CONFERENCE AGENDA

8:00 – 9:00 AM: Registration & Networking (Morey Lounge)
Join our sponsors and exhibitors in the Morey Lounge for coffee, tea and light refreshments.

9:00 – 10:45 AM: Plenary (Terrace Ballroom)

10:45 – 11:00 AM: Break

11:00 AM – 12:15 PM: Concurrent Workshops Session A

12:15 – 1:45 PM: Lunch & Networking (Lakeside Dining Room and Morey Lounge)
An all-vegetarian luncheon buffet will be served in the Lakeside Dining Room. Browse sponsor exhibits and find desserts in the Morey Lounge starting at 12:30 pm.

1:45 – 3:00 PM: Concurrent Workshops Session B

3:00 – 3:15 PM: Break

3:15 – 4:00 PM: Keynote from Bill McKibben Here Comes the Sun — Ideas for Next Steps for Local Leaders in the Climate Movement (Terrace Ballroom)

4:00 – 5:00 PM: Post Conference Reception and Book Signing (Steamboat Lounge)
Keep the networking going and celebrate a solid day of climate action work! Gather in the Steamboat Lounge for light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, and get yourself a signed copy of Bill’s new book, Here Comes the Sun!



Plenary 1: Implementing the Climate Action Plan — A Blueprint for Broad, Equitable Climate Action

This opening session will overview the key elements of the recently adopted 2025 Climate Action Plan (CAP). Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux — Vermont’s State Climatologist and Climate Council member — will ground us in the broad focus and framework of the plan — and the latest science that makes this work so essential. And Climate Council members Jared Duval and David Mears will provide an overview of the top pollution-reduction and resilience strategies in the plan — and how Vermont communities might turn the CAP’s recommendations into action.

PANELISTS:
Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny Giroux, Vermont State Climatologist / Vermont Climate Council
Jared Duval, Vermont Climate Council
David Mears, Vermont Climate Council

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Plenary 2: Collaborations With Educational Institutions

Hear highlights of the climate and clean energy work, community collaboration, and research underway in some of Vermont and New Hampshire’s leading colleges and universities to elevate awareness and seed potential collaboration opportunities.

PANELISTS:
Jenny Carter, Professor of Law, Institute for Energy & the Environment, Vermont Law and Graduate School
Kahwa C. Douoguih, Director at the Center for Global Resilience and Security, Norwich University
Jon Erickson, Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education, University of Vermont
Jon Isham, Professor of Economics & Environmental Studies, Middlebury College
Erich Osterberg, Professor of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College
Andrew Westgate, Assistant Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Vermont State University

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A1: The Legislative Look Forward in 2026

With changes coming in rapidly at the federal level, so many are asking for new ways to get involved to continue the fight for a just climate future. In this session, we’ll talk with advocacy leaders at VNRC, VPIRG, and VCV about successful strategies for leveraging your local impact in the state house. We’ll discuss the ways energy committee members and leaders have engaged their legislators in the past, describe opportunities to get involved in the next legislative session, and show how effective advocacy can yield results at the municipal level.

PRESENTERS:
Senator Anne Watson, Chair of the Senate Natural Resources Committee
Representative Kathleen James, Chair of the House Energy & Digital Infrastructure Committee
Johanna Miller, Vermont Natural Resources Council

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A2: Building Climate Resilience: Tools, Tips, and Approaches

From the state to municipalities to neighborhoods, this panel will explore the many scales that impact climate resilience planning and implementation in Vermont. Panelists will share resilience tools and processes that can foster broader thinking toward our collective future with climate uncertainties.

PRESENTERS:
Marian Wolz, Climate Action Office
Jon Erickson, University of Vermont, Energy Sheds
Lena Greenberg, Community Resilience Organizations
Rhizome Cottiss, Community Resilience Organizations



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A3: Working Effectively with Municipalities: Tips and Tricks for Energy Committees

This interactive panel will dive into what makes our towns run and ways for energy committees to flourish. We will ground in the context of many Vermont towns having limited staff capacity and being led by volunteer selectboards and committees. Then hear from selectboard and town energy committee members that successfully collaborate and communicate together. Come explore best practices and tips and tricks for clarifying your purpose and communicating with your town leadership in order to thrive as an energy committee.

PRESENTERS:
Alyssa Johnson, Chair of the Waterbury Selectboard / Vermont Council on Rural Development
Bonnie Waninger, Vermont League of Cities and Towns
Brian Cali, Reading Energy Committee
Stephanie Moffett Hynds, Chair of the Arlington Energy Committee

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A4: Community Engagement, Outreach, and Communications Skills

Whether it’s for a specific event or the ongoing work of your committee, engagement with your community is key to long term success. Join this workshop to review tips, tools, and best practices from the Vermont Community Leadership Guide and communities across the state. Leave with practical ideas for inviting the public, engaging with community members, and making it fun!

PRESENTERS:
Laura Cavin Bailey, Vermont Council on Rural Development
Andrew Westgate, Vermont State University
➠ Middlebury College Student Presentation

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A5: Housing: Right Way, Right Place

Join us for an engaging discussion on how we can build high quality, energy efficient housing that meets the needs of Vermonters, while also advancing smart growth development principles that will save money, improve public health and cut carbon over time. In this session, hear about tested approaches and key strategies to get far more energy efficient housing built. Also, get an overview of key strategies to ensure Vermont supports new and needed housing in the right locations in our communities, what a new law (Act 181) means for housing development in Vermont.

PRESENTERS:
Li Ling Young, Efficiency Vermont
Kati Gallagher, Vermont Natural Resources Council

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B1: The State of Solar in Vermont

Vermont has long leaned into solar, helping thousands of Vermont households and businesses cut costs and carbon. Unfortunately, the state has significantly stepped back its commitment to solar and, worse, the new federal administration has taken a sledgehammer to incentives and other programs that make clean power, like solar, more affordable and accessible. Thankfully, solar opportunities remain. In this session, hear from experts on the policy landscape (and potential opportunities) for solar, as well as dive into promising initiatives – like small, portable solar and vertical agri-voltaic applications. Join this session to get ideas about – and offer your insights into – how to continue to harness the unparalleled power of the sun.

PRESENTERS:
Senator Anne Watson, Chair of Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee
Ben Edgerly Walsh, Vermont Public Interest Research Group
Troy McBride, Norwich Technologies

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B2: Helping Vermonters Navigate Clean Energy Projects

Clean energy and energy efficiency projects often involve numerous steps and complex decisions, which can make the process difficult for many customers to navigate. This session will explore the current landscape of resources available to support residential, municipal, and business customers, identify where gaps exist, and discuss opportunities to strengthen that support. You’ll also hear about two innovative models that are helping bridge these gaps and guide customers through every stage of their energy efficiency journey—from initial planning to project completion.

PRESENTERS:
Bekah Kuster, Efficiency Vermont
Shannon Bryant, Climate Economy Action Center
Sarah Brock, Clean Energy New Hampshire

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B3: Innovative Regional Partnerships

How can energy committees use partnerships to advance energy and climate action goals in their communities? This session will explore a variety of regional partnership models to increase impact and success, including partnerships between energy committees and their regional planning commission, and partnerships between energy committees and other regional organizations and academic institutions.

PRESENTERS:
Harry Falconer, Two-Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission
Miranda Dupre, Vital Communities
Erich Osterberg, Dartmouth College

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B4: Transforming Transportation: What’s Needed, What’s Possible? 

Cutting climate pollution in the transportation sector — which equates to almost 40% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions — requires both short- and long-term strategies. In this workshop, get an update on the opportunities (and challenges) for continuing to help Vermonters access and benefit from more cost-saving electric vehicles. Also, get insights on — and tips for — expanding or readying for community-based solutions that provide options other than a car to get people where they need to go.

PRESENTERS:
Richard Amore, Local Motion
David Roberts, Drive Electric Vermont

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B5: Meet the Resilience Hub Toolkit

Come learn about the Resilience Hub Toolkit—a guide of best practices for disaster response and building climate resilience—compiled by grassroots flood responders. We’ll discuss components of resilience; engage with an assessment of readiness and resilience you can use in your community; and identify entry points for building systems of safety, response, and care for the long run because nobody’s coming to save us.

PRESENTER:
Lena Greenberg, Community Resilience Organizations
Rhizome Cottiss, Community Resilience Organizations
Chris Siegrist, Community Resilience Organizations

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Richard Amore, Local Motion

Richard Amore (PLA/AICP) is the Programs Director at Local Motion and the Founder & CEO of Upstream Downstream LLC. He is a community and economic development leader, landscape architect, community planner, and educator with extensive experience in place-based economic development, active transportation, community planning and development, and community-driven placemaking in rural communities. Currently, he is honored to serve as Programs Director for Local Motion where he works with communities and partners to make Vermont a better place to walk, bike, and roll. In addition, Richard offers limited consulting support through Upstream Downstream LLC, a place and policy advisory practice and he serves as cohost of the Small Towns, Healthy Places podcast, and is a part-time lecturer at the University of Vermont teaching a community-service learning course in ecological design and community planning. Richard lives in Montpelier, VT with his family.

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Sarah Brock, Clean Energy New Hampshire

Sarah Brock is the Circuit Rider Program Director at Clean Energy New Hampshire. She leads a team of Energy Circuit Riders who provide no-cost technical assistance to municipalities, small businesses, and farms across New Hampshire. Clean Energy NH has supported over 500 projects in over 140 communities across New Hampshire related to renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, and electrification.

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Shannon Bryant, Climate Economy Action Center of Addison County

Shannon Bryant is Director of Energy Navigators with Climate Economy Action Center of Addison County. She is a Passive House U.S. Certified Builder and a Regenerative Practitioner. As an educator, craftsperson, and community builder, Shannon’s work is centered on relationship building, place-based storytelling, and value-adding actions that lead to a climate positive future for all of us. Shannon grew up in Brandon and now lives in Sudbury. She enjoys working on her extensive home energy retrofit, listening to local live music, and has recently discovered the thrill of cold plunging.

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Brian Cali, Reading Energy Committee

Brian Cali is an entrepreneur, scientist, and clean energy advocate. After two decades of executive leadership in biotechnology, Brian has turned the bulk of his attention to climate issues. He serves as a member of the Reading Energy Committee, and led the successful effort to get voter approval for a town-owned solar array that covers 100% of the annual electricity consumption of Reading municipal buildings. He is a founding member of the Reading Community Trust, which is currently undertaking the revitalization of the former Grange building in the Reading Village Center (Felchville).  He and his family are just at the tail end of a net-zero retrofit and high-performance expansion of their 1782 farmhouse, where they host climate action retreats. 

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Jenny Carter, Vermont Law and Graduate School

Jenny Carter is a Professor of Law and Staff Attorney with the Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law and Graduate School. Earlier in her career, as Environmental Director for the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group, she successfully spearheaded a legislative initiative to make Massachusetts the first state to adopt California’s auto emissions standards, and secured over $20 million in annual funding for Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle programs. As Policy Director and Staff Attorney for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, Jenny played a key role in protecting and advancing environmental and consumer interests, including stopping efforts to deregulate Vermont’s electric utility industry, increasing funding for LIHEAP, and promoting legislation to create the nation’s first energy efficiency utility. Prior to returning to VLGS, Jenny co-founded Calypso Continuing Education, a national online professional continuing education provider and Allstate Home Inspection and Environmental Testing, LTD, a nationally franchised inspection business.  Jenny is licensed to practice law in Vermont and earned a JD and a master’s in environmental law from VLGS.

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Laura Cavin Bailey, Vermont Council on Rural Development

Laura Cavin Bailey is the Climate Economy Program Manager at Vermont Council on Rural Development. strives to continually engage with systems thinking and community-based initiatives to advance collaborative, healthy, energy efficient, and adaptable places. Laura’s diverse work experience includes solar electric system design and installation, biodiesel production, a research fellow at the Energy Studies in Buildings Lab (ESBL) at the University of Oregon, an instructor at Yestermorrow Design/Build School, and as a practicing architect of net-zero energy buildings. Laura serves as the president of the Vermont Green Building Network and can be found exploring the forests and rivers around her home in Fayston by foot, bike, boat or skis with her husband and two young children.

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Rhizome Cottiss, Community Resilience Organizations

Rhizome Cottiss is a systems designer focused on place-based resilience. With Community Resilience Organizations, he builds digital tools that keep essential plans and networks within reach when centralized systems fail. Through his creative practice, Access Ecologies, he helps communities transform local knowledge into shared infrastructure. His work centers on what people can build with their own hands to care for each other and the places they call home.

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Kahwa C. Douoguih, Norwich University

Kahwa Douoguih is an entrepreneur, economist and educator with a focus on sustainable economic development and the creation of resilient systems. Over the course of her career, Kahwa has created and grown businesses in the natural resource, energy and agribusiness sectors.  She has developed interactive modeling and scenario testing tools, harnessing the power of economics and data analytics for executive decision-making. 

Kahwa has a broad scope of international experience in Africa and the Americas in the areas of economics, development and finance at both public and private sector institutions including the Vale (Inco), Africa Finance Corporation, IMF and several start-up ventures. 

As a Professor of Practice in Business at Norwich University, Kahwa is leveraging her international experience to help Norwich students develop a globalized perspective in business and entrepreneurship to prepare for an uncertain future. She earned her Ph.D. in economics from the University of Maryland, and holds a masters degree in mineral economics from the Colorado School of Mines.

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Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, University of Vermont

Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux is a Professor of Climatology in the Department of Geography & Geosciences, the Vermont State Climatologist since 1997, and the President of the American Association of State Climatologists from 2020-2022. In 2020, she was appointed by the Vermont House of Representatives to the Vermont Climate Council as the member with expertise in climate change science. She holds a B.Sc. in Physical Geography and Development Studies from the University of Toronto (1989), an M.Sc.(1992) in Climatology and Hydrology and a Ph.D. (1996) in Climatology and Geographic Information Systems from McGill University.

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Miranda Dupre, Vital Communities

Miranda Dupre moved to the Upper Valley three years ago, following her partner for their graduate studies. She joined Vital Communities in June 2024 as the BIPOC Community Navigator– working to foster a welcoming environment and support people of color on their journeys to home and business ownership. But she recently has added on the role of managing the Climate, Energy, and Transportation programs to her repertoire. Using her background in environmental justice and community engagement, she is working with community members and partners to build a safe, reliable, sustainable and multimodal transportation system that serves all who call the Upper Valley their home.

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Jared Duval, Energy Action Network

Jared Duval has served as the Executive Director of the Energy Action Network (EAN) since March of 2017. EAN is both a network and an organization working to achieve Vermont’s climate and energy commitments in ways that create a more just, thriving and sustainable future.  Before leading EAN, Jared served as Economic Development Director at the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development. Since 2020, Jared has also served as an appointed member of the Vermont Climate Council. He holds degrees from Princeton University, University of Cambridge, and Wheaton College. Part of the ninth generation of his family to call Vermont home, Jared grew up in the Upper Connecticut River Valley and now lives with his family in Montpelier.

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Ben Edgerly Walsh, Vermont Public Interest Research Group

Ben Edgerly Walsh has run VPIRG’s climate program since 2012, leading campaigns on issues from the passage of Vermont’s landmark Climate Superfund Act, to establishing and updating Vermont’s renewable energy standard, to laying the foundation for the nation’s first clean heat standard and defending Vermont’s energy efficiency work from attacks from the right. At VPIRG, Ben works to research, identify and advance clean energy policy solutions. Prior to taking the reins of VPIRG’s energy program, Ben was VPIRG’s Field Director, engaging and mobilizing thousands of Vermonters in support of VPIRG’s campaigns. Ben holds a BS in Environmental Studies and BA in Political Science from UVM.

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Jon Erickson, University of Vermont

Jon Erickson is a professor and associate dean at the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont. He has published widely on the theory and practice of ecological economics, climate change policy, renewable energy economics, and bioregional planning, including his most recent book entitled The Progress Illusion – Reclaiming Our Future from the Fairytale of Economics. He has led international research and education programs as a Fulbright Scholar in Tanzania and visiting professor in the Dominican Republic, Iceland, and Slovakia. Jon has also produced and directed award-winning documentary films on water, energy, food, and political system transitions, including the Emmy-award winning PBS series Bloom on watershed science and policy in the Lake Champlain Basin. As a social entrepreneur, he has founded and led numerous non-profit organizations including the U.S. Society for Ecological Economics, Adirondack Research Consortium, Deportes para la Vida, and Bright Blue EcoMedia. His work is regularly covered by state, national, and international media, including the New York Times, Boston Globe, and CNN.

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Henry Falconer, Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission

Harry Falconer has been a planner at the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) since January of 2023 and took over the Shared Energy Coordinator (SEC) role in January of 2024. SEC is a shared services program administered by TRORC, a public commission that provides planning services and technical assistance to 30 towns on the Vermont side of the Upper Valley. Currently, seven towns pay into the SEC program and receive a proportionate share of Harry’s time to pursue grants and manage local energy efficiency and energy-related projects. Harry is a graduate of Boston University’s Master of City Planning program and earned his undergraduate degree at Emerson College. He lives in Windsor with his wife and volunteers on the local planning commission.

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Kati Gallagher, Vermont Natural Resources Council

Kati Gallagher (she/her) is the Sustainable Communities Program Director for the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC). She works to encourage sustainable land use policies that build resilient, walkable, opportunity-rich communities and protect our most valuable farm, forest, and water resources. Kati collaborates with partners to advocate in the State House for smart growth housing development, including the HOME Act and Act 181. Kati is a member of the Town of Waterbury’s Planning Commission and previously served on the town’s Housing Task Force.

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Lena Greenberg, Community Resilience Organizations

Lena Greenberg (they/them) is a strategic communicator, systems thinker, and climate person. In the past, Lena has taught about water systems and plastics; campaigned against the fossil fuel industry; and grown and distributed vegetables. Lena has co-directed Community Resilience Organizations (CROs) since 2024.

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Jon Isham, Middlebury College

Jon Isham is a Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, where he has been on the faculty since 1999. He co-founded the Middlebury Center for Social Entrepreneurship in January 2012, serving as its director until 2016. Previously, he was the director of Environmental Studies from 2011-2014 and was a Fulbright Scholar at Ashesi University in 2016-17. Jon teaches classes about environmental policy, environmental economics, microeconomics, and social change. His research encompasses a broad range of questions about institutional determinants of well-being and sustainability, and he has published a number of journal articles and book chapters. Jon has an AB in Anthropology from Harvard College, an MA in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland. He and his wife Tracy Himmel Isham and their three daughters live in Cornwall VT.

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Rep. Kathleen James, Vermont General Assembly

Kathleen James (Bennington-4) serves as the chair of the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee, which has jurisdiction over matters related to energy, utilities, telecommunications and related subjects. Kathleen was first elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in 2018, where she served on the House Committee on Education during her first two terms. She also spent a biennium as Assistant Majority Leader (Whip) and ranking member of the House Committee on General and Housing. Born in Chicago and raised in Nebraska, Kathleen earned a bachelor’s degree in political science (1986) and a master’s degree in journalism (1990) from Northwestern University. Her wife, Alexandra Heintz, is a retired health care administrator and certified life coach. Her adult children—both graduates of Manchester Elementary Middle School and Burr and Burton Academy—live and work in New York City and Chicago.

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Alyssa Johnson, Vermont Council on Rural Development

Alyssa Johnson is the Community Visit Program Director at the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD). In this role, she facilitates inclusive community prioritization processes and provides technical assistance to community leaders advancing local initiatives. Before joining VCRD in 2021, Alyssa worked as the Economic Development Director for Revitalizing Waterbury. Alyssa is serving her second term as a member of the Waterbury Selectboard, currently as Chair. She is a member of the Waterbury Housing Task Force and Vermont League of Cities and Towns Equity Committee, and previously served as Chair of the Waterbury Planning Commission. She graduated from the University of Vermont and lives in Waterbury’s designated downtown.

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Bekah Kuster, Efficiency Vermont

Bekah Kuster has worked as Community Engagement Manager at the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC) since June 2022. In this role, she supports local communities with navigate weatherization, heat pump programs and rebates, and other energy efficiency measures as part of the Efficiency Vermont team. Prior to that, she worked for two years as the Community Energy Coordinator at Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC), where she work supported and promoted the critical work of municipal energy committees to ensure that Vermont meets its emissions reduction requirements and transforms its energy system. She also has experience as an educator at Shelburne Farms and canvasser with the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG). Bekah holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont.

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Troy McBride, Norwich Technologies

Troy McBride is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Norwich Technologies. He is also co-founded and serves as Executive Director of the Greenway Institute, a new engineering college in Montpelier. A leading greentech entrepreneur, he previously helped create and served as technology originator for SustainX, a company that specialized in the development of efficient electricity storage technologies. Troy was a tenured Associate Professor of Physics and Engineering at Elizabethtown College, and earned his PhD from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College.

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David Mears, Vermont Climate Council

David Mears was appointed to the Vermont Climate Council as a member with expertise in the design and implementation of programs to increase resilience and respond to natural disasters resulting from climate change. David is an experienced attorney whose practice at Tarrant Gillies and Shems, LLP focuses on helping clients solve challenges in the areas of environmental, energy, brownfields and land use law and policy. From 2018 to 2023, he served as the Executive Director of Audubon Vermont. Prior to joining Audubon Vermont, David served as the Associate Dean of Environmental Programs at Vermont Law School and held several positions in state and federal government, including serving as Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation from 2011 to 2015. David has a degree in environmental engineering technology from Cornell University, and a Juris Doctor and Masters of Environmental Law and Policy degrees from Vermont Law School.

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Johanna Miller, Vermont Natural Resources Council

Johanna Miller is the Energy & Climate Program Director for the Vermont Natural Resources Council. Johanna also helps coordinate the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network (VECAN), the statewide network of 120+ town energy committees and the partners who support them. In these roles, Johanna works from the grassroots to the Legislature to help advance clean energy and climate action programs, policies and progress. In 2020, Johanna was appointed to the 23-member Vermont Climate Council, which is charged with crafting a plan to equitably meet the climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience requirements of the Global Warming Solutions Act. Johanna lives in Montpelier with her family.

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Stephanie Moffett-Hynds, Arlington Energy Committee

Stephanie Moffett-Hynds currently serves on the Vermont Climate Council, to which she brings a background in the arts, education, and environmental advocacy. As Programming Director at Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home, she has led mission-driven educational and public programming for over 15 years, with a focus on environmental stewardship, civic engagement, and cultural heritage across a 412-acre campus. She has also chaired Arlington’s Energy Committee since its inception in 2019, coordinating local and regional initiatives in energy efficiency and climate resilience.

A graduate of Davidson College (BA), the University of Texas at Austin (MFA), and the Drama Studio in London, Stephanie began her career as a performer, director, and educator. As a Thomas J. Watson Fellow, she studied the roles of traditional storytellers in Senegal, The Gambia, and Indonesia—an experience that deepened her belief in the power of narrative to inspire change. A graduate of the Vermont Leadership Institute, she is committed to collaborative, cross-sector, and community-based solutions to the climate crisis. Stephanie is inspired every day by her two wonderful children.

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Erich Osterberg, Dartmouth College

Professor Erich Osterberg (he/him/his) is a climate scientist in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department at Dartmouth. He is also the current chair of the Upper Valley Adaptation Workgroup (UVAW), a group of business, state, municipal, non-profit, and academic leaders working to improve community resilience to climate change. His research focuses on understanding the recent rise of extreme rainfall and flooding in New England, and developing effective flood resilience strategies through community partnerships.

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David Roberts, Drive Electric Vermont

David Roberts is a Senior Consultant at the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC) with more than twenty years of transportation efficiency experience. He coordinates the Drive Electric Vermont program, a public-private partnership advancing transportation electrification, and has supported many plug-in electric vehicle (EV) market transformation activities, including stakeholder engagement, consumer marketing, charging infrastructure development, economic analyses, auto dealer programs, and incentive program design & implementation. Prior to joining VEIC, David was a Senior Transportation Planning Engineer with the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, and holds degrees from the University of Vermont and the University of Virginia.

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Chris Siegrist, Community Resilience Organizations

Coming soon.

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Bonnie Waninger, Vermont League of Cities and Towns

Bonnie Waninger is the Project and Funding Specialist on the Municipal Operations Support (MOS) team at the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. She previously served as the Executive Director of the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission and, before that, the Lamoille County Planning Commission.

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Sen. Anne Watson, Vermont General Assembly

Senator Anne Watson (Washington District) serves as the chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee, which has jurisdiction over energy, climate, natural resource, conservation and other environmental issues. Before serving in the Vermont Senate, Anne was appointed to the Montpelier City Council in 2012 to represent District 2 and was re-elected three times before running for mayor in 2018. Anne served as the Mayor of Montpelier from 2018 to 2022. Anne has also been a science and math teacher since 2004 and served as an ultimate frisbee coach. Anne enjoys playing ultimate Frisbee, crocheting, and spending time with her family. She lives in Montpelier with her husband and son.

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Andrew Westgate, Vermont State University

Dr. Andrew Westgate is currently an assistant professor in Vermont State University’s (VTSU’s) Atmospheric Sciences program. Having received his B.S. Degree from the same program, he then went on to earn his M.S. and PhD in the same field from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (UWM). There, his research focused on climate dynamics. At both VTSU and UWM, he developed and fostered a love for teaching which drove him to seek out teaching-oriented institutions like VTSU for employment post-graduation. As a student at VTSU, he joined The Climate Consensus, a group, which has now grown into a multi-institutional nonprofit, whose main goal is to bridge the gap between scientists and the general public about human-caused climate change by empowering others to engage with their communities. Currently, he serves on its board of directors as treasurer.

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Marian Wolz, Climate Action Office

Marian Wolz (she/her) is the Resilience and Adaptation Coordinator in the Climate Action Office at the Agency of Natural Resources where she works closely with state and local partners to increase resilience to the impacts of climate change. Marian’s work focuses on supporting and building capacity in communities to implement adaptation actions and coordinating with other state agencies on resilience and adaptation policy. Marian joined the Climate Action Office in 2022, after serving as the Global Warming Solutions Act Coordinator supporting the Vermont Climate Council in writing Vermont’s Initial Climate Action Plan. Prior to joining the Agency of Natural Resources, Marian worked at Vermont Emergency Management supporting statewide emergency response and recovery planning. She has a degree in community planning and has experience in rural planning for affordability and multi-modal transportation.

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Li Ling Young, Efficiency Vermont

Li Ling Young is a Lead Engineering Consultant with Efficiency Vermont. Over 25 years supporting energy efficient design and construction, Li Ling has developed a special focus on just-right home energy retrofits and design of heat pump conversion. Li Ling relishes the opportunity to empower homeowners by making building science knowledge accessible through presentations, and to support good design through contractor trainings.

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Premier Sponsors

Green Mountain Power is partnering with customers and communities across Vermont to deliver solutions that increase resiliency and affordability while cutting carbon and costs. GMP provides energy that is 100% carbon free and 80% renewable on an annual basis and will be 100% renewable by 2030. For more on how GMP’s innovative programs can help you save when you switch away from fossil fuel, go to www.greenmountainpower.com or call 888-835-4672.

Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) is an association of thirty municipalities in east-central Vermont. Governed by a Board of Representatives appointed by each of its member towns, TRORC’s primary goals are to advocate for the needs of our member towns, and to articulate a vision for building a thriving regional economy while enhancing the region’s quality of life. The Commission’s staff provides technical services to local, state and federal levels of government and to the region’s non-profits and businesses.


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