Headquarters Staff Profiles
Thomas Hark, Founding President
Thomas has been with the VYCC since its inception and has led the organization from five Corps Members in 1986 to over two hundred in 2007. A former Crew Leader for the Youth Conservation Corps in Young Harris, Georgia, and Camp Director for the Minnesota Conservation Corps, Thomas is recognized nationally for his vision in making VYCC one of the nation's leading youth leadership, education, and training organizations.
Currently, Thomas serves on the boards for the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD), the Vermont Environmental Consortium (VEC), and SerVermont. He also serves as Treasurer for the Richmond Area Business Association. In his home town of Williston he coaches Little League T-Ball and Soccer, and is a Boy Scout Leader for Tiger Den #1.
Thomas holds a Masters of Science Degree in Experiential Education from the University of Mankato. He is the former Vice President of the Board of the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps as well as a past Chair of the Catamount Trail Association, Recycle North Board, Mallets Bay Homeowners Board, and was a founding member of the Vermont Alliance of Non-Profit Organizations (VANPO). Thomas lives in Williston, Vermont, with his wife, Dana Hearn-Hark, and their three children, Eli (10), Zachary (7), and Rosie (5).
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Paul Schmidt, Vice President of Finance and Operations
Paul Schmidt grew up in Minnesota and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies. He started working with conservation corps in 1994 as a Crew Leader for the Minnesota Conservation Corps. He worked three summers in Minnesota and spent the off seasons working with the Northwest Youth Corps in Oregon. In 1998 he started with the VYCC as a Field Assistant. Paul grew with the organization, assuming the roles of Trails Coordinator, Conservation Director, Operations Director, and finally Vice President. In 2004 he took a sabbatical from the VYCC and spent four years living and working in Alaska, building cabins, mushing sled dogs, and coordinating projects for a local Parks and Recreation Department. He returned to the VYCC in the late summer of 2008 as the Vice President of Finance and Operations, responsible for much of the day-to-day operations at the VYCC including administration, finance, IT, operations, facilities, and lands. He lives in Starksboro with partner and fellow VYCC alum JJ Boggs, and Daisy and Logan, two Alaska-hardened setters who are happy to be back in the milder climes of Vermont.
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Harry Frank, Vice President of Programs
Harry Frank joined the VYCC as an internal consultant in the fall of 2006 to facilitate the Strategic Planning Initiative. His currently manages the Agriculture and Natural Resource Internship Program. In the past, he has worked with the VYCC on the design and delivery of Youth Leadership Development Retreat, Crew Leader Training, and Corps Member Orientation. Harry has a Masters Degree in Education from Saint Michaels College. Over the past twenty years he has been a classroom teacher, vocational counselor, and school administrator. He also ran crews for the Student Conservation Association (SCA) in West Virginia, Arkansas, and Montana, and helped SCA start the New Hampshire Conservation Corps as the Education Director. Harry continues to work as the Community Organizer for the Vermont Children's Forum now Voices for Vermont's Children focusing on youth issues, and he is the Managing Director for Camp Exclamation Point, Inc. Harry lives in Huntington, VT with his wife Enid Wonnacott and their two children Lila and Eli, and their three dogs, two horses, four sheep, five rabbits, six chickens and three ducks.
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Breck Knauft, Director of Development
Breck calls Vermont home after growing up in suburban Connecticut. Following his senior year of high school in Rennes, France, he graduated from Lawrence University in Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and French. He then put his liberal arts education to good use by ski bumming in Telluride, Colorado for three years before saving his pennies to travel the globe for seven months. Breck settled in Vermont in the mid-90’s where he worked as the dean of students and a teacher at the Gailer School for 10 years, with one year off to pursue a Master’s in Education at Saint Michael’s College. In addition to his time in the classroom, Breck worked nine summers at Camp Keewaydin where his responsibilities ranged from being one of four directors to leading month-long canoe trips on the rivers of northern Quebec. Prior to coming to the VYCC, Breck was the Director of Development at Woodbury College.
Outside of work, Breck spends his time thinking about the Red Sox, politics, and potential answers to the Sunday crossword. An avid skier and general outdoor enthusiast, he lives in Huntington with his wife, Margaret and his two daughters, Ada and Frances. Teton the cat and dogs, Percy and Clyde, also provide exceptional company.
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breck.knauft@vycc.org
Jason Buss, Director of Finance and Technology
Jason Buss originally joined the VYCC as a Corps Member in 1999. He worked his way through the ranks at Elmore State Park, serving as an Assistant Park Manager for one season and a Park Manager in 2001 and 2002. After his second season as a Park Manager, Jason ventured to the Turks and Caicos Islands to work as the Site Manager at The School for Field Studies (SFS), a position in which he was responsible for operations, accounting, and facility maintenance. After a two-year stint at SFS, Jason decided to return to Vermont. The VYCC welcomed Jason back into a new position as Program Coordinator. After two seasons supporting parks crews, Jason took on new responsibilities at the VYCC's headquarters, including accounting, budgeting, and being in all around technology and website guru. In late 2008, he became the Director of Finance and Technology. Jason received his B.A. in Environmental Science and Policy and a minor in Biology from the University of Southern Maine.
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Keegan Tierney, Lands and Facility Manager
Keegan grew up in Starksboro, Vermont and attended the University of Vermont where he earned a Bachelors of Science in Wildlife Biology. When not focusing on his academic pursuits Keegan also served as the director of the University's Alternative Spring Break program, worked various construction jobs, and re-discovered his love for skiing. But, it was his interest in service that led him to the AmeriCorps NCCC program in Denver, Colorado where he worked on a variety of projects including teaching adaptive skiing and educating elementary school students at a historic farm museum. Keegan began work with the VYCC in May 2005 as the Crew Manager at Elmore State Park. He has since worked at HQ as the Facilities VISTA, Conservation and Community Leadership (CCL) Program Coordinator, the Program Manager for the CCL program, and is now the Lands and Facilities Manager. Keegan lives in Underhill and when he is not at work you can find him on his skis or in the woods...or both. If not at either of those locations, check the local swing dance.
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Kathleen Coons, School Program Manager
Kathleen has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Saint Michael's College in Vermont. Before arriving at VYCC headquarters, she worked as a Science Teacher with the Mount Mansfield Winter Academy and an Outdoor Educator with YMCA Camps Chingachgook and Widjiwagan. Kathleen has also worked for the Smithsonian National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center as both an Environmental Education Intern and an Ecology Field Crew Intern. She has crew leading experience from the Steamboat Springs Community Youth Corps in Colorado, the Northwest Youth Corps in Oregon, and most recently from the VYCC. In 2006 Kathleen led the VYCC's Montpelier Community Crew and a Wilderness Crew before joining the VYCC Program Staff as a Field Assistant in the winter of 2007. Kathleen was also a Corps Member with VYCC in 2001. For 2009, she will be taking over the reins of the School Program with co-Manager Christina Goodwin! When not working hard at VYCC, you might be able to find her tromping around the woods of Stowe in mud boots or on cross country skis!
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Christina Goodwin, School Program Manager
Christina Goodwin comes to VYCC with an Associate of Arts in Natural Resource Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Conservation Ecology from Sterling College, where she focused on vernal pools and the affects of land management decisions. She has worked on rehabilitating northern raptors and mammals, co-directed the summer camp program at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS), and filled the Assistant Director role at Greensboro Wonder & Wisdom, where she enjoyed helping elementary students develop interpersonal relationships by way of the arts and nature.
She brings many applicable skills and relationships from her previous role as Director for the Lamoille County Natural Resources Conservation District & Nature Center, where she facilitated conservation implementation in Lamoille County and surrounding areas of the Lamoille River watershed. One key component of this work in Lamoille County that brought her to VYCC Headquarters was her committed role as a community sponsor for the Lamoille Union VYCC School Program Crew for three years. Christina has also served as a consulting grant writer, member of the Advisory Committee for the Intervale Conservation Nursery, member of the Steering Committee for Salvation Farms now part of the Vermont Foodbank, and as President for the Vermont Conservation District Employee Association. All of her accomplishments have been possible in collaboration with a multitude of local, state, and federal partners on the conservation landscape and Christina looks forward to applying those relationships to her position with VYCC.
Christina originally came to Vermont in 1998 by way of the Bangor, Maine area and finds herself a relatively new homeowner in Worcester, right down the road from the Mt. Worcester trailhead. She and her daughter Lily are working diligently to maximize vegetable and fruit production (and soon eggs!), with the support of Chestnut the cat and Coolio the goldfish.
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christina.goodwin@vycc.orgCailie Burns, Development Coordinator
Cailie grew up in the small town of Chepachet, RI and lived there until making the move to Colchester, VT in the fall of 2003 to attend Saint Michael College. At SMC, Cailie was a collegiate athlete and heavily involved with the volunteer office and student government. She graduated in 2007 with a B.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in Religious Studies. Cailie’s interest in youth development and leadership led her to the VYCC, where she enthusiastically joined as the Development Coordinator in July of 2009. Prior to the VYCC, Cailie spent two years as the Vermont Network Coordinator with The DREAM Program in Winooski, VT. Currently, she lives in Burlington where you can find her running on the bike path, sitting with a cup of coffee and a good book, or enjoying all the seasonal activities Vermont has to offer.
cailie.burns@vycc.org
Justin Kenney, Operations Coordinator
Justin Kenney grew up in the town of Somerset, Massachusetts. He first came to Vermont in 1999 as a student at the University of Vermont and quickly fell in love with the state's unique natural resources. During the summer following his junior year, he worked as a VYCC Corps Member on the 2002 Burlington Community Crew. A year later, he graduated from UVM with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a concentration in Ecological Design. In 2004, he decided to come back to the VYCC and worked in the office as both a recruitment and administrative assistant. He later accepted a yearlong position as our Operations AmeriCorps VISTA, after which he became a full-time Program Coordinator for the Wilderness and Roving programs. Thanks to Justin, the VYCC has a great new leadership model, which premiered in the summer of 2008. For 2009, he is taking on more responsibilties as the VYCC's new Operations Coordinator.
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Katherine Buell, WRC Program Coordinator
Katherine hails from western Massachusetts and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Wheaton College in Massachusetts. She came to the VYCC in 2004 after a semester with NOLS and a season at Mass Audubon’s Wildwood summer camp. Katherine was a Roving Crew Leader for two seasons, including a session as the USFS Parks Roving Crew Leader at Moosalamoo, and was a member of the first Fall Leadership Crew in 2005. Katherine then took some time away from the VYCC and moved to Seattle to continue her path of crew supervision at EarthCorps and the Washington Conservation Corps, through the Mountains-To-Sound-Greenway Trust. In 2008, she returned to the VYCC to take on the challenges of the Operations Field Assistant AmeriCorps VISTA and is now transitioning into her new role as a full-time Program Coordinator. In this role, she will support the summer Wilderness, Roving, and Community crews through curriculum development, staff hiring, and training. She also has a passion for leadership, as she helped develop the first Leadership Development Crew in 2008 and was the brains behind the All-Female Leadership Development Crew, set to premiere in the 2009 summer season. Katherine loves to be outdoors and completed the 300-mile Long Trail in 2004, but you can also find her knitting, baking, and playing with her kitten, Bridget.
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Abigail Mendenhall, Youth Development Coordinator
Abigail grew up in Middlebury and returned to her native home of Vermont in the fall of 2008. She joined the VYCC shortly after as the Youth Development and LEAP Program Coordinator. Prior to the VYCC, Abigail was a Staffing Coordinator for a firm in Oregon and a Wilderness Therapy Guide for youth and adults at RedCliff Ascent in Southern Utah. Abigail was also a collegiate athlete at Bentley College where she received her Bachelor of Science in Information Design and Corporate Communication. Currently she lives in Burlington with her husband Chris and is thrilled to be continuing her love of outdoor education and leadership development here at the VYCC.
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abigail.mendenhall@vycc.org
Kristin Smith, Communications Coordinator
Kris grew up in the small town of Jackson, MO on the banks of the Mississippi River. Although fond of the Missouri heat and humidity, she became hooked on Vermont while attending and working at her aunt’s summer camp, Camp Betsey Cox, in Pittsford, VT. She graduated from Middlebury College with a B.A. in Film and Media Culture Studies and a focus in African film. In addition to this niche interest, she is also passionate about environmental justice and conservation issues, which led her to the VYCC in the Fall of 2008 as the Administrative Coordinator. In 2010, she transitioned into a new role as Communications Coordinator. At the office, she keeps up the VYCC website, works on various printed communication projects, writes grants, and drinks endless cups of coffee. When not at the VYCC, she can be found running along the Burlington waterfront, attempting to xc ski, and hiking anywhere and everywhere.
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kristin.smith@vycc.org
Eliza Kenigsberg, Field Assistant
Eliza returns to the VYCC after graduating with a B.A. in Environmental Studies from NYU in December and traveling through India for nearly 3 months. In between summer programs and college semesters, Eliza worked at Clear Brook Organic Farm, interned at the Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education, and volunteered as a Farm Educator at Added Value in Brooklyn, NY. As a previous VYCC Corps Member on a Roving Crew in 2003 and a Crew Leader in 2007, she is excited to transition into a role at VYCC Headquarters as a WRC Field Assistant. Aside from donning her VYCC duds, Eliza loves bicycling, rollerblading, exploring ethnic eateries, and is looking forward to getting more involved in Vermont’s food justice movement.
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eliza.kenigsberg@vycc.org
Ry Parcell, Field Assistant
Ry comes to the VYCC from Franklin County, Virginia and received his Bachelor of Science in Parks & Recreation Management from Virginia Commonwealth University. He started at the VYCC in 2008 as a CCL Crew Leader at North Hero State Park. As a Crew Leader, Ry practiced his trail work and leadership development skills he earned from Mile High Youth Corps in Denver, Colorado, where he served as a Corps Member and Assistant Crew Leader in 2006. As a Trails Technician with Jefferson County Open Space in Golden, Colorado in 2007/2008, Ry was able to further hone is technical abilities. These experiences served him well when he came back to the VYCC in early spring of 2009 as a Field Assistant with the Wilderness, Roving, and Community Program. In September of 2009, Ry made the transition from Field Assistant to Program Coordinator with VYCC’s Conservation Program. When Ry isn’t working, he enjoys reading, canning, gardening, cooking, hunting, and having some real outdoor fun with his three cats Percy, Lula, and the slightly more insane but still awesome Bridget.
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ry.parcell@vycc.org
Timothy Birmingham, School Program Coordinator
Tim is a born and raised Vermonter. He graduated from Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont, with an undergraduate degree in Political Science and has just finished his Master of Arts in Education with a self-designed focus in Adventure Learning from Plymouth State University. Tim has experience working with the public school system and has also taught and run programs for private schools and at the college level. Tim has a passion for the outdoors and is a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School, the Tom Brown Jr. Wilderness Survival School, and is also a recognized Long Trail thru hiker. After spending his first year at the VYCC as a School Crew Leader for Mount Mansfield, he is excited to transition into the role of School Program Coordinator at Headquarters. When not at the VYCC, Tim spends his time fly fishing, skiing, hunting, hiking or playing with his dog, Otter.
(802) 434 – 3969
tim.birmingham@vycc.org
Heather Moore, Project Specialist
Profile coming soon!
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heather.moore@vycc.org
Chris Ricker, Conservation Intern
Profile coming soon!
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chris.ricker@vycc.org
Kristin Freeman, Administrative Coordinator
Profile coming soon!
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kristin.freeman@vycc.org
Jason Rhoades, Park Field Assistant
Profile coming soon!
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jason.rhoades@vycc.org
Mary McQuiggan, Field Assistant
Profile coming soon!
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mary.mcquiggan@vycc.org
Tiffany Soukup, Field Assistant
Profile coming soon!
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tiffany.soukup@vycc.org
Don Bicknell, Volunteer Extraordinaire
Don Bicknell is a retired Waterbury senior with 5 years of volunteer work for the VYCC. Don grew up in Bellows Falls, VT and worked for IBM, the VT Sheltered Workshop from 1957-1971, and the State of Vermont's Waterbury offices from 1972-1995. Don is truly invaluable to the organization. He takes on projects that enable numerous outreach and communications efforts. Don is also essential to office conservation allowing the reuse of numerous supplies. He volunteers whenever asked and is known for staying until the job is done! Don has one of the best attitudes in the world; he keeps us all smiling. Outside of the VYCC Don is very involved in the community. He volunteers at the State Hospital library three days a week, is active in the Waterbury Grange, the Waterbury Historical Society, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and the Council on Aging in the town of Waterbury. When you come to our headquarters office make sure to meet the man who deserves the title Volunteer Extraordinaire.
Max, Office Pooch
Max is a lovable, curly-tailed 5 year old dog whose ancestors come from a variety of dog breeds. He was rescued from North Country Animal League in June of 2007 and is adjusting quite wonderfully to his cush new life spent tromping the woods of Stowe and all of the Northeast. Max roams from sun-spots to secret hiding places under desks during the day and brightens visitor’s hearts with a quick waggle of his tail. Though he presents a serious disposition, once you get him on the trail, the inner puppy shines through and he’ll never let you turn back to go home!