Laurie Caswell Burke is a fundraiser for the Stern Center for Language and Learning focusing on major gifts.  She also teaches a course, Community and Work Experience at CCV in Burlington. She is active in environmental stewardship at her church where she gives annual homilies on earth stewardship.                                                                                                                     

Michael Dupee is Vice-President for Corporate Social Responsibility for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Mike is a former investment banker. He is currently a Donella Meadows leadership fellow with the Sustainability Institute.                                                                          

Susan Mills is a co-founder of the five-year-old Sustainable Living Network of Randolph and is active in community affairs. She currently teaches yoga and works for Vermont Vocational Rehabilitation. She has taught elementary school and English as a Second Language.     

Mary Jane Ohlson is a nurse-wellness consultant in private practice in Montpelier where she offers counseling, massage and Therapeutic Touch.   She served on the Hunger Mountain Food Coop Board for seven years. She is presently facilitating VEI’s home “Eco Parties” in the Central Vermont area and organizing training sessions for eco-party volunteers across the state.       

Frank Reed is President of Catamount Consulting Group, Inc. offering project management and fundraising services.  He taught ecology related courses at Kent State University, Rollins College, University of Vermont and Vermont Law School. He serves on the Randolph Development Review Board and several local committees related to environmental matters.

Paul Tuhus is a retired banker who serves as a tour guide for educational study tours for alumni associations. Prior to returning to the Upper Valley, he owned and managed Alpha Graphics Print & Copy Shop in San Francisco. Paul also serves on the board of the Dartmouth Club of the Upper Valley.                                               

Kate Elmer Westdijk is the Coordinator of Community-Based Learning for the Rubenstein School of the Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont.She is a 2003 graduate of Smith College and has a M.S. from the University of Vermont. Kate is the editor of VEI’s Vermont supplement to the Discovering a Sense of Place discussion course anthology.

Stephanie Winkler is a Senior Annual Giving Officer at Middlebury College. She previously worked in the fundraising department at Carnegie Hall in New York, New York. Stephanie is a 2003 graduate of Hamilton College.                                                                                     

Board Associates

Marcia Bourne, Brattleboro , retired teacher, VEI volunteer & community activist
Paul LeVasseur, Putney, School for International Training professor, VEI volunteer & community activist

 

Vermont Earth Institute Board of Advisors

Peter Forbes, Co-Director, Center for Whole Communities
Stephanie Kaza, Professor, University of Vermont
Bill McKibben, Author and environmental activist, writer in residence at Middlebury College
Dick Roy, Executive Director, Northwest Earth Institute
Monique Tilford, Deputy Director, Center for a New American Dream

 

Vermont Earth Institute Staff

Executive Director
Barbara Duncan has been VEI’s Executive Director since 1998. Barbara serves on the League of Women Voters of the Upper Valley’s Natural Resources Committee. Barbara is a former ballet dancer and teacher, draftsperson, and school teacher.  She is a 1970 graduate of St. Lawrence University with a B.S. in psychology.

Central Vermont Discussion Course Coordinator
Nicole DiDomenico joined Vermont Earth Institute in August 2007. She also serves as the Director of Volunteer Programs for Norwich University. Nicole currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Green Mountain United Way, is an active Rotarian, and teaches hip-hop dance classes for kids. Nicole attended Plattsburgh State University where she received her BA Degrees in Environmental Science and English. She has completed graduate coursework in the Masters of Science in Teaching program.

Northwest Vermont Discussion Course Coordinator
Leah Wittenberg is a long-time activist who has been involved in community development in Vermont since the early 1970’s. Her life’s work has been to inspire, educate, and activate people to make positive changes. In the last few years much of that work has been focused on the environment. She has collaborated with 10% Challenge to develop Vermont Drive 55, and co-founded the citizen outreach and education group Code Green. She a political cartoonist who has been published both locally and nationally. In addition to joining VEI, Leah will continue her work as a psychotherapist. She has a BA in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a Masters in Psychology from Lesley College.

Upper Valley Discussion Course Coordinator
Deb Hawthorn is an activist who has done writing, editing, public relations, and promotional work for schools, businesses, and non-profit organizations. She spent the past three years as Director of Outreach for Old Dog Documentaries in Woodstock, VT. A student of Nonviolent Communication and other paths to peaceful social change, Deb was a founding board member of Vermont Peace Academy and is now co-clerk of the Program Committee of the American Friends Service Committee in Vermont. She majored in English and philosophy at Vassar College.

Brattleboro Area Discussion Course Coordinators
Barbara Woods and Maria Echevarría are sharing this position.

Barbara is a tax advisor with H & R Block. She also has served as a long-term care financial planner. A woman of many interests and talents, she has a M.Ed. in Classic/Secondary Education from Tufts University and a certificate in Landscape Design from George Washington University.

Maria is a Graduate Admissions Counselor for the School for International Training in Brattleboro, VT. She has a B.A. from Vassar College and a MBA from the University of Phoenix.