| Officers
President: Duane Peterson, Essex Junction
Director of Businesses for Sensible Priorities and TrueMajority
VPIRG board member since 1998. Duane moved to Vermont in 1996 from California where he spent almost two decades as a progressive political campaigner, non-profit environmental activist and government official. He came to the Green Mountain State to help Ben Cohen implement his unique values-led business vision. Duane sought out VPIRG for his community involvement because "it's the state's stand-up group, facing down the special interests that threaten our environment and health. I'm honored to bring whatever I can to VPIRG and our struggle for the public interest."
Vice President: Richard Watts, Hinesburg
Senior Research Analyst, UVM University Transportation Center
VPIRG board member since 2002. Richard is currently the senior research analyst at the UVM Transportation Center. Prior to this he served as a policy fellow at the Snelling Center for Government. Watts has a Ph.D. in natural resource planning with a focus on citizen participation. He teaches energy and transportation policy for the environmental program at the University of Vermont.
Treasurer: Mathew Rubin, Montpelier
President of Spruce Mt. Design
VPIRG board member since 1984. Mathew is the President of Spruce Mountain Design where he is engaged in run-of-river hydro project operations and energy conservation work. Mathew is also President of East Haven Windfarm, a small commercial wind energy project. He has previously developed, and continues to own and operate, three small hydroelectric power plants in Vermont, and has consulted on the development of numerous other hydro projects in New York and New England. Mr. Rubin has served on the boards of directors of a wide array of community and civic organizations including Renewable Energy Vermont, the Vermont Independent Power Producers Association, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and the Vermont Public Interest Research Group.
Secretary: Crea Lintilhac, Shelburne
Director of the Lintilhac Foundation
VPIRG board member since 1998. A graduate of Skidmore College with an MA in Geology from University of Vermont, Crea serves on the Lake Champlain Advisory Council at UVM and is involved with Lake Champlain research studies at UVM and Middlebury College. Crea serves on the Conservation and Research Foundation at Connecticut College and is involved in historic preservation, conservation and education projects and programs in Vermont. Crea is a Director of the Lintilhac Foundation.
Trustees
David Blittersdorf, Hinesburg
CEO of Earth Turbines and Founder of NRG Systems
VPIRG board member since 2006. David is the CEO of Earth Turbines, a manufacturer of home wind systems. In 2009, the company will produce and sell a 2.5 kW turbine in Vermont, working with customers from permitting through power production. David serves on the board of the Small Wind Certification Council and is Treasurer of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the national trade organization for the wind industry. He is also a founding member and past chair of the non-profit association, Renewable Energy Vermont (REV).
Dan Brush
President Emeritus, Vermont AFL-CIO
Dr. Robert Costanza, Charlotte
Director, Gund Inst. for Ecological Economics, UVM
VPIRG board member since 2004. Dr. Robert Costanza is the Gund Professor of Ecological Economics and Director of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont. Prior to moving to Vermont in August 2002, he was director of the University of Maryland Institute for Ecological Economics, and a professor in the Center for Environmental Science, at Solomons, and in the Biology Department at College Park. Dr. Costanza is co-founder and past-president of the International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE) and was chief editor of the society's journal Ecological Economics. He currently serves on the editorial board of eight other international academic journals. He is currently president of the International Society for Ecosystem Health.
Ed Flanagan, Burlington
Vermont State Senator
VPIRG board member since 2000. For more than ten years, Ed Flanagan has been an active participant in grassroots Democratic Party organizations, serving on the state committee, the Party's executive committee, and as past chair of the Burlington Democrats and as a member of the Chittenden County Democratic Committee. He also serves as Vermont's lone Democratic National Committee representative. He has a B.A. in history and political science from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Melissa Hoffman, Huntington
Founder of Living Future
VPIRG board member since 2006. Melissa is the Founder and Executive Director of LivingFuture, the non-profit foundation that manages Teal Farm. Melissa established LivingFuture Foundation in 2002 and purchased the Teal Farm property in 2003. She holds a BA in Philosophy from Mount Holyoke College, and conducted MA graduate studies in Film and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Chicago. She originally moved to Vermont in 1995 to start an organic farm, CSA, and apprenticeship program for women. Prior to moving to Teal Farm, she worked as an editor and writer for the award-winning What is Enlightenment? magazine.
Drew Hudson, Barre
Field Director, Symington for Governor
VPIRG board member since 2008. Drew is currently on the campaign trail, after having recently completed an organizing fellowship with MoveOn.org. Prior to that, he served for five years as VPIRG's Field and Communications Director and has worked for the State PIRG's and their affiliates in Maryland, Georgia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Washington DC as field organizer and advocate on environmental and public health campaigns. At VPIRG, Drew worked with advocates and field staff to educate the general public on our top priority campaigns, and develop VPIRG’s members into trained activists working effectively alongside VPIRG staff on issues of public interest. He was responsible for the development of VPIRG’s and VPIREF’s printed and web content as well as the development of the organization’s legislative district by district power building campaign. He is a graduate of the Green Corps Field School for Environmental Organizing and New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study.
Joel Miller, Burlington
Psychologist
VPIRG board member since 2000. Dr. Miller is a professional psychologist with over 30 years of diverse experience in clinical, forensic and management psychology. Dr. Miller first became interest in public policy issues in the early 1970’s while serving as a full time consultant and advisor to the white House Special Action Office For Drug Abuse Prevention. A pioneer and authority in addiction treatment and prevention, Dr. Miller participated in the design of innovative treatment and management systems for federally funded treatment centers and prevention initiatives throughout the United States. In Addition to VPIRG Board responsibilities, Dr. Miller is a founding trustee and active Board member of the Child Care Fund of Vermont. Currently in clinical practice and management consulting, Dr Miller resides in Burlington with his wife Hinda and their two children.
Biff Mithoefer, Dorset
Author and Yoga Teacher
VPIRG board member since 1995. Biff Mithoefer has taught yoga at Nosara Yoga Institute in Costa Rica, Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, and at workshops in Vermont, Hawaii, and California. He is a 500-hour Yoga Alliance registered teacher, has studied shamanism. Previously, Biff was the President of East Mountain Environmental Services, engaged in the development of large-scale organic waste composting projects and is the former President and owner of East Mountain Transport, a solid waste handling, transportation, and recycling company.
Melinda Moulton, Huntington
Redeveloper, Main Street Landing Company
VPIRG board member since 2000. Melinda Moulton has been involved in environmental and socially conscious redevelopment since the early 1980’s She and her partner Lisa Steele created the innovative “team approach to design and development” philosophy and produced in concept a 25-year incremental redevelopment project for the Burlington Waterfront. She is chair of the Burlington Parking and Transportation Council, a chair of the Burlington Business Association and chair of its waterfront focus group. A member of the Lake Champlain Regional Affairs Committee, a Board Member of the Burlington Bikeways, Inc. a chair of the Cycle the city Bike Loop and a board member of the Lund Family Center, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, and the Intervale Foundation. Melinda served 10 Years on the Board of Vermont Retail Association, two of those years as the Board President. She also served four years on the School board of Chittenden East School District. Melinda was most recently honored by The Burlington Business Association with the Nate Harris Award most in Recognition of her contribution to the economic vitality of downtown Burlington.
Kit Perkins, Charlotte
Executive Director of the Intervale Center
VPIRG board member since 2006. Kit has nearly 20 years experience in urban planning and community development. She is a founding member and trustee of Sustainable Seattle, where she helped author the groundbreaking document, Indicators of Sustainability. She has also served as a Senior Planning Consultant to the Vermont Forum on Sprawl and the Town of Charlotte, Vermont, and was Senior Planner for the City of Port Townsend, Washington. Kit earned a B.A. in urban planning with honors from the University of Vermont and a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Washington. Kit was the New Ecology, Inc. Vice President from 1999-2003.
Leigh Seddon, Montpelier
Founder, Solar Works
VPIRG Board member since1985 and former VPIRG Executive Director. Founder of Solar Works, Inc., a renewable energy design and contracting firm located in Montpelier. Since 1980, Solar Works has designed and installed thousands of photovoltaic (solar electric) systems and solar thermal systems worldwide. Leigh has served as a solar energy consultant to electric utilities, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the World Bank. He is also the author of numerous articles on renewable energy and energy efficiency and has served as an adjunct professor at UVM teaching solar design and engineering.
Mark Sinclair, Waitsfield
Vice President, Clean Energy Group
VPIRG board member since 2004. Mark Sinclair is Vice President and Deputy Director of the Clean Energy Group (CEG), a nonprofit organization established in 1998 to increase the use of cleaner energy technologies in the U.S. and abroad through creative financing, business partnerships, public policy and advocacy. Prior to his work with CEG, Mark was Vice President and senior attorney with Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), a New England-based regional environmental organization, and directed CLF’s Vermont advocacy center for ten years. He has also served as General Counsel to the State of Vermont’s environmental agency. Mark has practiced environmental and energy law for twenty years. Before becoming an attorney, he worked as a park ranger with the National Park Service. Mark attended Williams College and Cornell Law School and now serves on the board of directors for several environmental organizations.
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