led the Montessori Day School of Brooklyn, N.Y., a program for children ages two to five. Prior experiences included helping launch an American curriculum school in Calabar, … (read more)