Download a copy of the list of presenters.
Ishmael Ahmed, Multidisciplinary Artist. Clemmons Family Farm. Born in Denver, Colorado, and raised on a subsistence farm in Vermont, Mr. Ahmed has developed a profound connection to the land, particularly the Winooski, Lamoille, and Missisquoi watersheds. His diverse heritage, with a mother from eastern Oregon and a father with roots in Karachi and Sri Lanka, has significantly shaped his work, creating a rich cultural tapestry. As an artist, he immersed himself in the spoken word and music scenes during the late 1990s and early 2000s, performing across the northeastern United States and collaborating on projects like "Burlington's Free Word Association" and "Neon Grandma." His creative journey, spanning over 40 years, includes writing, visual art, and performances featuring instruments such as the mandolin, guitar, harmonica, and ukulele. Mr. Ahmed is dedicated to intergenerational and multicultural engagement, working with elders and youth. His involvement with Clemmons Family Farm highlights his commitment to community and heritage. Ishmael fosters connections with people and places by integrating poetry, storytelling, and music, while his mindfulness practice enhances his compassionate and inclusive teaching style. His varied programs, including "How to Make a Photo Poem," "Community-Inspired Acrostic," and "Making Stories Together," as well as "Poetry for Elders: Exploring Haiku, Senryu, Tanka, and Lunes," reflect his passion for using creativity as a tool for community building and self-expression.
Kelly Ault is Co-Founder and Executive Director for the Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance (VOBA) leading the statewide organization since 2019 in strengthening the state’s outdoor economy. Prior to working for VOBA, a Masters in Environmental Policy led her to Vermont as Project Director on land conservation, sustainable forestry, and nature- and culture-based tourism issues with the Northern Forest Alliance (Appalachian Mountain Club). She was also the Public Engagement Director on early childhood policy issues for the Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance. In Kelly’s free time, she finds adventure and camaraderie with friends and family mountain biking and skiing in Vermont’s Green Mountains and faraway places.
Isaac Bissell is the Conservation Stewardship Director for the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, where he oversees the organization’s portfolio of conservation easement interests in 1,500 properties covering more than 430,000 acres of land. Isaac brings a wealth of experience from his tenure at the Vermont Land Trust, where as a paralegal he acted as the primary project manager responsible for the preparation and closing of conservation and stewardship projects, including fee acquisition and dispositions, conservation easement purchases, and amendments to conservation easements.
Emily Boles is Abenaki and majored in environmental science. She uses Traditional Knowledge and principles from ecology and conservation to guide her in caring for the land.
Daniel Cahill is the City of Burlington Land Steward.
Chris Campany is Executive Director of the Windham Regional Commission and chairs the Emergency Management and Natural Resources committees of the Vermont Association of Planning and Development Agencies.
Stacy Cibula is the Agricultural Program Director at Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) where she has worked since 2020. In this role, she directs VHCB’s farmland conservation work and is actively engaged in agricultural policy across the state. She came to this role with extensive experience doing on-the-ground farmland conservation at several New England land trusts. She holds a bachelor’s degree in urban planning from Michigan State University and a master’s in public administration from the University of Maine. In her free time, she loves exploring Vermont's back roads on her bicycle, puttering on house projects, and hanging out with her sassy cat Gigi.
Lydia Clemmons, PhD, MPH, President and Executive Director, Clemmons Family Farm, Inc. Dr. Clemmons is a medical anthropologist with a 35-year career leading cross-sectoral community development programs in the US and more than 20 African countries. Beginning her international work as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Democratic Republic of Congo, Dr. Clemmons has worked for the US Agency for International Development, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and numerous US nonprofit organizations working in international development. She is internationally recognized for her innovative work integrating arts and culture into effective public health, education, agriculture, and social change programming. She grew up on her family’s farm in Vermont and returned in 2013 to help her parents protect the farm - one of just 0.4% of all farms in the US that is African-American owned - for future generations. She led the gradual transition of the private farm into the 501c3 nonprofit organization Clemmons Family Farm Inc. The nonprofit purchased the historic Clemmons farm at its fair market value in 2023 to preserve its African American legacy and to conserve a large part of the land and natural resources. The Clemmons Farm conservation easement incorporates new language that Dr. Clemmons researched and authored to include the purpose of recognizing, honoring, and stewarding the land as an African American cultural heritage asset. Dr. Clemmons is the recipient of the 2021 Con Hogan Award from the Vermont Community Foundation, the 2021 Arthur Williams Award for Meritorious Service to the Arts from the Vermont Arts Council, and the 2022 NAACP-Rutland Branch Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Clemmons holds a PhD in Medical Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, a Master's degree in Public Health from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and a BA in Human Biology from Stanford University.
Jon Cohen has been farming for decades and is the founder and owner of Deep Meadow Farm in Ascutney, VT, where he works with a team of employees along with his adult son. Jon and his team farm on Connecticut River flood plain producing at a medium scale, selling large quantities locally and throughout the region. Jon is a community research partner with the Food Systems Research Center's "Sustainability Metrics" project.
Nicole Corriveau is the VHCB AmeriCorps Lands and Trails Steward at Stowe Land Trust.
Ryan Crehan is a Fish and Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service with extensive experience in wetlands hydrology and vegetation restoration in Vermont.
Caitlin Cusack is a forester for Vermont Land Trust who has worked with many communities across the state on the stewardship of their public lands for over 9 years.
Erin De Vries is the Conservation Director with Vermont River Conservancy. As Conservation Director, Erin enhances conservation partnerships and leads strategic visioning for the protection and restoration of headwater forests, wetlands, floodplain forests and rivers. Erin is a people person dedicated to building awareness and partnerships that benefit communities and their health and our environment.
Maggie Donin is the Farmland Access Director at the Vermont Land Trust and helps support successful land transfers and helps the next generation of farmers get a farm of their own. She joined VLT in 2019 and brings expertise in farm business planning and years of experience working on farms.
Jim Eikenberry is the Wetlands Specialist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service with extensive experience in conservation easement programs and wetlands vegetation restoration in Vermont.
Dr. Jamison Ervin is Manager of the Nature for Development Programme at the United Nations Development Programme. Her previous work is with The Nature Conservancy, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, and the Forest Stewardship Council. She holds a Ph.D. in Natural Resources from the University of Vermont. She is also on the Duxbury, VT Selectboard.
Rob Evans is DEC's Rivers Program Manager, leading the State’s River Corridor and Floodplain Management Sections.
Jamey Fidel serves as the General Counsel & Forest and Wildlife Program Director for the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC), a statewide environmental advocacy organization. In his capacity at VNRC, he coordinates legal, forest and wildlife policies and programs, including the Forest Roundtable which is a quarterly meeting of diverse stakeholders focused on forest policy and forest management and conservation issues in Vermont.
Mollie Klepack Flanigan (she/her) is the Director or Land Conservation at the Green Mountain Club.Mollie oversees the management and ongoing protection of the over 21,000 acres of land the Club has conserved, spearheads the effort to conserve the last few remaining miles of trail as opportunities arise, and assists in the management of GMC’s rental cabins. Mollie grew up in Ithaca, New York, and came to Vermont to earn a BS from the Rubenstein School at the University of Vermont in environmental studies with a minor in plant biology. She joined GMC in 2016 after working with a number of conservation organizations throughout Vermont, including the Vermont Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and UVM Extension.
Brooke Fleischman, Conservation Nursery Seed Coordinator, Intervale Center Conservation Nursery. Brooke originally comes from the corn-fed state of Nebraska where her grandparents first ignited a love for the outdoors in her. After studying Wildlife Ecology & Conservation at Northwest Missouri State University, Brooke took to various Pacific islands to work in native plant restoration, invasive species removal, and seabird monitoring. Her adoration of native forests and seed conservation has brought her to Vermont. She is excited to continue restoration efforts across the state with many incredible organizations and partners. When not thinking about plants, Brooke enjoys listening to music, reading sci-fi/fantasy books, taking pictures of birds, and staring at the sky.
Ben Gabos, CREP Program Coordinator, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
Kati Gallagher is the Sustainable Communities Program Director for the Vermont Natural Resources Council. In this role, she advocates for sustainable land use policy at the Vermont legislature, coordinates a broad coalition of transportation partners dedicated to clean and accessible transportation options, and manages the Small Grants for Smart Growth program. Kati works with communities across Vermont promoting planning, zoning, and non-regulatory strategies for forestland, wildlife habitat conservation, and smart growth.
Mike Ghia is the Vermont Field Agent at Land for Good. He grew up on a farm and has been involved with agriculture since childhood. He farmed full-time for 10 years on leased land and continues to run a part-time maple syrup operation. In addition to doing work for Land For Good for well over a decade, Mike also contracts to do work for the University of Vermont Extension Farm Viability Program as a Farm Business Planner and consults for other UVM programs. In addition to his extensive experience working with farmers and property owners on farm tenure, succession and transfer, Mike’s expertise also includes grazing, soil, and pest management. Mike is also a trained mediator and does mediation for the VT Agricultural Mediation Program.
Gus Goodwin, Senior Conservation Planner, The Vermont Chapter of the Nature Conservancy.
Rob Guay, Viewpoint Ag Valuation & Consulting, LLC. Rob is an agricultural appraiser with over 15 years’ experience in the Vermont farm real estate market. Rob has spent much of his career analyzing the market for easement encumbered properties in his rural valuation work throughout the Northeast.
Nick Guyer, Viewpoint Ag Valuation & Consulting, LLC. Nick is an agricultural appraiser with nearly 10 years’ experience in the Vermont farm real estate market. Nick has spent much of his life living and working in Northern Vermont and brings a deep understanding of the dynamics at play in these rural markets.
Brian Hall is trained as a plant community ecologist and for the past 27 years has worked at the Harvard Forest using Geographic Information Systems, statistical analysis, and graphics to bring a measure of scientific objectivity and rigor to conserving natural lands throughout New England. He is an active member of the Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities group and works with towns, land trusts, and regional conservation partnerships through his consulting business.
Kia'Rae Hanron, BA, Arts Learning Director, Clemmons Family Farm. Ms. Hanron is a multidisciplinary and multimedia artist, educator, and activist from Montpelier, Vermont. Growing up immersed in art, her exploratory, creative, and compassionate nature was encouraged and nurtured from a young age. Kia’Rae discovered arts therapeutic power early on and recognized its ability to uplift and empower people during challenging times. In 2020, Kia’Rae graduated from the University of Vermont with a Bachelor of Science degree in Arts Education. While finishing her degree, she was inspired to make a difference in the world through arts and community. She combines her lived experiences as a Biracial Vermonter with her professional training and passion for the arts to help others practice empathy and curiosity, and build strength, confidence, and resilience through creative expression. In 2019, Kia’Rae joined Clemmons Family Farm, Inc., as a Collaborating/Teaching Artist, later becoming their K-12 Arts Learning Advisor. In 2023, she accepted the position as CFF’s Windows To A Multicultural World K-12 Arts Learning Director, where she currently leads development of their arts-integrated African-American K12 curriculum and programming. She has been featured in Vermont Visionaries for her work as an independent artist and as an arts-and-culture leader with Clemmons Family Farm. An alum of the National Leaders of Color Fellowship and the New England Foundation of the Arts' Leaders of Color fellowship cohort (2023), Ms. Hanron is committed to advancing cultural equity in the arts and inspiring positive change and resilience within communities of all ages across Vermont. Beyond her professional endeavors, she is a proud mental health advocate and community activist and brings her artistry with her everywhere she goes. Some of her favorite means of expression include drawing, painting, collage and assemblage, digital art, creative writing, and spoken word poetry. Ms. Hanron uses the arts to support her own well-being and self-expression, and that of the community, and hopes to inspire others to do the same.
Earl Hatley is an enrolled citizen of the Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi (Shawnee/Cherokee) who currently serves as founder and president of Ottauquechee Water Protectors Association, which created and manages the Abenaki Garden and cultural project in Quechee, Vermont. Earl also is co-founder and president of LEAD Agency, an Environmental Justice Native-led non-profit in northeast Oklahoma dealing with abandoned lead and zinc mines that have created the nation's largest and oldest Superfund Site, Tar Creek. Earl also serves as co-chair of Western Mining Action Network (WMAN), a network of over 400 non-profits and tribes in the US and Canada that are dealing with the impacts of hard rock mining. He currently chairs WMAN's Indigenous Caucus, which represents half of the network.
Jens Hawkins-Hilke, Conservation Planner, VT Fish & Wildlife Department. Jens started at the department in 2006. He graduated from Connecticut College with a B.S. in Environmental Sociology and University of Vermont with a M.S. in the Field Naturalist program. Jens reviews projects with the Agency of Transportation and collaborates on wildlife crossing initiatives. He also provides technical assistance to municipalities and regional commissions related to land use planning for wildlife and wildlife habitat management. He enjoys hiking, kayaking on Lake Champlain, woodworking and travel.
Bob Heiser, Project Director with Vermont Land Trust. Bob has been working on conservation projects for VLT for almost 20 years with a particular focus on working with communities and community lands.
Rich Holschuh is a resident of Wantastegok (Brattleboro, VT) and immersed in the stories layered within this landscape. He serves as Chair for the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs and is a public liaison and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Elnu Abenaki members of the contemporary northeastern Native community. Rich is founder and co-director of the Atowi Project. His work draws upon history, linguistics, geography, and culture to share beneficial ways of seeing and being in relationship with place.
Evan Horne, Resilient Lands Coordinator, Vermont Climate Action Office. Evan works to advance the implementation of nature-based solutions that increase resilience and adaptation across Vermont’s natural and working lands. In this role, he collaborates with other state departments, agencies, and external stakeholders to build strategic partnerships that form a coordinated approach to reach state and regional net-zero goals. His work also supports the development of the natural and working lands sections of the Climate Action Plan and the Resilience Implementation Strategy. Evan joined the Climate Action Office in 2024 after graduating with a master’s in plant biology from the Field Naturalist Program at the University of Vermont. He lives in Burlington, enjoys botanizing, and is an avid backpacker, having thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail.
Patrick Hurley is a Project Manager, water resources scientist, and restoration ecologist. His work focuses on hydrologic, geomorphic, and biogeochemical investigations geared toward ecological restoration project identification, design, and implementation. Prior to joining MWA, Patrick spent nine years in technical roles as a water quality scientist, hydrologist, and ecological restoration specialist for ICF Jones & Stokes and Watershed Consulting, LLC. He earned a B.S. in Ecological Design from UVM, an M.S. in Systems Ecology from the University of Montana, and has completed post-graduate coursework in sediment transport dynamics.
Katie Kain, Katie Kain is a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners interested in improving wildlife habitat on their land. Katie has been working in the habitat restoration field for 15 years and focuses most of her work on riparian habitat restoration.
Ryan Karb is a Conservation and Implementation Specialist for American Farmland Trust in partnership with the NRCS. Ryan grew row crops for 16 years and struggled to balance conservation and farm viability. Ultimately, he decided it couldn't be done without government or other large institutional support and he decided to transition away from his farm to dive deeper into the world of grants and cost sharing.
Mike Kline came to Vermont in 1988 to work for the Department of Environmental Conservation as a watershed planner. His early work involved traveling the state to help local communities organize and develop their watershed associations. He learned about the love affairs so many Vermonters have with their river, and out of concern for losing these places co-founded the Vermont River Conservancy in 1995. Mike went on to serve as the State River Ecologist and Fluvial Geomorphologist and ended his career in 2019. Over the years, Mike developed nationally recognized stream geomorphic and habitat assessment protocols, river corridor mapping methods, river and floodplain management principles and practices, and a river corridor easement program.
Hayley Kolding is the Vermont River Conservancy’s Conservation Manager for Southern Vermont. An ecologist and conservation specialist, she works with landowners and municipal, regional, and state partners to identify, prioritize, and implement conservation and restoration projects where water plays a role, from forested headwaters to wide river valleys. Prior to working with VRC, she conducted ecological assessments, geospatial analysis, and stakeholder interviews to build a riparian management plan for a 500,000-acre cattle ranch in southeast Oregon. Hayley holds her Masters of Science through the University of Vermont Field Naturalist program and is President of the Connecticut Botanical Society. She is happily based in West Townshend.
Randy Kritkausky is a federally enrolled tribal member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and a VT resident. He is the author of Without Reservation: Awakening to Native American Spirituality, and a co-host of the podcast "Indigenous Perspectives." He co-founded and is president of ECOLOGIA, an international environmental non-profit organization. ECOLOGIA has worked with environmental organizations ranging from small grassroots groups to national and international policy makers around the world. A consistent theme of his work and that of ECOLOGIA is promoting meaningful public involvement in environmental matters and providing avenues of connection that are morally and spiritually grounded.
Elise Lawson (she/her) of West Burke is the owner of a natural resource consulting company, Watershed to Wildlife, which she started in 2000. She works with municipalities to inventory wetlands and natural resources and to help prioritize areas for land conservation. She is also part of a forest management team in Randolph, NH, working/stewarding a 10,000+ acre community forest. She serves as the current chair of Kingdom Trails Board of Directors, a member of Kingdom Trails’ land stewardship committee, and is on the Burke Conservation Commission which just acquired two community forests.
Carolyn Loeb (she/her) is Stowe Land Trust (SLT)'s Stewardship Director. She oversees the management of SLT’s six owned properties and coordinates the monitoring and care of SLT’s thirty-five conservation easements in partnership with each property’s private landowner. Carolyn also manages SLT’s volunteer Land Stewards program. She holds an M.S. from the University of Vermont’s Field Naturalist Program.
Carolina Lukac is Co-Executive Director of Vermont Garden Network; Programs and Partnerships. She moved to Vermont from the largest metropolitan area in the western hemisphere, Mexico City, where she was born, raised and spent many years gardening on rooftops. Carolina co-founded and co-directed a nonprofit organization that became the point of reference and inspiration for the urban agriculture movement in Mexico. She honed her skills as an educator and became immersed in designing school garden programs for bilingual schools.
Michael Madole is a Partner at Dendroyka LLC, where he provides Landscape customer and technical assistance.
Jack Markoski is the Stewardship Manager for The Nature Conservancy in northern Vermont. In his role, he implements land management across a statewide preserve network, coordinates land monitoring activities, and manages volunteer capacity toward those and other chapter goals. Jack began his career in conservation working as a wilderness ranger on National Forests before returning to the northeast. He has over 10 years of experience stewarding our lands and is committed to connecting people and nature.
Trey Martin is the Director of Conservation and Rural Community Development at the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. Since graduating from Vermont Law School in 2008, he has been a land use and environmental attorney, community development advocate and State official, leading coalitions to facilitate complex environmental, fiscal and system solutions throughout Vermont. Trey lives in Montpelier, Vermont with his partner Roberta, their four children and dog Bree.
Angus McCusker (he/him), Velomont Trail Collective. Angus is excited to see the Velomont Trail and hut network’s southern terminus connect to where he grew up in the ‘hilltowns’ of western Massachusetts. Angus lives to backcountry and Nordic ski but also loves long distance mountain bike rides that involve epic climbs and long descents. A member of the 251 club of Vermont, he has been to all of Vermont’s 251 towns and cities. Angus is also a founding member and Executive Director of Ridgeline Outdoor Collective, a non-profit chapter of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association and the Catamount Trail Association. Angus enjoys spending time building backyard and front yard rope tows, and doing most anything that involves moving around outside with his wife and two kids in Rochester, VT.
John Moody is the project coordinator for Winter Center for Indigenous Traditions. He is an ethno-historian caring for and serving the Abenaki and other Indigenous Peoples of the Northeast. With Donna L. Moody, he has served the Abenaki Nation coalition in repatriation, site and environmental protection, health advocacy, and Indigenous language survival.
Duncan Murdoch, the Natural Areas Stewardship Coordinator with the Intervale Center, began his work growing and planting native trees there in 2015. As part of the Land Stewardship Team, Duncan is responsible for the management and equitable community access to 360 acres of land that we now steward in Burlington, Vermont. In addition to his hands-on work taking care of the land, he is also a certified nature and forest therapy guide and a Nature Connection Coach where he leads forest bathing walks and helps people cultivate a deeper relationship to the natural world.
Lauren Oates is the Director of External Affairs at The Nature Conservancy in Vermont, focused on flood resilience for human and natural communities.
Cailin O’Brien-Feeney brings two decades of experience working either in or for the outdoors to Quantified Ventures in 2023. Cailin most recently served as the first Director of Oregon’s Office of Outdoor Recreation advancing initiatives to grow the state’s outdoor recreation economy, increasing access to nature for traditionally underrepresented communities, and providing technical assistance to communities impacted by wildfire. Cailin has also led state and local policy initiatives for the Outdoor Industry Association and currently resides in Bend, Oregon.
Grace Oedel (she/her) has been the Executive Director of Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, navigating turbulence in our food system through pandemic, corporate consolidation, and climate emergencies for the last five years. NOFA-VT has been instrumental in developing the Agricultural Recovery Plan and the VT Food Security Roadmap. NOFA-VT facilitated over $1.7 M in emergency grants to farms following the catastrophic flooding and record-breaking rainfall throughout the 2023 growing season and responded to record demand for our local food access programs at Vermont farmers markets and CSAs that support limited income households to buy more local and organic food while supporting farmers directly.
Mari Omland grew up in the hills around Rutland. In 2007, she returned to Vermont with her partner Laura Olsen to establish Green Mountain Girls Farm in the hills of Northfield, VT. Along with her farm work, Mari integrates work on conservation, advocacy, community, and farm viability. Mari is a community research partner with the Food Systems Research Center's "Sustainability Metrics" project.
Nancy Patch, as Co-Founder and Vice President of Cold Hollow to Canada, has a strong vision for the future of the Northern Forest. Her work as a community organizer and former County Forester helps connect people with the science of conservation and ecological forest management. She’s been a practicing forester since 1985 and has a B.S in Forestry from UVM in addition to Master’s degrees in Curriculum Development and Plant and Soil Science. She serves on the Board of Two Countries, One Forest and on the steering committee for the Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere network.
Shelby Perry is an ecologist and naturalist specializing in old and rewilding forests. She works as Wildlands Ecologist at Northeast Wilderness Trust, and spends her days mapping natural communities, looking for old forests, measuring trees, and learning from her wild kin. Shelby joined the Wilderness Trust in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a master’s degree from the University of Vermont’s Field Naturalist Program, and a deep love and respect for wild places.
Oliver Pierson, Director of Forestry at Vermont Forest, Parks and Recreation (FPR). Oliver joined FPR in 2023 and has worked for ANR since 2019. Prior to joining ANR, Oliver worked for federal government agencies for twenty years on a variety of sustainable forest management, watershed protection, and renewable energy programs in Africa and the United States. He received a M.S. in Natural Resources Ecology and Management from Cornell University and a B.S. in Geology and Environmental Studies from Yale University. In his spare time, Oliver enjoys hanging out with his family in Vermont’s woods (preferably on skis or a bike), playing music, paddling small watercraft, and brewing beer.
Claire Polfus (she/her) is the Recreation Program Manager with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation. Claire works with a wide variety of recreation partners and agency staff to support and improve outdoor recreation across the State. She has over 15 years of experience in recreation management, communications, and program development in Vermont, New England and in the Rocky Mountain west and holds a B.A from Middlebury College and an M.S. from the University of Vermont. She lives on the edge of the big woods in the Northeast Kingdom and enjoys exploring the outdoors everywhere from her garden to far off mountaintops.
Zack Porter is the Executive Director of Standing Trees, based in Montpelier, VT. Zack has worked in public land management and advocacy for two decades, beginning with the US Forest Service. Among New England's conservation nonprofits, Standing Trees is uniquely focused on state and federal land management issues.
Monica Przyperhart is the former Program Director at Cold Hollow to Canada. In this role, Monica worked closely with private forest landowners interested in stewarding or conserving their land. She ran a land stewardship program, took the lead on conservation projects, and was instrumental in the development of a toolkit to share CHC's stewardship strategy with other interested groups. Wearing many hats, Monica also teaches Environmental Science at Middlebury College, leads a chapter of the Vermont Master Naturalist Program, and is co-chair for the Middlebury Area Land Trust. In all roles, Monica seeks to combine scientific research with community education.
Shannon Pytlik is a River Scientist with the Vermont Rivers Program at Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. She oversees the River Corridor and Wetland Easement (RCWE) program, as well as providing technical assistance for stream restoration and regulatory reviews in Southern VT.
Zoe Richards, Wildlife Biologist, Co-Founder Burlington Wildways Partnership. Former Chair of the Burlington Conservation Board. VNRC Arthur Gibb award winner in 2023. Zoe has twenty years of practice in Conservation Biology with a special interest in Urban Ecology.
Deron Rixon is a Natural Resource Planner who supports the Addison County’s Clean Water Service Provider Program and assists towns with various projects. A born and raised Vermonter and passionate conservationist, he holds a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology and an A.S. in Environmental Science. Deron has extensive experience in field work, quantitative and spatial analyses, and public outreach related to conservation. His five years of active-duty service in the U.S. Navy, including three overseas deployments, honed his collaborative skills. Deron is dedicated to conservation efforts, focusing on preserving and protecting natural resources and ecosystems for future generations.
Jessica Savage, Director of Community Collaboration, Vermont Council on Rural Development. Jessica joined the VCRD staff in 2021 after 15 years in the public sector mainly in the natural resources and recreation management fields. She has a Master of Public Administration from UVM, loves being outside and being a mom to two young children.
Carolyn Schmidt is a member of the Vermont Coalition of Indigenous Communities and Allies; she identifies as an "ally". Carolyn has a background in environmental advocacy and public participation, including directing environmental grants programs in the former Soviet Union and China, and working on stakeholder involvement guidelines for global corporate social responsibility. She participated in the Vermont Conservation Strategy Initiative's Indigenous focus group session on March 28, 2024. Carolyn is co-host of the "Indigenous Perspectives" monthly podcast, and the manager of the Talking Leaves Forum website.
Jim Shallow is the Director of Resilient and Connected Lands Protection for The Nature Conservancy’s Vermont Chapter. In this role, he is directing strategies including innovative funding methods to accelerate the protection of biologically diverse lands and associated waters on which all life depends. He has led the development of forest carbon projects that to date have resulted in 20,000 acres of forest under improved management for carbon sequestration and biodiversity. Throughout his career, he has advanced forest and wildlife conservation in Vermont including working for Audubon Vermont and chairing the Vermont Endangered Species Committee. He lives in Richmond, Vermont where he enjoys hiking, birdwatching, biking and nordic skiing.
Sam Smith is the Farm Business Director at the Intervale Center. Sam brings a passion for farming and food systems to his work at the Intervale. He grew up in Southern Vermont, went to UVM, and received an MBA in Sustainability from Antioch New England. He has worked as both a livestock and vegetable farmer and been involved in the Vermont agricultural community for over 15 years.
Shiva Soroushnia is a PhD student studying farms and sustainable community development at the University of Vermont.
Don Stevens is a resident of Shelburne Vermont and is the Executive Director of AHA - Abenaki Helping Abenaki, Inc. He is Chief of the Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe. Don has served on many boards and commissions on behalf of the Abenaki Community. He is a Veteran of the Armed Services, and deeply passionate about the environment in which we live.
Dr. Josiah Taylor is a farmer, researcher, and educator concerned with sustainable food systems, universal food access programs, mental health, and farmer quality of life. Currently works with the UVM Food Systems Research Center, as well as Farmer/Rancher Stress Assistance Network (National Young Farmers Coalition).
Meghan Tedder is the Connection Coordinator with Evernorth. She helps expand onsite services and empowering residents with opportunities to engage in decisions that impact their communities. As a Vermont Garden Network board member, she advocates for gardens at affordable housing sites.
Travis Thomason is Vermont's current State Conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation District (NRCS). Travis has a rich background in soil conservation and natural resources. He grew up in a small farming community in Idaho, where he learned the importance of balancing productive working lands and a healthy environment. In 2005, Thomason joined the NRCS as a soil conservationist and has held various leadership positions across the country since then. In his previous position, Thomason was Director of the Pacific Islands Area. His commitment to environmental quality and sustainable agriculture has a strong alignment with Vermont's conservation goals.
Liz Thompson is an ecologist whose work has encompassed botany, natural community classification, conservation planning, writing, and photography. Her work with Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands, and Communities includes editing a quarterly journal, From the Ground Up, and furthering the mission of increasing conservation in the region. She was co-author of Wetland, Woodland, Wildland: A Guide to the Natural Communities of Vermont and Wildlands in New England: Past, Present, and Future. She serves on the board of Northeast Wilderness Trust.
Sam von Trapp grew up on the grounds of the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont. The grandson of Maria von Trapp, of Sound of Music fame, von Trapp attended Eaglebrook School, in Deerfield, MA, for three years, followed by three years at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire. While earning a double degree in Economics and Geography at Dartmouth College, von Trapp started teaching skiing at Stowe Mountain Resort, and his passion for skiing and adventure took him to Portillo, Chile, where he taught skiing for 11 winters. While balancing northern hemisphere winters in Aspen, Colorado with southern hemisphere winters in Chile, von Trapp thawed out in between winters while surfing in Brazil and Chile. In 2007, von Trapp returned to the Trapp Family Lodge to work with his father, Johannes. Currently overseeing Brewery Operations at the Von Trapp Brewery, and Outdoor Recreation, and Retail, and assisting with Guest Relations, PR, and Marketing for all areas of Trapp Family Lodge, von Trapp still finds time to bike, hike, and ski with his two young boys and wife.
KeruBo Webster, Singer-songwriter. Clemmons Family Farm. Ms. Webster is a singer/song-writer and Afro-Jazz artist, originally from Kenya who now lives in the Burlington area. KeruBo sings African folk music, Afro Pop, and Afro jazz — from African laments to more modern arrangements. She has more than 20 years’ experience performing all over the world in music festivals. Her influences blend of African Traditional Music, with inflections of Brazilian Samba/Bossanova, Jazz, and Blues. Before relocating to the United States, Ms. Webster was lead singer and manager of her own band Keru-Blues, a jazz-blues fusion band that played venues in Kenya. Her music is all about preserving her culture and heritage, and raising people’s awareness of the situations of vulnerable women and children by singing about their stories. She is also a dedicated social worker. Ms. Webster’s music education and appreciation began with her family. Her musical influences include traditional African music, to gospel, blues, Afro jazz, slave spirituals, African laments, civil rights songs, story songs, and gospel songs. She was inspired by generations of music artists and songwriters such as Achien’g Abura, Miriam Makeba, Dorothy Masuka and Nina Simon - female vocalists who used their music as a powerful medium for bringing awareness and rebuking social injustices. Ms. Webster's music is all about healing, preserving African culture and heritage, and highlighting social issues affecting vulnerable minorities such as women and children. She speaks and sings in two different languages: English and Swahili. She attended Temple College in Kenya for Business Studies and is studying Integrated Business Studies at Champlain College in Vermont.
Phil Wilson, Program Coordinator, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
Marian Wolz is the Resilience and Adaptation Coordinator in the Vermont Climate Action Office where she works closely with state and local partners to increase resilience to the impacts of climate change. Marian’s work focuses on supporting and building capacity in communities to implement adaptation actions and coordinating with other state agencies on resilience and adaptation policy. Marian joined the Climate Action Office in 2022, after serving as the Global Warming Solutions Act Coordinator working with the Vermont Climate Council to write Vermont's Initial Climate Action Plan. Marian has experience in statewide emergency response and recovery, and community planning.
Bob Zaino is an ecologist who revels in exploring the natural world. As a scientist with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, he works to understand the patterns, distributions, and myriad species of Vermont’s natural communities. Bob strives to connect people to nature, and to protect plants, animals, and wild places for the future. He is a graduate of the University of Vermont’s Field Naturalist Program.