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

Jake Brown Government Affairs & Communications.  Jake is a former reporter with some 18 years of print media experience. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1987 with a double major in History/Spanish, and he holds a Masters of Environmental Law from Vermont Law School. Jake was an early participant in the creation of The Montpelier Bridge, a community newspaper serving Montpelier. At different times, he served as reporter, managing editor, and owner of The Bridge. Early in his career, he reported on climate change and ozone depletion for BNA’s Daily Environment Report in Washington DC, and more recently covered news developments from the Vermont State House, the Agency of Natural Resources, the Environmental Court, and other arms of state government, for a variety of news outlets. He was elected to the Montpelier Cemetery Commission in 2008 and is member of the Montpelier Rotary Club. He competes in the occasional sprint triathlon, manages his current-use-enrolled woodland property, fly fishes for trout, striped bass and bluefish, and is gaining skill in raising vegetables in Montpelier’s challenging soil. Jake lives in Montpelier with his wife Milly Archer and son Nelson.

802-223-2328 X111 • jbrown@vnrc.org

Elizabeth Courtney Director of the Legacy Project. Before transitioning into her current position, Elizabeth served as VNRC's Executive Director for over 14 years.  She is a licensed landscape architect who received her Master of Regional Planning and Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.  Elizabeth served as a Trustee of the Vermont Law School from 1995 to 2004.  She was a member of the Vermont Environmental Board from 1985 to 1994 and was its Chair from 1991-1994.  During her nine years on the Board, she participated in many precedent setting decisions on key Act 250 cases.  In 1995, Elizabeth was awarded a Loeb Fellowship in Advanced Environmental Studies at Harvard University and used the fellowship to conduct research at the Kennedy School of Government.  Elizabeth recently served as one of six members of the Governor's Climate Change Commission.

802-223-2328 X116 • ecourtney@vnrc.org

Jamey Fidel Forest and Biodiversity Program Director & General Counsel. Jamey has a B.S. in Environmental 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. Jamey was previously Conservation Director of the Aspen Wilderness Workshop, Project Director of Public Counsel of the Rockies, and Biological Inventory Coordinator of Pitkin County, Colorado. He has served on various boards including the Executive Committee of the Northern Forest Alliance, the Pitkin County Open Space and Trails Board, and the Waitsfield Planning Commission and Development Review Board. He and his wife Rachel live in Waitsfield with their daughter Ayla and son Jude.

802-223-2328 X117 • jfidel@vnrc.org

James Sharp Office Manager/Administrative Assistant.  James has been an active letter-writer, demonstrator, and campaign supporter for environmental sustainability and democracy issues for many years.  In addition to consulting with many non-profits as a website designer, he worked at the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse as webmaster and communications director, and as National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology coordinator for the Northeast/Mid-atlantic region.  He lives in Montpelier with his partner Megan, and step-son Aodhan.

802-223-2328 X110 • jsharp@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: when done well, 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 an alternative type of land use regulation (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 Leahey, and enjoys hiking, home canning, knitting, and cycling.

802-223-2328 X114 • kmccarthy@vnrc.org

Johanna Miller Energy Program Director. Johanna is an organizer, writer, editor and coalition builder at VNRC. Johanna works with organizations, local officials, and citizens across Vermont to empower them to get involved in the energy, climate change, land use and community development issues VNRC engages. Johanna works closely with partners in the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network to start and support town energy committees and to help build support for a more efficient and renewable energy future in Vermont. Before joining VNRC in January 2005, Johanna spent five years as an organizer, editor, and policy specialist for the Michigan Land Use Institute — a planning and smart growth policy organization. Johanna has served on numerous boards of directors and currently serves on the boards of Local First Vermont, the national nonprofit SEEDS and on the Montpelier Energy Team. Johanna was educated at the University of Vermont, where she received a B.A. in English and Environmental Studies. She lives in Montpelier and enjoys skiing, kayaking, running, and hiking.

802-223-2328 X112 • jmiller@vnrc.org

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

Kim Greenwood Water Program Director. Kim is the resident water scientist and expert witness at VNRC and has worked on water issues in Vermont for over 15 years.  Her work at VNRC focuses promoting science-based policy positions to ensure that scientific information is brought to statewide environmental policy making processes.  Kim worked in both the private sector and state government before joining VNRC.  She is a graduate of the Changing Faces Women's Environmental Leadership Program at the East-West Center in Hawaii.  Kim is active in many community forums and boards including the Vermont River Conservancy and the Vermont Beekeepers Association and holds a bachelor's degree in aquatic resources from University of Vermont and an associate in mechanical engineering from Vermont Technical College.   Kim lives in Duxbury with her husband Ian.

802-223-2328 X119 • kgreenwood@vnrc.org

Nina Otter Membership & Outreach Coordinator. Raised in Montpelier, Nina has a BA in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Environmental Education from Warren Wilson College in North Carolina. While at college she served on the Sierra Student Coalition, she was a founding member of the North Carolina Youth Climate Coalition and lobbied members of Congress on green job legislation. Nina served as the Vermont Natural Resources Council's Legislative Intern during the 2009-2010 legislative year and became well-versed in several of VNRC's areas of work, including energy, land use, and environmental permitting. She now works full-time for VNRC as the Membership & Outreach Coordinator. Nina lives in Montpelier and is an avid and accomplished cyclist and skier.

802-223-2328 X121 • notter@vnrc.org