Staff
 Brian Shupe, Executive Director. Most recently Brian served as Sustainable Communities Director and Deputy Director at VNRC. Brian has over twenty years of professional planning experience. He began his career in Florida, where he received an M.S, in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University. Since moving to Vermont in 1988, he has served as Executive Director of the Mad River Valley Planning District and Director of Planning and Zoning for the Town of Stowe. For nearly ten years he was a partner with Burnt Rock Inc., Associates in Community Planning. Burnt Rock provided an extensive range of services to local governments, state and regional agencies, non-profit organizations and citizen groups. Brian came to VNRC from Smart Growth Vermont, where he served as Director of Programs. Throughout his career, Brian’s professional focus has been natural resource protection, growth management and sustainable development. Brian lives in Waitsfield with his wife, Valerie, where he is involved with several community organizations. 802-223-2328 x120 • bshupe@vnrc.org • Twitter: @brianvnrc |
 Amber Collett, Communications & Community Relations Director. A communicator, coalition builder, organizer, and engagement specialist originally hailing from the Midwest, Amber has more than a decade of experience working with nonprofits in Minnesota, Oregon, and Maryland on a range of issues including transportation, land and water use, healthy communities, and wilderness/wildlife initiatives. She holds a Master of Environmental Science from Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Russian Area Studies from St. Olaf College. Prior to joining the VNRC team, Amber spent two years working with community members in West Baltimore on a mixed-methods research project to record oral histories and geo-spatial data relating to urban green spaces, development, and health. An avid cyclist, Amber lives in Montpelier with her partner, Tim, and enjoys running, gardening, hiking, canoeing, and perfecting baking recipes. 802-223-2328 x121 • acollett@vnrc.org • Twitter: @ambercollett |
 Nancy Davila-Groveman, Finance and Operations Manager. Nancy enjoys having a diverse background to draw from for her role as the Finance and Operations Manager at VNRC. Nancy is responsible for the day-to-day operations of VNRC as well as managing the organization’s finances. Nancy holds a B.S. in Psychology from Marian College in Wisconsin. Nancy held jobs at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection where she worked for several years on air policy issues including lead abatement, hazardous materials, and transportation projects and she did community outreach on capital construction projects, such as the City Water Tunnel No. 3. She was also a Legislative Assistant at the New York City Council. Nancy landed her first job in Vermont at the Vermont Department of Public Service where she advocated on behalf of ratepayers. While completing her Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Vermont College, Nancy was a Technical Writer and Editor for The Johnson Company, an environmental engineering firm in Montpelier. After earning her degree, Nancy worked as a Senior Production Editor on high-end academic and science journals for many years. Then, in 2007, she was instrumental in the start-up and success of a technology company subsidiary in Vermont. In her spare time, Nancy likes to hike in Groton State Forest, canoe on Vermont’s rivers, lakes and ponds, and cross-country ski. She lives in Marshfield with her husband, son and dog. 802-223-2328 x110 • ndavila@vnrc.org |
 Jamey Fidel, General Counsel & Forest and Wildlife Program Director. Jamey has a B.S. inEnvironmental Studies and a Minor in Wildlife Biology from University of Vermont’s School of Natural Resources, and a J.D. and M.S. in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School. In his capacity at VNRC, he leads the legal program, and forest and wildlife 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. Jamey also works with communities across Vermont promoting planning, zoning, and non-regulatory strategies for forestland and wildlife habitat conservation. Jamey worked previously as Conservation Director of the Aspen Wilderness Workshop, Project Director of Public Counsel of the Rockies, and Biological Inventory Coordinator of Pitkin County, Colorado. He and his wife Rachel live in Waitsfield with their daughter Ayla and son Jude. 802-223-2328 x117 • jfidel@vnrc.org |
 Jon Groveman, Policy and Water Program Director. Jon previously held the positions of Water Program Director and General Counsel at VNRC before being asked in 2011 to serve as General Counsel for the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources under the Shumlin Administration. Last year, Governor Shumlin appointed him to Chair the Natural Resources Board (NRB), which administers the Act 250 program, Vermont’s statewide land use program. In addition to his past work at VNRC and in the Shumlin Administration, Jon served as Director of the Vermont Water Resources Board, Director of the Law Center for the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, and Act 250 Land Use Attorney for the State of Vermont. 802-223-2328 x111 • jgroveman@vnrc.org |
 Hannah Huber, Energy and Climate Community Organizer. Originally from southwest Michigan, Hannah spent the last decade living in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, moving to Vermont in the spring of 2015. She biked the state as a canvasser with the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG), talking with Vermonters about pricing carbon pollution. She has also held positions educating citizens about solar energy and invasive species management, worked in the herbarium at the New York Botanical Garden, and was active in the fossil fuel divestment movement and other climate action efforts at college. Hannah holds a B.S. in Integrative Studies in Biology and Environmental Science with a Minor in Chemistry from Paul Smith’s College. Hannah lives in Montpelier with her leash-walking cat, Miś, and enjoys dancing, playing piano and accordion, and hunting for mushrooms. 802-223-2328 x116 • hhuber@vnrc.org |
 Kate McCarthy, Sustainable Communities Program Director. Kate holds a Master of Regional Planning from Cornell University, and a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Rice University, and sees the two fields as closely linked, since both involve understanding culture and place. She brings this perspective to her work with Vermont’s communities as they work to manage growth and change. Most recently, Kate worked as a regional planner for the Windham Regional Commission in Brattleboro, where she focused on town technical assistance, supported the Brownfields program, and oversaw the Commission’s energy program. She has also worked with GrowSmart Maine on the Maine Model Town project in Standish, Maine, which ultimately led to the town’s adoption of form-based code in 2011. Before beginning her career in planning, Kate worked in the field of international education in Washington state. Kate lives in Montpelier with her husband, Tom and son, Will, and enjoys hiking, knitting, and cycling. 802-223-2328 x114 • kmccarthy@vnrc.org • Twitter: @katevnrc
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 Stephanie Mueller, Director of Development. As a VNRC staff member for over ten years, Stephanie brings a broad, diverse knowledge of VNRC’s history, foundation contacts and donors to the table. Her previous positions include fundraising work for the Jackson Hole Land Trust, the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance and the Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative. Stephanie completed a double major in environmental studies and creative writing from St. Lawrence University. She lives in Burlington with her husband, son Owen and daughter Sadie. 802-223-2328 x113 • smueller@vnrc.org |
 Meredith Naughton, Membership and Database Coordinator. Meredith holds a B.A. in Biology and a minor in Outdoor Education. Since moving to Vermont, she has worked mostly at environmentally focused non-profits. While at Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center, Meredith led science-based environmental education programs, contributed to a state-wide mapping project, and began an initiative in southern Vermont to conserve pollinator habitat. Meredith has previously worked on biology research and wildlife management, first as a lab technician helping to publish the genome of the leafcutter ant, Atta cephalotes, and working on red harvester ant species management. She later spent a year working for University of California – Riverside as a research assistant on The Guppy Project, an evolutionary biology project located in the northern mountains of Trinidad. An appreciation for detail-driven work focused on Vermont’s natural communities, and a love of connecting with people passionate about environmental conservation attracted her to VNRC. Meredith lives in Calais and spends her time backpacking, canoeing, biking, fishing and woodworking. 802-223-2328 x119 • mnaughton@vnrc.org |
AmeriCorps
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 Katie Emerson. AmeriCorps Member, Community Energy and Climate Action Coordinator. Katie holds a Masters in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School and a BA in Environmental Studies from Green Mountain College. She grew up in Hinesburg, VT, spending summers at her family’s camp near St. Albans Bay. Watching the water quality degrade in the bay sparked her interest in environmental issues. Most recently, Katie served on the Hinesburg Energy Committee and interned at the Conservation Law Foundation, working on outreach for the health of Lake Champlain. While at Vermont Law, in addition to pursuing her Masters, she worked on waste management as a member of the campus greening committee and helped write the campus waste management plan. She lives in Montpelier with her cat and in her free time enjoys contra dancing and cross stitching. 802-223-2328 x118 • kemerson@vnrc.org • Twitter: @VermontECAN • Facebook: @VTEnergyNetwork
This position is made possible through a partnership with the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board AmeriCorps Program. |
