Who We Are
Our Staff
Naomi Heindel (she/her)
Executive Director
Naomi became NBNC’s second-ever Executive Director in March, 2022. She came to us after seven years at Teton Science Schools in Wyoming, most recently as the Head of Field Education. Naomi grew up in North Ferrisburgh and attended the Lake Champlain Waldorf School and Vermont Commons School. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Dartmouth College and her Master’s Degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She has lived, worked, and taught in Yosemite and Grand Teton National Parks and has led wilderness trips throughout northern New England and northeastern Canada. Naomi lives just upstream from NBNC in Worcester, VT, with her husband and two young kids.
Ask Naomi about: Board service, current and future partnerships, and why our mission is important. Also canoeing, living in national parks, and word games.
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Emily Seiffert (she/her)
Deputy Director
After joining NBNC in 2015 as Capital Campaign Coordinator, Emily’s role has expanded several times, and in 2022 she became our first Deputy Director. Her primary work areas are fundraising/development, strategic planning, and communications. When not at NBNC, Emily might be found singing with the Montpelier Community Gospel Choir, volunteering as a board member of the Unitarian Church of Montpelier, or out on the trails or waterways with her camera. She lives in Montpelier with two fellow amateur naturalists: her husband, George, and their 17-year-old, Tessa.
Ask Emily about: Supporting NBNC, and how to make the best key lime pie.
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Ana Maria Arroyo (she/they)
Teacher-Naturalist
Ana Maria joined NBNC as a Teacher-Naturalist after spending a year as their AmeriCorps Member. Originally from Ithaca, NY, Ana Maria is thrilled to be achieving her childhood goal to be “the person that brings cool nature stuff to school”. She earned a degree in Environmental Studies from Ithaca College, and has continued her education by becoming a certified wildlife tracker.
Ana Maria was a wildlife rehabilitator and falconer before moving to VT, and can most often be found poking around the beaver wetlands at the nature center, looking for caterpillars in the meadow or following animal trails in the snow. When not out in the field, she is usually still getting her hands dirty with an art project or a hike with her dog!
Ask Ana Maria about: ECO at Woodbury, Barre City or Moretown, animal tracks and scat, and nature journaling.
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Annie Jackson (she/her)
Teacher-Naturalist
Annie’s fascination with the natural world began at a young age, growing up in Vermont and playing among the moss and maple trees in the woods behind her house. Annie appreciates the unique power nature holds for connecting us with deeper aspects of ourselves and one another, and believes nature-based education is an important way to foster this connection. Annie spent a decade in coastal Maine, where she ran a small ecological landscaping business and spent hours exploring with students at a local Ecology school.
She has taught with non-profit organizations across Vermont and Maine, and holds a B.S. in Ecology and Place-based Education. Annie is excited to be back at North Branch Nature Center as a Teacher-naturalist! When she’s not wandering through the woods with kids, Annie enjoys playing fiddle tunes, gardening, hiking to catch sunsets, and sharing meals with friends.
Ask Annie about: NBNC’s native tree nursery, ECO at Warren, Waitsfield and Union, and the best river swimming spots in Vermont!
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Ash Kerby-Miller (they/them)
Staff Naturalist
Ash grew up in Michigan, where they had the simultaneous joys of a nearby swamp, and trusting parents to whom “in the swamp” was sufficient detail to feel confident in the geographic location and safety of their child. Every day in a swamp there’s something new to find, or watch, or poke. Following years of stalking caddisflies and collecting cattail fluff, they pursued more formal ecological education, earning a BA in Conservation Biology at Middlebury college. Ash has split that past 5 years between instructing place-based education programs and academic ecology research from Vermont’s Green mountains to the lowland tropical forest of Panama. Ash is constantly amazed by the weird and wonderful ways our nonhuman neighbors make a living and finds great joy in sharing that wonder. When not knee-deep in a river or nose-deep in a field guide, you might find Ash mountain biking, foraging or wrenching at the community bike shop.
Ask Ash about: ECO, natural history programsm and the Amphibian Road Crossing program.
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Carrie Riker (she/her)
Teacher-Naturalist
Carrie started her outside adventures making mud soup and cookies in her backyard treehouse in New Jersey. She further perfected her creative concoctions with onion grass flavored pancakes served at the stone wall kitchen of her grandparents’ cottage in Connecticut. Camping with Girl Scouts and lots of time with neighborhood children led to a BS in Early Childhood Education and Geoscience and teacher licensure. After some experiences with the Student Conservation Association and education programs reawakening youth to their earthly connections in South Carolina and Missouri, North Branch called her name in 1999 (and asked her to please live in the office for the summer!) That experience helped her finish her M.S. in Environmental Studies from Antioch New England. She loves working again at NBNC leading ECO, afterschool programming, and summer camps. She has a great love for big and small nature moments, knows camp songs on just about every subject, and enjoys starting her day with tea on the porch with her four-legged companions.
Ask Carrie about: NBNC summer camps and ECO at Moretown, Barre City, Morrisville, and Elmore schools. And unicorns.
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Chelsea Clarke Sawyer (she/her)
Communications Coordinator
Chelsea has always been fascinated by the small and overlooked parts of nature, from a childhood spent searching for salamanders under rocks to a lasting obsession with barnacles and lichen. After earning her B.F.A. in printmaking from Maine College of Art, Chelsea spent several years searching for ways to combine her loves of art, nature, and adventure and share them with others. She worked on organic farms and screenprint studios in Maine and Massachusetts, on sightseeing boats in Alaska, and traveled to the Arctic to do outreach for a scientific expedition. After returning to New England, a series of connections set off by a red eft led Chelsea to Vermont where she received her M.S. from the University of Vermont Field Naturalist and Ecological Planning Program. When not working at NBNC she can be found hiking, swimming, vegetable gardening, hanging out with her partner and two pet rabbits, and starting more art projects than she will ever finish.
Ask Chelsea about: The art gallery, media inquiries, communications, social media, and anything printed or designed. And house plants, house rabbits, and occasional house squirrels, turtles, and frogs.
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Chip Darmstadt (he/him)
Birding Ambassador
NBNC’s Birding Ambassador since 2022, Chip is a 24-hour naturalist. By day he’s often focused on birds or botany, and by night he’s a skilled stargazer. Leading curious nature lovers on birding trips is one of Chip’s greatest passions, whether it’s right here at NBNC or in a cloud forest in Costa Rica. Chip was NBNC’s founding executive director, and led the organization from 1996 – 2022. Proud parents of three adult children and grandparents of two young kids, Chip and his wife Alisa recently moved to Burlington where they enjoy walking everywhere.
Ask Chip about: Birding trips, broad-billed motmots, and how to make a proper owl hoot.
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Dave Muska (he/him)
Teacher-Naturalist
Dave began his journey with the natural world exploring the streams, hillsides, and forests of the Susquehanna River Valley of New York. As a teen, Dave was introduced to the world of wilderness living skills and found his first answers to a question he’d been asking for years: “How did people live on earth before the modern age… and how can I do that?” Dave has a B.S. in Environmental Biology from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY where he focused much of his attention on Mycology (the study of fungi). Dave has worked with children in outdoor education for the past 8 years and believes that developing a relationship with the natural world is a fundamental component of a healthy life and community. When not at NBNC, Dave teaches classes and leads trips through his business, Ondatra Adventures, that is devoted to creating meaningful relationships with the natural world. Dave enjoys foraging for mushrooms and other foods and medicines, sleeping in leaf piles, creating from natural materials, backpacking, practicing traditional living skills, playing music, and running.
Ask Dave about: ECO Homeschool, ECO at Warren Elementary School, wildlife tracking, and mushrooms.
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Emily Sloan (she/her)
Office Manager
Emily began her exploration of Nature within the inspiration of a chrysalis, once released from her cocoon her flight path eventually led her to NBNC in early 2008 as membership coordinator – but soon her job developed into aspects of management and administrative needs – program registration, billing, outreach, and volunteer coordination. Meeting and corresponding with all the families that gift NBNC with their life and enthusiasm, is a well-loved part of her job. Emily holds a BA in Environmental Studies & Photography, and an MFA in Visual Art, and is a licensed nurse assistant with CVHH&H. Before arriving at NBNC she worked for 10 years at Forest Watch and the Vermont Community College. Emily loves to hike, explore forests, swim, kayak and camp, give back with service work when she is able and is passionate about protecting and creating respect and awareness of our natural world for future generations to come. Emily lives in Worcester with her family and loves being able to bike to work much of the year!
Ask Emily about: Program registration, facilities rentals, JEDI questions, our trails, and getting oriented at NBNC.
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Fiona Modrak (she/her)
Teacher-Naturalist
Fiona stumbled into the world of environmental education in 2012 as the staff photographer for a summer camp in Ithaca, New York, where she realized that she really enjoyed working with kids. She spent six years teaching science curriculum on trails with various outdoor education centers across the country before receiving her Master’s in Environmental Studies from the State University of New York’s School of Environmental Science and Forestry. When not leading children outside to explore nature, she can be found on her own outdoors going for walks, listening to podcasts, and thinking about what kind of bread to bake next.
Ask Fiona about: ECO at Union Elementary School, Summer Camp, and nature journaling. And the Great British Baking Show.
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Harriet Hart (she/they)
Forest Preschool Teacher
Harriet is a transplant from the Yorkshire Dales National Park, United Kingdom. Days spent rambling on the moors, mucking about in streams and down caves led them to the understanding that everything is better if you just go outside. Harriet has worked in early childhood nature-based programs across three states and in private and public school settings, holding the roles of director, lead teacher, consultant, mentor, and workshop facilitator. They hold a Masters in Education with a certificate in nature-based early childhood education from Antioch University, New England. Harriet is committed to listening to childrens’ stories, telling their own stories, and inspiring their colleagues to experiment with storytelling. They enjoy making art, vegetable gardening, exploring the woods with their family, and having a nice cup of tea outside.
Jenna Plouffe (she/her)
Forest Preschool Director
Jenna spent her childhood exploring the woods and waters of Massachusetts, building homes for animals, making “potions,” and exploring the tiny worlds often overlooked by adults. She has never really outgrown these things. Jenna is passionate about getting children outdoors, and loves sharing her curiosity and wonder about the natural world with children.
Jenna has a Master’s degree in elementary education and spent 12 years teaching in Vermont’s public school system. She completed the Educating Children Outdoors (ECO) Institute here at NBNC and spent several summers teaching at Audubon camps in both Massachusetts and Vermont before teaching for a year at NBNC’s Forest Preschool. When Jenna is not teaching Forest Preschool or leading Robin’s Nest Playgroup she can be found exploring the woods of the Mad River Valley with her children and husband.
Ask Jenna about: Robin’s Nest Playgroup and Forest Preschool. And Fairy Houses.
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Ken Benton (he/him)
Director of Education
Growing up in the Ohio River Valley, Ken spent nearly every waking hour outside. Whether it was trailing whitetails through the oak-hickory forests, catching panfish in farm ponds, or getting lost while searching for trilobite fossils in the creek, all of his formative memories have come outdoors. After receiving a B.A. in Creative Writing from Miami University, he spent several years traveling the country, teaching environmental education through the Student Conservation Association and the Audubon Society. Ken joined the team in 2012 and after a decade of helping children form their own outdoor memories through NBNC’s programming, he stepped into the role of Director of Education in 2022. He is honored to be able to put his experience to work leading and supporting North Branch’s amazing team of educators. While Ken is not birding, hunting, fishing with his son, or partaking in any of his other vast array of hobbies, he can be found foraging and creating delicious meals harvested from the wild.
Ask Ken about: Education programs at NBNC, including Educating Children Outdoors (ECO) inquiries, Educator Institutes, Explorers and Trekkers afterschool programs, ECO Homeschool, field trips and consultations. And decorative meatloaf.
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Lauren Esserman (she/her)
Finance Director
Lauren joined NBNC at the beginning of 2019, after having worn many hats working within small organizations. She has found the financial manager’s hat suits her well as she enjoys the strategic and structural thinking that helps an organization flourish — and she enjoys tapping into that part of her mind that as a kid loved to solve math puzzles. Connecting people with nature has been a recurring theme in Lauren’s work, from advocating for stronger public lands protection in the Pacific Northwest to managing a Vermont farmers market. She is delighted to join our team with the goal of helping NBNC stay on a financially sustainable path so that we can cultivate a love of the natural world in many people over many years to come. Lauren holds a Master’s in Environmental Law degree from Vermont Law School. She and her teenage daughter and dog live in Richmond. She loves to kayak, bike, ski, ride horses, and follow wildlife tracks. She also loves to travel near or far, and speaks Chinese and French.
Ask Lauren about: Financial, insurance, and HR inquiries.
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Luis Gonzalez (he/him)
Community Engagement Coordinator
Born and raised in Spain, Luis was always encouraged from an early age to explore the natural world and spend time outdoors, from the concrete jungle of the city of Madrid to the Cantabric and Mediterranean Coasts and the forests of the north. He was inspired to follow his passion in environmental science after spending a summer in Costa Rica working as a research assistant doing wildlife surveys in Tortuguero National Park. He then attended Bangor University of Wales where he earned a BS in Environmental Science with a focus on Wildlife Conservation, and later pursued a Masters in Environmental Management from the International University of Menéndez-Pelayo in Madrid.
Luis joins NBNC after spending 14 years connecting New York City youth with their local urban green spaces. He engaged students in nature-based learning, using parks as outdoor classrooms and inspiring them to become the next stewards of these urban ecosystems. He brings experience working with youth, as an outdoor environmental educator, as a wilderness guide, and as a program director in school day, after school, and summer programs.
In his free time he enjoys spending time outdoors bird watching, hiking, paddling, fishing, hunting, foraging, or jumping in a local swimming hole. He also practices and teaches capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art disguised as dance.
Ask Luis about: Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at NBNC, partnership opportunities, and Culturally Responsive Education. Also reach out if you want to practice your Spanish or are interested in learning about capoeira!
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Matt Delligatti (he/him)
Finance Assistant
Matt joined NBNC in 2023 after seven years of working in and managing out-of-school arts and science youth programs in Boston. He is an actively performing musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory in Jazz Performance, as well as a nature photographer specializing in macrophotography of insects. Matt is passionate about community science and was drawn to the nature center as a space that fosters connections between the public and the natural world. In his free time, Matt enjoys hiking, ultimate frisbee, reading science fiction, and country blues guitar.
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Mia Leonard (she/her)
Forest Preschool Teacher
Mia has a fondness for the natural world that stems from her upbringing in New England and spending time climbing trees, catching daddy long legs, fishing in streams and ponds, and on her grandparents’ farm. In a past life Mia was a licensed massage therapist, practicing in New Hampshire. When she moved to Vermont she started substituting at a community-based preschool, which ignited a newfound passion in her life to earn her degree and licensure in Early Education. Mia has always been proud of her Abenaki heritage, though she is still working on owning it. She has participated in an Abenaki language community in an effort to understand the culture and enjoys sharing these understandings with the children that she works with. If she’s not teaching you can find her wandering through the woods, gardening (or at least sitting in a very weedy patch of what used to be a garden), experimenting in the kitchen, working on her asana practice, giving belly rubs to her only child, her dog Mera, or building her house with her partner Jon.
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Naomi Cocker (she/her)
Nature-based Education Intern
Growing up in Maryland, Naomi Cocker spent years chasing her older Boy Scout brother around the woods of the Mid-Atlantic, catching all manner of slimy things and getting into good trouble in the great outdoors. She earned her B.S in Natural Resources from the University of Vermont and decided that getting to be outside, learning from nature, and working with kids sounded pretty fun. When she isn’t teaching, you can find Naomi at her sewing machine, quilting and patching the same pair of jeans over and over again. She is not a winter sports person, but has decided this is her winter to learn to cross-country ski. Wish her luck!
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Sean Beckett (he/him)
Program Director
Years ago in Costa Rica, a teenage Sean was awoken by his NBNC trip leader and shuffled into a humming jungle to experience his first dawn chorus of tropical songbirds. He went on to study Biology and Environmental Studies at Vassar College, and received his M.S. from UVM’s Field Naturalist and Ecological Planning Program. Sean has worked extensively as a wildlife ecologist, researching Atlantic Puffins in Maine, Saw-whet Owls in New York, raptors in Idaho, Pygmy-Owls in Mexico, and Clark’s Nutcrackers in Wyoming. Sean joined the NBNC staff in 2017 after years of leading world-class wildlife safaris across North America, taking inquisitive travelers to the threshold of wolf dens, toe-to-toe with polar bears, and to the heart of Utah’s Canyonlands and deserts.
Ask Sean about: Adult and teen programming, community science, the library, property management and stewardship, Adventures Afar, and naturalist questions… and how to cook the perfect Dutch oven dinner over a campfire.
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Richard Campbell (he/him)
Board President
Richard Campbell (he/him)
Richard Campbell (he/him) is a parent of a North Branch Nature Center Forest Preschooler and a Montpelier resident. He has a Master of Forestry degree from Yale University, and has worked in forests across New England and California. Born in Northern Ireland and raised in Vermont, Richard brings to the board a love of the Green Mountains and their forests, a career dedicated to land conservation and climate solutions, and a background in forest management and education.
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Emily Wetherell (she/her)
Board Vice President
Emily Wetherell (she/her)
Emily Wetherell (she/her) moved to Vermont in 2001 and lives in Montpelier with her husband and two children. Emily enjoys outdoor activities such as Nordic skiing, running, hiking, and biking. She has served as an ECO and Four Winds volunteer in her children’s classrooms. She and her family have participated in multiple NBNC programs and activities. In her professional life, Emily is an attorney and serves as the Deputy Clerk of the Vermont Supreme Court. Emily joined the NBNC Board in 2016 and served as Secretary of the Board from 2017 until 2020 when she became Board President.
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Georgia Valentine (she/her)
Board Treasurer
Georgia Valentine (she/her)
Georgia Valentine (she/her) was first introduced to NBNC in 1998 on a visit to Vermont, where her children and grandchildren lived. On one memorable walk, an NBNC Teacher Naturalist plunged into a pond and pulled out a ferocious snapping turtle, much to the delight of her 4-year old grandson. These sorts of experiences at NBNC and remembering her own childhood rich in outdoor explorations helped Georgia see the value of first-hand nature education for children. When she moved to Vermont in 2003, she joined an early iteration of the Board of Directors, focusing on fundraising and public relations. She’s been on the Board ever since, and has been Treasurer for five years, putting to use her 22-year career in estate and trust accounting and her subsequent 15-years of experience preparing individual tax returns – families and finances! She’s a firm believer in full engagement with NBNC, from Board service, to consistent financial support, to participating in walks and classes and committees, with a full commitment to the nature center’s mission and people.
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Mark Martin (he/him)
Board Secretary
Mark Martin (he/him)
Mark was born in Rutland but left Vermont at an early age. He graduated from Western Carolina University with a BA in Anthropology with an emphasis on Cherokee prehistory and archaeology. He later received GIS certificates from Northern New Mexico University and Central Connecticut State University. Mark spent most of his career working as an archaeologist with the US Forest Service and worked in Virginia, New Mexico and California. His professional interest centered on learning how Native land use patterns changed over time, and how cultural adaptations reflected those changing patterns. Mark returned to the Northeast and worked for the New York Department of Environmental Conservation in the conservation easement program before being hired as the Conservation Stewardship Director for the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board.
Mark and his husband Michael raised two children. He and Michael live in Barre, and participate in many North Branch programs and events.
Ela Chapin (she/they)
Ela Chapin (she/they)
Ela Chapin (she/they) is a state representative, representing East Montpelier and Middlesex in Vermont’s House of Representatives. Her professional background includes a decade working in outdoor education and leadership development, and 15 years supporting entrepreneurs and expanding local and regional food systems as Director of the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board’s Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program from 2006-2021. Ela is founder of the National Farm Viability Conference, and co-founder of the Agricultural Viability Alliance. She holds a master’s degree in policy and planning from Tufts University, a bachelor’s in environmental science from Brown University, and a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Marlboro College. In the Statehouse, Ela serves on the House Committee on Environment, and co-chairs Vermont’s Legislative Women’s Caucus. She is a current member of the Northern Forest Center’s review committee for workforce housing projects, and has served on a variety of other boards, including Community Capital of Vermont, the Agricultural Viability Alliance, the Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Initiative, Vermont Farm to Plate, and the Vermont Compost Association. She is an avid dancer, gardener and hiker, and enjoys spending time with her husband and two children in the mountains and lakes of Vermont.
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Catherine Coteus (she/her)
Catherine Coteus (she/her)
Catherine Coteus has been working on environmental conservation and climate change for nearly 20 years. Raised in the Connecticut River valley, Catherine has a strong land ethic and sense of place that drives her commitment to climate change and sustainability. As a sustainability consultant, she has advised some of the world’s largest companies on mitigating climate change and reducing their carbon emissions. Catherine holds a law degree from Northeastern, a Master’s in Environmental Policy from Vermont Law School and a BA in Environmental Science from Hampshire College. She is also a mother of two and an avid hiker and explorer of Vermont. She has been hiking the North Branch Nature Center trails since 2011 and enjoys attending programs and events at NBNC with her family.
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Kurt Ericksen (he/him)
Kurt Ericksen (he/him)
Kurt grew up in Southern Vermont, where he recalls a time when Loon sightings were rare and brook trout populations in the Battenkill River were in steep decline. These early experiences fostered a deep appreciation for Vermont’s conservation efforts and the importance of community education in support of those efforts.
With leadership roles spanning the federal government, private sector, and non-profit organizations, Kurt has worked extensively in pollution prevention and regenerative agriculture. He brings a diverse skill set and wealth of experience to the NBNC board and is excited about the opportunity to engage with the community in new and meaningful ways.
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Curt Lindberg (he/him)
Curt Lindberg (he/him)
Curt is a relatively new resident of Vermont. He lives in Waitsfield with his wife Claire in a new passive certified house built by his son. His interest in nature stems from time outdoors and his doctoral study of complex systems. Since moving to the state, he’s devoted himself to learning about unique features of nature in Vermont, connecting with naturalists and leaders of conservation organizations and exploring the land. As a result of an amazingly rich learning experience in the Vermont Master Naturalist Program offered by NBNC, he helped bring VMN to the Mad River Valley. His other nature-related priority are facilitating the creation of the Vermont Biodiversity Alliance and chairing the Waitsfield Conservation Commission, where he’s helping coordinate a Mad River Valley invasive species management and floodplain restoration initiative.
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Bob Klein (he/him)
Bob Klein (he/him)
Bob Klein (he/him) holds an undergraduate degree from Brandeis University and Masters degree in environmental management from Duke University. He has worked for the Martha’s Vineyard Conservation Society, the Maine State Planning Office, the Vermont Natural Resources Council, Goddard College, the University of Vermont, and The Nature Conservancy. Bob opened The Nature Conservancy’s Vermont Field Office in Montpelier in 1979, and was State Director there for 34 years before retiring. Bob lives in East Montpelier.
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Rick Paradis (he/him)
Rick Paradis (he/him)
Rick Paradis (he/him) is Director Emeritus of the University of Vermont’s Natural Areas Center and Faculty Emeritus in the University’s Environmental Program, positions he held for 33 years. Both his faculty and administrative roles are intimately tied to land conservation and stewardship. As Director of the Natural Areas Center, Rick supervised the administration and management of the University’s Natural Areas System and provided outreach services and professional development for those interested in the protection and management of natural areas and other conservation lands. His faculty appointment allowed him to pursue a research agenda that focused on the ecologies and conservation of mountain and desert landscapes throughout North America from the Canadian Arctic to the Sonoran Desert of Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico. Rick resides in Middlesex with his wife Susan, a retired preschool teacher who unflaggingly tries to keep him from using his outdoor voice indoors.
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Dr. Opeyemi Parham (she/her)
Dr. Opeyemi Parham (she/her)
Opeyemi Parham, MD (“Dr. O”) is a retired family physician, writer, teacher, healing artist, interfaith minister, and community activist. She specializes in women’s reproductive health and healing through nature. After 22 years as an allopathic family doctor, she is now an elder, a woman in tune with conscious healing, learning to thrive in the last phase of her life. Lately, she has focused her healing talents on areas minimized by conventional medicine: our sensual experiences, our sexuality, our spirituality, and our relationships to suicide. As part of this “rogue” era of her life, Opeyemi served as NBNC’s second Visiting Teacher-Naturalist, focused on the intersection between nature and healing. She also donated the yurt, known as Dot’s Place, that now lives at NBNC.
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Josh Saxe (he/him)
Josh Saxe (he/him)
Josh (he/him) is the parent of a North Branch Nature Center Forest Preschooler, and an alumnus of NBNC programs himself, dating back to their earliest iterations in 1996. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Science Education from the University of Vermont, and was a program participant at the College of the Atlantic and Green Mountain College. Josh is the North American Manager of Sales and Marketing for Mavic. He leverages a unique blend of sportsmanship and leadership, bringing a strategic acumen and entrepreneurial spirit to the Board that is built in a respect for nature, community, and education. Josh is a passionate cyclist, year round outdoor enthusiast, and naturalist.
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Jan Thouron (she/her)
Jan Thouron (she/her)
Janet (Jan) Heyman Thouron (she/her) has studied ecology, marine biology, and specifically marine mammals at several academic institutions over the years. She studied the marine life of mangroves and bottlenose dolphin behavior at the New York Museum of Natural History’s marine research laboratory and studied humpback whales songs in Hawaii through grants from National Geographic and World Wildlife Fund with Drs. Roger and Katy Payne. Jan has been a Vet Tech, on ski patrol, a ski instructor, acted in local theater productions, and founded Splash Naturals in Montpelier. She is the chair of the discussion interview committee at the Thouron Award, a scholarship for postgraduate educational exchange between Britain and the US, is a recent graduate of an MA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts on Writing Books for Children, and writes environmentally based picture books. Jan has been on the board of North Branch since 2013, has three wonderful children, and lives with her charming husband on their beautiful land at the base of Mount Hunger in North Middlesex tending extensive gardens, fields and forest, bike and ski trails and a multitude of critters.
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Carol Vassar (she/her)
Carol Vassar (she/her)
Carol Vassar (she/her) practiced internal medicine in Montpelier for 35 years, retiring in 2016. She and her family have enjoyed jogging, hiking, canoeing, biking, Nordic skating and cross country skiing, often in the North Branch Park and on the NBNC land across the river. She has appreciated the evening lectures at NBNC and its exhibits of nature-oriented paintings, drawings and other artwork. An NBNC birding trip to Costa Rica introduced her to serious birding and, more importantly, to Chip Darmstadt, the NBNC founder, recently retired executive director, and current Bird Ambasador, who led the trip. She believes that NBNC’s land and programs increase our appreciation of and willingness to protect the natural world and that our future depends on that commitment. As a member of the NBNC board of directors, she is able to help accomplish that mission.
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