Christine is excited to return to VYCC after serving on a crew in 2021. She is back for the awesome people, meals, and opportunities to learn about food and agriculture. Christine grew up in San Antonio, Texas and came to Vermont for college, where she studied Environmental Science at the University of Vermont. After graduating in 2022, she surveyed for an endangered species of mouse on a national wildlife refuge in New Mexico, and then WWOOFed in California. She loves Vermont and is happy to be back. Christine enjoys hiking and swimming in the summer. She is looking forward to feeding the chickens and packing the Health Care Shares with her crew.

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Karoline loves learning and practicing how people connect through food. She frequently makes meals with friends and housemates that use new recipes and seasonal produce. Her goal is to create a space for Crew Members to explore their creativity in the kitchen. She gained experience through working in communal kitchens at the Appalachian Mountain Club and Sugarloaf Nordic Center. Karoline also WWOOFed in a number of locations, including Italy, Ireland, and Maine. She grew up in Maine along the ocean and recently got into cold water swimming.

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Coming from a background in film, media theory, and literature, Matt is proud to share his love for creativity with VYCC. He believes it’s essential to re-evaluate our relationship with the land not just by implementing more conscious agricultural practices but also by examining our language and how it conditions our thoughts and behavior. After all, when we’re speaking, we’re using an ancient invention that’s as tricky as it is impressive. Before honing his filmmaking techniques at Emerson College and then majoring in English at UVM, Matt lived and worked on a horticultural farm in Spain. This experience radically changed his perspective on life. Ever since then, Matt has been an enthusiastic gardener and a full-blown tree-hugging nature-lover. If you can’t find him wandering the woods on his time off, he’s most likely editing that movie script with the socialite geraniums.

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Viv Merrill is joining VYCC after graduating from Middlebury College, where they studied food systems and lived in the local food house. She grew up outside of Seattle, and has loved nurturing her relationship to soil while working on veggies farms in Washington, California, and Vermont. Viv believes that food is a powerful tool in building community and connecting us to the land and seasons. She feels strongly that everyone deserves access to nourishing food and enjoyed furthering state food access initiatives during an internship with Hunger Free Vermont. She understands that access to fresh local produce lies at the center of community health, and is deeply excited to be contributing to VYCC’s Health Care Share program. Off the farm, Viv can be found throwing on a pottery wheel, spinning wool, and reading sci-fi novels!

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Bio coming soon!

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Frankie is from the Garden State but only just started growing food recently. They have always loved eating, but their passion for food blossomed around a year and a half ago after reading Braiding Sweetgrassand The Botany of Desire. Since then, they have consumed an embarrassing amount of food content, created a blog about eating seasonally (find it at frankieparkereats.substack.com> or on Instagram @eatlocalphilly), and started gardening. They hope to help make fresh, local food the norm for all because it can benefit the environment, our health and (very importantly) the taste of the food. Frankie has drawn a number of dog portraits, worked at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site in Philadelphia, and taught in a variety of settings as a volunteer and substitute teacher. In their free time they enjoy experimenting in the kitchen, sharing food with friends, going for long walks, and making art. They truly believe that Jersey corn, blueberries and tomatoes are #1.

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Claire’s love of the natural world was formed by the moss, rivers and raptor center of Frost Valley YMCA in the Catskills of New York. This passion led to participation in her high school’s agriscience program, where she began to work on farms. Since then she has worked within a wide range of farm systems: wholesale vegetable production in Connecticut, market garden farming in Maine, fruit farming in Hawaii, tending to a cabbage patch and rotating sheep and cows through lush Vermont pasture. She comes to VYCC due to the life-changing positive impact she experienced with experiential learning and she is thrilled to have the opportunity to foster that experience for others. She has felt no greater love than meals shared with a group of people who have all worked together to grow the food on that table. Claire can be found with one eye on the sky, watching the birds. She loves experimenting with fermentation projects, playing and watching sports of all kinds, and dancing on her front stoop.

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Quinn believes their passion for both farming and community, as well as anything outdoors and food related, intersects perfectly with every aspect of the VYCC mission. After graduating from Franklin Pierce University, Quinn was a production crew member here at VYCC last season. Over the past year, they have learned an immense amount about farming and have grown to enjoy it very much. After VYCC, they were a crew member at a certified organic produce farm in Huntington, Vermont. Additionally, they have helped coach middle and high school kids in both cycling and skiing and have coached kids on a weekend ski trip to Smuggler’s Notch regularly over the years. Quinn believes in leading by example and loves to work and lead right beside crew members. In their free time they like to bake and cook and they enjoy discussing the connection between the farm and the kitchen.

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Originally from the NYC area, Shosh grew up going on family hikes in the Hudson Valley and exploring the big city. She spent the past few years in Maine working on an organic orchard, living as an innkeeper, and organizing live music events. While studying political ecology in college, she began to understand the amazing power farming has to cultivate a justice-oriented future. She is excited to work with VYCC to provide a tangible way to teach and learn resilience within herself, crew, and land. When not on the farm, you can find her playing the bass, listening to music, experimenting with cider fermentation, or nose-deep in a science fiction or fantasy novel.

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Kate is incredibly excited to join VYCC this farming season as the Post Harvest Lead. During her time as an undergraduate at the University of Vermont, Kate discovered her passion for farming and experiential learning and has spent the better part of the past four years getting her hands dirty on regenerative farms around Vermont. Building community through food and farming has become an incredible joy in Kate’s life and she is excited to get to expand that community here at VYCC. Outside of work, Kate loves to swim, hike, rollerblade, and ski her way around Vermont, enjoying the outdoors year round.

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Lily is passionate about building community relationships around food, especially if it involves garlic. A transplant from Rhode Island, Lily appreciates how food fosters close knit communities in Vermont. They worked in Middlebury for several years before joining the VYCC, focusing on growing a more resilient food system through harvesting surplus produce and supporting Addison County’s poverty relief efforts. With an education and background centered on food justice, access, and education they are excited to manage the VYCC’s Health Care Share program. Supporting the nexus of youth development, agriculture and holistic health care is a natural fit in their desire for a more equitable food system. When not gushing over a love for food justice, Lily is usually attempting to improve upon their homemade bagel recipe or consuming all things sci-fi and fantasy.

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Susie is honored to continue the transformational work of growing food with youth while feeding our communities through the Health Care Share. At The Food Project in Boston, The Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, The Conservation Districts in Vermont and various projects in between, Susie connected people to their food, the land, and complex food systems. As the founding Director of UVM’s Farmer Training Program and New American farmer training programs around the country, Susie thrived on supporting all aspiring farmers in building knowledge and skills for a career in sustainable agriculture. Susie has a BA from Oberlin College and an MS in Food Systems from UVM. She loves the sight of steam rising from the compost pile, the taste of over-wintered spinach in early spring and the humbling feeling that there is always more to learn about farming. Susie lives in Middlesex with her husband, two daughters and one fluffy bunny.

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Natalie finds joy in exploring curiosity, learning, and growing alongside others and finds that working outside in the dirt is the best way to create this environment. Growing up she grew snap peas and green beans diligently, and this passion slowly transformed into a love of farming. After studying environmental-sociology with a focus on rural food networks, Natalie went on to gain experience in backcountry caretaking, guiding, herbal farming, and environmental education. Through these experiences Natalie grew her passion for developing relationships with folks over a shared love of the land. She is excited to get her hands dirty and grow with everyone and everything around her! When not at the farm, Natalie can be found exploring Vermont by foot, bike, or swimming hole, eating sweet potatoes for every meal, and strumming around on her mandolin and fiddle.

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Katie finds the best way to build community and form relationships is over a delicious meal.  Her passion for growing, cooking, and eating food stems from her childhood growing up on a farm in Iowa. Shortly after graduating from undergrad at Iowa State University, she began her first Conservation Corps experience and was hooked! This eventually led to serving an AmeriCorps term in Montpelier, where she quickly fell in love with Vermont’s natural beauty, agricultural landscape, and food culture. Knowing the hard work and growth that come from an AmeriCorps term, she is excited to watch the impressive accomplishments made by the VYCC team each season. With an MS in Food Systems from UVM and a background in nutrition education, food security, and food access, Katie is ready to share her passion for food with anyone willing to listen. When not in the kitchen, you can find her spending time with her partner Zach and their two dogs, Arlo and Sage. The VYCC board includes a rotating 1-year staff position as an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors.

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Justina is a true lover of all things food: growing it, sharing it, learning about it, talking about it and sitting around a table eating it with others. She loves building strong relationships with folks through the food that she grows, both in and out of the fields.  For the past five years, she has worked on a variety of different farms around the U.S, from Washington State to Long Island. When she is not weeding with her beloved scuffle hoe, you’ll probably find her baking up a storm in the kitchen, working on a crossword puzzle, or running.

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Adrianna is excited to lead for the VYCC after getting her B.S. in Mathematics and before starting her Master’s Degree in Environmental Studies at UMass Lowell! The summer leading up to her fall in Vermont, Adrianna worked with the Massachusetts Climate Corps focusing on salt marsh science and restoration. She is an avid hiker and camper and loves to do as much as she can outdoors. Adrianna cannot wait to learn even more about the wilderness and fully immerse herself and her crew in their work while keeping things light and fun.

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Julius values hard work and natural living. After serving in the 2021 VYCC carpentry crew, he discovered a passion for building and woodworking; leading him to manage a construction crew back in his home of Madison, Wisconsin. Since he was 18, Julius has traveled much of the country on foot in nearly 20 states, from the deserts of New Mexico to the high mountains of the Sierra Nevada. Julius accepts challenges head on and believes that personal growth is achieved by overcoming obstacles. He is pumped to visit Vermont again and for the coming VYCC season!

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Scout Braxton is super excited to be working with the VYCC this year! This will be their first year in the state of Vermont, seeing as she recently graduated from Purdue University in May 2023 with a degree in Psychological Studies. She has a lengthy background in inclusion/confrontation research and is eager to apply the lessons they learned to the real world. Scout is passionate about the outdoors and absolutely adores a good hike or paddle. Originally from the Midwest, Scout is so happy to be working in the outdoors and is looking forward to learning about her new home! From her home state of Indiana, Scout is bringing with her lovely fiancée, Jenna, and their two cats, Tomato and Kroger. She is excited to be outside and get messy with her conservation crew!

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Annalise is from Michigan and grew up spending lots of time outside gardening, exploring, and camping. She just completed a season of trail work in the White Mountains National Forest. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in History and a minor in Environmental Science. Annalise is passionate about conservation and ensuring that outdoor recreation is accessible for all, sustainable, and environmentally conscious. Trail work provides her with the opportunity to do boots-on-the-ground work in the environmental field and live and work in beautiful places. She loves to camp, cook, read, crochet, play cards, and spend time with her family and friends. She is excited to get her hands dirty this fall and teach her crew some cool new skills!

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Viv is leading the Richmond Youth Crew after graduating from UVM with a degree in Environmental Studies. They are originally from Washington, DC but fell in love with working outside in Vermont after summers of farming and working at Vermont State Parks. Viv is incredibly excited to lead people on their own journey to loving the outdoors! They believe in the importance of having fun and getting your hands dirty while working and can’t wait to be goofy while getting stuff done!

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Jenn Greig is an avid collector of seasonal experiences and the long-term friendships that come with it. This led her across the country, joining various Conservation Corps and affordable housing projects in conjunction with obtaining her Architecture Degree from North Carolina State. For the last two years, she has worked on a carpentry crew focused on historic renovations in Durham, North Carolina, with values of respecting the land with thoughtful construction. Jenn is excited to return to VYCC and meet another great crew who she hopes shares her love of muffins and coffee.

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Eric first fell in love with conservation corps while serving as a member on a youth crew in Idaho. Since then, he has enjoyed serving, learning, and growing as a crewleader with corps in Oregon, Utah, and here in Vermont in 2021! He is thrilled to come back to VYCC and experience the incredible fall colors again. The opportunity to travel, live outside, be part of an uplifting crew community, meet amazing people, and complete meaningful work are all reasons why Eric is passionate about conservation corps. He gets super excited by cool clouds, rocks, and plants (especially moss!) and loves to stop to smell the flowers. He also enjoys hacky sack, juggling, photography, telling stories, and recently started learning guitar! He is so excited to bond with the crew over beautiful sunsets and other meaningful moments. 

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Far back in the mists of time, like 2014, Rowan joined a VYCC Conservation crew and spent the season moving heavy things around, wearing PPE, and stepping in mud. For some reason he found this rather satisfying. Later experience with professional trail work, backcountry camp caretaking, snowmaking, thru hiking, and working with an outdoor high school program gave him a deep appreciation for the nexus of nature, community, and hard work. His 2 cents from all this help him support crews and the Conservation program in his role as Field Coordinator. A Vermont youth by birth, Rowan is an endurance coach, rabid-but-not-the-proselytizing-type-of Phish fan, athlete, and enthusiastic writer of lists and commas.

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Spencer is an environmental steward deeply passionate about integrating environmentalism into his student leadership at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He is excited to return from his semester abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, and make his way back to Vermont for his second summer as a Conservation Camping Crew Leader with VYCC! His environmental science and English majors have prepared Spencer to serve as one of Wake’s Environmental Justice Directors, for which he works closely with members of the Winston-Salem community and uses an intersectional approach to advocate for environmental justice within North Carolina. Spencer enjoys spending his free time hiking around North Carolina, reading, and working in his pottery studio while listening to Maggie Rogers. As a crew leader, Spencer is super excited to return to Vermont, meet some awesome new people, and have a fantastic summer!

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Rosemary is excited to combine her leadership experience and love for our environment in a new way for her first season as a crew leader with the VYCC! After spending the summer camping and exploring national parks all across the country, they are ready to settle in for the autumn working with and supporting the fall forestry crew. Rosemary can’t wait to incorporate their experience running a vegan kitchen into our camp meals and finding creative ways to use foraged local Vermont delicacies with the crew! Emma is a recent graduate from Michigan State University with a BS in Horticulture and a minor in Writing. She has spent the past three summer seasons as a trail crew member in the White Mountains of New Hampshire for the Randolph Mountain Club, where she led a crew this past summer. In this role, Emma built rock and wooden structures including waterbars, bog bridges, staircases, cross drains, and scree walls in the backcountry, and has become familiar with tools including axes, rockbars, picks, chainsaws, and rigging and carpentry equipment. In addition to her time in the Whites, Emma has worked in greenhouses, gardens, and as a WWOOF volunteer on farms in England and Wales. Outside of work, Emma enjoys writing, reading essays, playing cards, and playing music with friends. She is particularly excited to learn more about Forestry and see the changing Fall colors with the VYCC this season.

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Keith is returning to VYCC as a crew lead after a season on the Pro Trails crew in the summer of 2022. Graduating from UVM with a degree in music education, they found they wanted a change of pace from academia and working in a school setting. The summer of 2022 was certainly not boring (ask them about it sometime, they’ll talk your ear off) but bad weather, sickness, and even a bear encounter couldn’t scare them away from another season.

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Liss Vigil joins the VYCC after celebrating the last 7 birthdays in service to others. From education to disaster response, outreach to firefighting, caregiving to conservation and so much more, Liss has pursued diverse experiences that not only give back to our communities, but also teach and develop several aspects of life. Although never anticipating a global trot, Liss has had the honor of traveling all over the country and the world in the spirit of beneficence. As the journey continues with an ever-growing awareness, Liss hopes to embody the countless lessons in a consistent, intentional, and holistic way.

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Bill is passionate about stewarding healthy and resilient forests while assisting corps members in developing skills that will enable them to become future conservation leaders. He brings with him experience from a diverse array of outdoor fields including wildland fire, search and rescue, land stewardship, and guiding. In his free time Bill can be found snowboarding, rock climbing, and exploring the backcountry.

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Kristen believes that watershed-scale thinking is a powerful tool to connect people with the land and build community resiliency. She has worked as an environmental educator teaching experiential science to students of all ages at The Wild Center, Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, The Appalachian Mountain Club and The Ecology School. She comes to VYCC most recently from the Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District where she planned and implemented water quality and wildlife habitat projects throughout the Winooski watershed. She is excited to continue connecting people with each other and the land through hands-on projects at VYCC. For Kristen, a perfect summer day includes canoeing on a pond, spotting birds and swimming. A perfect winter day starts with a hot cup of tea and some quiet time knitting followed by a snowy cross country ski adventure.

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Stephen is inspired by the idea that young people can learn and grow through experiences that expand their horizons and push the edges of their comfort zones. VYCC provides safe opportunities for people to do this and grow as individuals and as a community. Stephen graduated from Georgia State University with a Sociology degree and began his own journey to push his comfort zone. After a variety of trades work and developing a raw dairy goat farm that served the Atlanta area, he voyaged on to Vermont where he served as a VYCC Crew Leader, and subsequently, a Conservation Program Coordinator. After a hiatus from the corps to explore new trades and technical skills, Stephen brings his diverse toolkit to a diverse organization and role. He resides in Montpelier with his wife and small domestic herd. Stephen spends his free time trail running, rock climbing, skiing, and working on his “antique” home.

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Kalyn comes to VYCC with a well-rounded perspective of what it is like for every new AmeriCorps member. She found her love for the outdoors during her time as an AmeriCorps crew member in Alaska. After her internship she worked on the National Park Service trail crew at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Some of Kalyn’s favorite memories during her time at Rocky were getting to work with the youth corps, while teaching them the skills and knowledge it takes to complete various projects in the backcountry. Kalyn is passionate about conservation and is excited to help new crew members find their own paths, while gaining confidence in themselves and the work they are doing. Kalyn is from Florida so summer is her favorite season. After work she can be found camping, trail running, dancing to some live music, singing, or visiting a local swimming hole.

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Jenn believes that we can all make a difference through stewarding the land in our community. Jenn’s first job was with a youth conservation corps crew where she spent summer days swinging picks and shovels. This experience took her to Vermont where she studied Natural Resource Management and Environmental Studies. Jenn has since worked all over New England stewarding conserved land. She has worked for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, The Nature Conservancy, and served with Kestrel Land Trust through AmeriCorps. When she is not in the woods you can find Jenn playing volleyball or exploring new recipes.

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Patrick believes in the power of possibility. A common thread throughout Patrick’s career is the quest for possibility – whether in the mountains of Arizona managing forest restoration operations, launching multicultural community programs, or reimagining “waste” through research and entrepreneurship.  At all scales, from scrappy start-ups to multi-billion-dollar organizations, in private businesses and non-profits, and from abstract theory to manual labor, Patrick has worked to find alternatives to impossibility. Patrick gleaned this outlook during his first season with a Corps in the Southwest, observing how perseverance, teamwork, and creative thinking could overcome obstacles.  It was inspiring to see members rise to these challenges and gain their own new perspectives and pathways. As Program Director, Patrick creates these same types of experiences for youth through growing the program, building partnerships, and supporting a fantastic team to run the program each season.  Patrick enjoys exploring Vermont by ski and bicycle, and operates a small farm with his partner while restoring a 200+ year old farmhouse.

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August Tallmadge returns to VYCC after leading the Pro Trail Crew in 2022. This will be August’s 6th year with VYCC and his first as a Field Supervisor! His passion for the outdoors shows through his love of fungi and gardening, and his interest in youth development comes from working at VYCC and as a ski coach for Burlington High School. August is also an avid runner, having competed in Mad River Glen’s marathon last season. He is excited to bring his love of cooking and rock work to VYCC this season.

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Kevin’s primary passion is to work toward and promote the stewardship of communities and the land around them. Years after graduating from Middlebury College, he returns to Vermont after meandering through field biology work out west, an English degree, and a good tenure in youth development with Scouting. Writing paragraphs like these in third person upsets his delicate midwestern sensibilities, but if you ask him about running, vegetarian recipes, or books, and he’ll have plenty more to say.

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Tell us a story about something cool you keep at your desk and why! I have a dog bed underneath my desk for my pooch to ignore when he comes into the office. What’s special to you about living in Vermont? Cheese, mountains, gardens, community, biking, snow. What was your first job? Stocked shelves and pushed carts at a local grocery store. What is an everyday thing you do to lessen your carbon footprint?  I bike when possible, I eat mostly vegetarian, and I buy the majority of my clothes second hand. What was a recent favorite book of yours? What are you listening to? I just started reading Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein. I’ve recently been on a classical kick listening to all of Dmitri Shostakovich’s symphonies.

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Magen believes creativity adds the best spice to life. Magen was born in Panama and moved all around the world, settling in Vermont with her family at 10. She instantly fell in love with the state. While she did move to Central Coast California for a couple years after college, she found that the lack of seasonal changes was driving her batty, so she hightailed it back east. Magen explored a wide variety of employment areas, including an animal shelter, an avian rehabilitation center, an editing company for scientific journals, and a luxury textiles company. She was a VYCC crew member about a million years ago, and is excited to return. Magen enjoys hiking, exploring new places, trying new recipes, fiber arts, and writing that novel she swears she’ll finish one day. She loves to curl up at her home in Randolph with a book and her cats, Nobody and Morpheus.

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Naomi joined VYCC’s engagement team in 2012. In working alongside crews and talking with alumni, Naomi is inspired by the deep and lasting impact VYCC has on each and every Corps Member. Naomi took a “gap year” of sorts from VYCC to dabble in the marketing agency world and returned to the Corps in January 2019. Her professional experience also includes nonprofit management in Vermont and beyond. Forever looking ahead to the next cohort of Corps Members, and looking around at the evolving needs of our youth, her work with VYCC’s remarkable community of supporters is at once purposeful and fun! She holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University at Albany, is an avid snowboarder and music lover.

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Jeremy believes in the power of an open mind. As Development Manager, he has the pleasure of establishing relationships with VYCC’s vast community of supporters. He understands everyone contributes in their own way and learning why people support VYCC’s mission brings him great joy. He uses an open mind to connect with every person that chooses to give their time, money and resources to help young people. Through Jeremy’s role at VYCC, he has the opportunity to tell young people’s stories on a daily basis. He enjoys witnessing Corps Members grow into leaders and sharing these transformational experiences with the world. His past work on conservation crews shaped who he is today. Jeremy is dedicated to helping others find their pathway to personal and professional success. A New Englander at heart, he believes there is no such thing as bad weather.

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Kate believes in the transformational power of learning and service experiences. In her role as the Director of the Serve Learn Earn collaboration between VYCC, VT Works for Women, Vermont Audubon, and ReSource, Kate is excited to connect folks to experiences that will build confidence, courage, and skills, while expanding opportunities for future careers. Before returning to her home state, Kate spent nine years in the Mississippi Delta working with young leaders at the Sunflower County Freedom Project—a nonprofit focused on social justice that connects students with educational opportunities. Before that, she paced the sideline as the women’s basketball coach at Grinnell College in Iowa. She loves volunteering, baking sweet treats, and hiking in the Green Mountains. She currently lives in Johnson with her partner, Mike, and is hoping to get a dog in the very near future.

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Breck joined the VYCC team in 2008 and became Executive Director in 2016. Helping every young person learn from the beauty, mystery, and challenges of the natural world drives Breck in his work. He finds inspiration in the creativity, resolve, and corps spirit that young people bring to VYCC. That VYCC focuses on enrolling traditionally underserved populations is especially compelling. Prior to VYCC Breck was an outdoor educator and Director at Keewaydin Camp, a classroom teacher and Dean of Students at a small prep school, and a development professional in higher education. He also spent three fun years adventuring out west and traveling the globe before returning to his east coast roots. Breck holds degrees from Lawrence University and Saint Michael’s College. Outside of work, he lives in the hills of Huntington, where he and his wife Margaret try to keep up with two daughters. Hockey, running, apple trees, good books, and fresh powder are all areas of keen interest.

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Anna can’t think of a more fitting way to combine her love of the outdoors and storytelling than by illuminating transformative VYCC experiences. As an Outward Bound student and Assistant Instructor, she experienced how impactful it can be to step outside of one’s comfort zone and collaborate with a team in the outdoors. Anna also held a variety of marketing roles in the North Cascades of Washington State, including serving as the Field Correspondent for Northwest Outward Bound and as the Digital and Social Media Coordinator at the Methow Valley Citizens Council (an environmental nonprofit). As a participant in a UVM Digital Marketing Course, she learned that she gets inordinately excited about things like Search Engine Optimization (but she promises to only blab about it if you ask). After thru-hiking the Long Trail in 2022, she decided it was about time she moved back to her home state of Vermont!

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Had Leah spent her teenage years in Vermont, she would have found her way to VYCC earlier in life.  Growing up in New Mexico, Leah explored and made peace with adolescence among the ridges and canyons of the Rockies.  She moved to Vermont to attend Middlebury College and fell equally in love with Vermont.  It’s Leah’s belief that young people seek a sense of belonging to place and community and are eager to contribute and build skills. With this in mind, Leah co-founded Vermont Commons School, where she learned along with students in the classroom, on the trail, and in the community.  Leah’s love of the natural world as habitat and classroom led her to a master’s degree in Ecological Planning at UVM. Each morning, Leah cracks the shades and begins dreaming about the days’ adventures.  Joining VYCC and its mission feels like both coming home and looking at each day’s possibilities.

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Kay believes spending time outside is the best way to learn more about the places we play, work and live in. She has followed her passion for hands-on experiential learning and access to the outdoors from the high peaks of the North Cascades of Washington to the Green Mountains of Vermont (and back again!). Kay is drawn to fostering curiosity and building community. She would consider herself a “Jill of all trades” with her diverse set of skills, a knack for creative problem solving, and positive outlook. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, split-boarding, camping, and adventuring outside in any way she can with her husband and dog.

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William seeks to use his 20+ years of business and book retail management experience to support VYCC’s mission and operations. After 17 years away, including working as the Business Manager at Linden Waldorf School in Nashville TN, he returned to Vermont – where his heart has always called home. William is passionate about outdoor recreation, books, americana music, maps, microbreweries, and is a longtime shareholder at Mad River Glen. Ask him about it!

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Hapy joined VYCC in 2015 with over 20 years of finance and operations experience managing Small Dog Electronics, an Apple Computer sales and service company he founded with his father. Hapy has degrees from Northwestern University in Philosophy and Economics. He lives with many rescued dogs in Fayston. Hapy is a USA Hockey Ice Hockey referee and competes as a professional “heavy” athlete in the Scottish Games. Any spare time outside of that, he is honing his craft as an artisan blacksmith at his shop in Fayston.

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Rand believes that everyday is an opportunity for learning and growth. Creating a community that encourages curiosity, imagination and collaboration is something that is important to him. Rand is excited to be back in his home state of Vermont after seven years of living and exploring out west in Colorado and California. With a foundation in Mathematics Education he loves to teach, and create with others. After working as a construction supervisor for Habitat for Humanity Metro Denver he has developed a passion for carpentry, design, working with his hands, and enjoys sharing his knowledge with anyone who will listen. As our Campus Development and Operations Manager, Rand wants everyone who visits or works alongside VYCC to leave with a sense of accomplishment, belonging, and a drive to help others. When he’s not on campus, he enjoys disc golfing, river floating, and camping in his tiny camper throughout New England.

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