Board

Amanda Andrews (she/her) - Tamarack Hollow Farm, Plainfield

Amanda is an organic vegetable farmer passionate about food, environment, labor and how these factors intersect in the regional food economy. In her work as a farm owner and operator, Amanda endeavors to create a business that empowers her employees to learn the business operation, mechanical, and food production skills that drive our rural communities. She lives and works in Plainfield with her daughter and partner.

Jeannie Bartlett (she/her), Montpelier

Jeannie Bartlett grew up among the rocky hill-farms of western Massachusetts, and she has always been grounded by the people and the land who grow her food. From 2016 to early 2021 she managed the Franklin County Conservation District, where she was honored to work with farmers to improve their environmental stewardship and their financial viability. Jeannie now lives in central Vermont and works propagating fruit trees, as well as planting and pruning them in peoples' backyards. She is working towards starting her own fruit farm.

Sara and Vanessa Branon Kittell (she/her), Fairfield

Sara represented Franklin County in the Vermont State Senate for 17 years, with 16 years chairing the Senate Agriculture Committee. Sara served as a school nurse and entrepreneur, founding and operating Chester’s, a restaurant and catering business. Sara lives in Fairfield with her husband, William. They are proud of their 40 years of gardening, putting food by and supporting Black Creek Preserves, their family business led by their daughters, Jessica and Nora at the Burlington Farmers’ Market. Sara will share this Board seat with her daughter, Vanessa.

Vanessa holds a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a Master’s Degree in Bioethics focused on agriculture. She served as a speechwriter in the Clinton Administration and returned to Vermont to practice law. In 2014, she launched VBK Law, a civil trial practice comprised of three attorneys and several canines. Vanessa lives in Fairfield where she and her husband make maple syrup.

Silene DeCiucies, Elmore

Silene is from Elmore, and returned to the area two years ago to buy land and build a house two miles from where she grew up. She has a master's in crop and soil science and has worked on livestock, dairy, and vegetable farms in Washington state and Central New York.  Upon returning to Vermont, Silene worked for the Lamoille County Conservation District coordinating agriculture programming and working with small dairy farms in the area. She now works for Center For an Agricultural Economy in Hardwick as a farm business planner and specializes in working with small organic and conventional dairy farms. Silene is inspired by the rural agricultural landscape and hopes to do her best to preserve it through her work with farms, businesses, and community members. She enjoys cross country skiing, running, working on her house, pottery, and making cheese.

Nour El-Naboulsi (he/him) — The People's Farmstand, Burlington

Nour is a part time vegetable farmer, part time rugby player, and co-manager of The People’s Farmstand, a weekly farmstand providing local veggies to all, regardless of ability to pay. With great admiration for Vermont’s farmers as well as its natural landscapes, Nour serves as a research assistant and working group member for the state’s Payment for Ecosystem Services program. Some of his personal research endeavors include cross-cultural exchange, vertical farming, food justice, composting, and urban green spaces. Nour takes pride in his Arab-Muslim heritage and connects through traditional food, music, and language. If there are friends, family, books, or bikes, you can presume his heart is full.

Earl Hatley (he/him), West Hartford

Earl Hatley is a well trained and experienced environmental organizer who utilizes his training and experience to serve as a consultant to tribal and non-tribal groups (non-profits & tribal governments). He has served as an environmental consultant to Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages, as well as indigenous grassroots groups around the country. Earl’s work has included helping tribal governments to develop environmental programs, water and air quality monitoring projects, write quality control instruments, write grants, conduct culturally based risk assessments, and conduct hazardous waste site investigations. Earl also serves as an organizing consultant to national and state-wide non-profit groups, including Western Mining Action Network and the Indigenous Environmental Network. He is an enrolled citizen of the Missisquoi Band of Abenaki Nation with Cherokee/Shawnee heritage and a disabled veteran. Earl is retired.

Katie Horner (she/her), Winooski

Katie lives in Winooski and works for the Institute for Agroecology at the University of Vermont. Some of her work in recent years has focused on equity-based models of farmland access, the social foundations of soil health, and exploring conditions that enable just transitions in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. As a researcher, Katie focuses on participatory processes that center the expertise and needs of farmers and frontline communities. Her guiding aim is to do work that is in solidarity with the farmers,  movements, and grassroots organizations fighting for just, equitable, and resilient agricultural systems. Beyond research, Katie is also an educator and a facilitator. 

Cory Froning (she/her) and Jake Kornfeld (he/him) - The Farm Upstream, Jericho

Cory and Jake are member owners of a diversified organic farm along with 3 other business partners. While slowly shifting more of their time over to The Farm Upstream, Jake grows food and mentors young people at the Farm at  VYCC and Cory is a student in the UVM Masters of Social Work Program. 

They are inspired by the way any issue of justice can be impacted through food and use their farm as a tool in that pursuit. Cory dreams of opening an on-farm therapy practice and Jake dreams of healthy soils. Together Jake and Cory enjoy paddling in quiet places, goofing around with their dogs, and being a part of their community. 

Marya Merriam (they/she) — Wood Frog Flowers, Strafford

Marya is a dairy farmworker as well as a certified organic dried flower grower and wholesale vegetable farmer in central Vermont. They grew up on an organic vegetable farm in Brookfield, returning to the state after studying Environmental Biology at Columbia University. They now work for Rockbottom Dairy Farm, while growing flowers and making dried arrangements for Wood Frog Flowers. Marya is excited to tackle issues related to climate change resilience, farmworker justice, small dairy viability, and decolonizing land access. They were an intern with Rural Vermont in 2016, and enjoy hiking, finding new swimming holes, and baking copious amounts of holiday cookies.

Fran Miller (she/her), South Royalton

Fran Miller is a senior staff attorney and adjunct faculty member at the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) at Vermont Law School (VLS), where she supervises students in the Food and Agriculture Clinic and leads a variety of projects. Fran focuses predominantly on farmland access, overseeing the expansion of CAFS’s Farmland Access Legal Toolkit to better serve historically marginalized communities. She also serves private clients through CAFS and the clinic, particularly regarding collaborative and community land ownership and business formation. Fran spent many years as a trademark and copyright lawyer, obtained her LLM in Food and Agriculture Law and Policy at VLS in 2017, and moved to Vermont from New York City in September 2019 to work at CAFS.

Andrés Oyaga (he/him), Burlington

Andrés Oyaga is an organizer and agroecologist based in Burlington, VT, with roots in Los Angeles, Guatemala, and Colombia. He recently joined 350VT as a community organizer supporting a just transition in Vermont that includes everyone. Andrés is a collective member of the People’s Agroecology School (an independent project of Rural VT), past Foodways Organizer for the VT Releaf Collective, and is a volunteer and lover of The Knoll Garden at Middlebury College. His door is always open!

Emily Reiss (she/her) and Evan Reiss (he/him) - Fledgling Farmstead, Tunbridge

Evan and Emily Reiss are two of three co-owners of Fledgling Farmstead, a diversified farm and homestead in Tunbridge, Vermont. They grow organically-managed vegetables, herbs and flowers and raise a small herd of Guernsey cows, laying hens, and a flock of mixed-breed sheep. In addition to farming, Emily and Evan are always seeking ways to engage and grow a sense of community through on-farm events. Together, they have a broad vision and hope for a more supported and accessible agricultural system.

Em Virzi (she/her) & Rose Thackeray (she/her) - Union Bridge Farm, Northfield

Em + Rose own a small diversified pasture based livestock farm in Northfield VT- Union Brook Farm. They do pastured poultry, pigs and run a small flock of sheep.  They are passionate about on farm slaughter and do their best to provide a stress free end of life for all their animals. Em and Rose also help facilitate workshops for on-farm poultry slaughter so folks from all walks of life can come learn how to raise their own meat and process it safely and effectively. Union Brook Farm also cooks their farm fresh foods to order for folks at the Capital City Farmers Markets year round cooking "hyper local" breakfast sandwiches that have generated quite the buzz in the capital. Em + Rose enjoy skiing, having dinner with friends and cooking elaborate meals in the off season.

Julie Wolcott (she/her) - Green Wind Farm, Fairfield

Julie farms  with her partner, Stephen MacCausland and family in Fairfield. After 40 years of grazing and milking cows, Green Wind Farm will be transferring ownership of their Jersey cattle as well as leasing the dairy barn and 50 acres to their young neighbors. John and Cassie Tiffany so they may start their farming careers with working systems, a contract with Stonyfield Organic and a live-in mentor (Julie).  Maple syrup is produced and sold retail, wholesale and in bulk to Pumpkin Village Foods (Son Seth’s distribution business). To preserve farms and soils for future generations, small farm sustainability and soil health improvement are strong motivators. 

Julie is actively involved in numerous Fairfield community and school organizations. She puts time into supporting Franklin County Dairy Promotion’s activities and state wide Dairy in the Classroom programming. Regionally, Julie helps to facilitate strong, working relationships between farms, farmers and schools.

Julie has served on the Fairfield School Board, as a District 6 Environmental Commission Member, on the Vermont Natural Resource Council Board and as a member of the Vermont Council on Rural Development’s Agriculture Viability Council. 

In October 2021, we lost Dexter Randall, a near and dear member of the Rural Vermont family. Dexter was among Rural Vermont's first farmer leaders, served on the Board from 1993-2012, and was a Rural Vermont Emeritus Board Member until he passed. Over many decades, he made enormous and countless contributions to Rural Vermont and for the benefit of farmers everywhere. He will be sorely missed and holds a special place in Rural Vermont's heart and history.