Meet the Board

Michael Sacca – President    Michael is freelance producer and cameraman based in Tunbridge, Vermont. He has  been active in the Tunbridge community since moving to the town in 1996, including serving as chair of the Planning Commission for a 5 year period. He presently serves on the Tunbridge Emergency Services Committee, The Tunbridge Energy Committee and as Commissioner to the Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Planning Commission.

Jennifer Hayslett – Vice President   Jenn Hayslett is a facilitator, educator, and coach. She works with individuals and organizations to imagine what is possible, establish meaningful goals, and develop strategies for achieving them.  Jenn’s specialty is working with small and mid-sized nonprofits to train staff and board members in developing and improving relationship-based fundraising programs. She lives in Tunbridge, Vermont.

Suzanne Long – Treasurer.  Suzanne Long is an organic farmer. She and her husband, Tim Sanford have owned and managed Luna Bleu Farm for 29 years, the last 24 in South Royalton. She has been active on the board of directers for NOFA-VT, the South Royalton Market (food coop) and the Norwich Farmers Market. She has been locally active in farm-to-school initiatives and food security.

Amy Frost- Secretary. Amy Frost lives in Tunbridge, Vermont. She active in the local community having served on the Tunbridge School Board, Health Connections of the Upper Valley and currently the board of ECFiber.  She works part-time in the Registrar’s office at the Vermont Law School and enjoys running local races, hiking, skiing and spending time outdoors.

Warren Johnston – Director, Warren has lived in the Upper Valley since 2002. He is a writer and editor and recently retired from the Valley News after more than 13 years. He was in the newspaper business for 37 years — at small papers in South Carolina, North Carolina and Mississippi and with the Tampa Tribune and the Las Vegas Sun. He grew up in Atlanta, and at an early age began hiking the Appalachian Trail in the mountains of Georgia and North Carolina. He hikes, snowshoes and skis regularly near their home in the South Royalton and Sharon areas with his wife, Sandy.

John Dumville – Director.  I’m a lifetime Vermonter and after graduate college I decided there was no better place to live than Vermont. Its rural and historic compact villages, surrounded by open fields and pastures which make up our working landscape, should serve as models for sustainable living. We know our community, support each other and enjoy the diversity we find in the people who come into our circle of life.

Micki Colbeck – Director.  Micki Colbeck is a recent graduate of Antioch University, with a masters in Conservation Biology.  She serves on the Strafford Conservation Commission and the Alliance for Vermont Communities, and writes about humans in the natural environment for the Valley News Perspectives under the moniker, “A Solitary Walker.” She lives in Strafford with two little brown dogs, the LBDs, who accompany her on skis, and hikes, and nature studies.

Judith Falk – Director.   Judith Falk has the very good fortune to live on the  Lucky Dog Farm/Clover Hill Tree Farm in South Strafford, VT, a mostly conserved parcel where she raises sheep and Border Collies, tends her bees, and rides her horse. She and her husband, Orange County Forester David Paganelli, actively manage their land to encourage a variety of wildlife species particularly songbirds and Monarch butterflies, to control non-native invasives, and grow veneer-quality saw timber.  Judith would rather be outside than inside, regardless of the weather.

Honorary Board Members

Alex Buskey– Director, Alex grew up in the Upper Valley and currently lives in South Royalton. “I love this area for its strong community, natural beauty and close proximity to some incredible outdoor recreation areas.” Alex is very active outdoors and is the lead organizer for our annual back road bike event and community celebration, The Ranger. One of Alex’s favorite things about this area is the Royalton Community Radio station located in in South Royalton, where he regularly participates in helping with their events.

Therese Linehan – Director, Ms. Linehan was born and raised in Strafford. She is an educator and small business owner. She has served on the Strafford School Board, the Thetford Academy Board of Trustees, and Town House Advisory Group and various other town organizations. After living abroad and on the west coast, she returned to Strafford to raise her children in a place that she found to be as healthy and nurturing as one could find anywhere.

Brenda Petrella – former secretary, has been a resident of the Upper Valley for over 15 years pursuing careers as a cancer researcher and as a biosafety officer and lab sustainability manager for Dartmouth College. She is an advocate for sustainability as it pertains to conserving our natural resources while supporting our local economies, diversifying our communities, and preserving our heritage.

John Echeverria – Mr. Echeverria is a Professor of Law at Vermont Law School in South Royalton Vermont, where he teaches property, land use and various environmental topics.  He also serves on the board of directors of the Vermont Natural Resources Council, and as a member of the Strafford, Vermont Planning Commission.

Gus Speth – Mr. Speth has been on the front lines of solving the world’s most pressing environmental and social issues including chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality in the Executive Office of the President. As Jimmy Carter’s Council on Environmental Quality Chairman, he was a principal adviser on matters affecting the environment and had overall responsibility for developing and coordinating the President’s environmental program. “My wife Cameron and I moved to Strafford a decade ago. We fell in love with the area, and after 40 years working in the environmental movement, we were looking for the actual environment. I began teaching at the Vermont Law School, and we both took up roles in Strafford–most recently, the Friends of the Morrill Homestead board and the Energy Committee.”

Jane Huppee – former treasurer,  Ms. Huppee is the former Chief Financial Officer for The Aloha Foundation.  The Foundation operates 5 summer camps and a year round outdoor education center.  She is retired and lives in Tunbridge, Vermont

David Kimball – former vice president, Mr. Kimball is currently the President of Shelter-Kit in Warner, NH, a designer and producer of homes and other buildings sold throughout the U.S. and Canada.  He is the Chairman of the G.W. Hinckley Foundation, and is an Emeritus Director of the Good Will Home Association. He lives in Tunbridge, Vermont.

Rett Carpenter- former director, Royalton, Vermont.

Kyle Thygesen former vice president. Kyle is a resident of Tunbridge.

Anne Mallary – former treasurer.  Anne is a resident of Tunbridge.

Susan Culp- former director,  Susan is the Principal of NextWest Consulting, LLC and has nearly 20 years of experience in natural resource management, research and policy analysis, conservation advocacy, community engagement, collaboration and coalition building, and issue and political campaign management in the Intermountain West.