Working and learning together

Wendy has over 32 years of financial services experience. She is a founding partner of Champlain Investment Partners and oversees compliance and operations at the firm. Prior to joining Champlain, Wendy was a Registered Principal at Equity Services, Inc., where she managed the home office operations of the broker-dealer. Prior to that, she spent 14 years at Scudder Kemper Investments. In her most recent role at Scudder Kemper, Wendy was Vice President of The Regulatory Oversight Group; her group was responsible for all non-routine regulatory interactions, oversight of the Code of Ethics, as well as the compliance audit function. Wendy also held management positions in distributor and advisor compliance and investment operations. Wendy graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Vermont and earned her Masters of Business Administration degree from Boston University. Wendy currently serves on the boards of University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business, Green Mountain Adaptive Sports, and Vermont Youth Conservation Corps.

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John has spent the last 17 years working in executive positions with two of Vermont’s premier family-owned food businesses. As CEO of Butternut Mountain Farm John led a team that significantly expanded that business and the promotion of Vermont Maple Syrup. Most recently John was the COO and CFO of Lake Champlain Chocolates, joining at the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic. At Lake Champlain Chocolates John worked with an executive team to address the pandemic and position the business for continued growth. Prior to these roles in finance and operations John was a CPA and commercial banker, most recently at KeyBank of Vermont. His experience in public accounting and commercial finance provided a wealth of experience and a broad overview of business and organizational management. John enjoys working with mission driven organizations seeking to do business the right way by focusing on the well-being of employees, community, and environment. John is a graduate of the University of Connecticut where he earned a BS in Accounting. He also earned a MS in Finance from Bentley College. He is an advisory board member to Lawson’s Finest Liquids and Lake Champlain Chocolates. He is a volunteer member of the Investment Committee of the Flexible Capital Fund (an investment fund of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund). John and his wife, Diane, and their dog, Luke, live in Hinesburg, Vermont where they enjoy working on their property, hiking, and Nordic skiing. Their favorite times are with family sharing a good meal or around the firepit sharing stories.

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Craig Ross, a 7^th generation Vermonter received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Vermont.  Over the years, he has held senior Finance positions in both public and private companies.  With his lifelong passion of helping others, he founded engageCFO in 2018, a fractional outsourced finance and accounting firm.  Through engageCFO, Craig and his team assist business owners across the globe solve financial and operational challenges throughout the business life cycle. Craig currently lives in South Burlington with his wife Christina and their three daughters.  In their free time, they enjoy spending time outdoors biking, hiking, boating, camping, traveling, and just enjoying what nature has to offer. Craig was drawn to VYCC because the mission and core values align with the Ross family beliefs and values.  Build and respect our community by helping others, enjoy and protect what nature offers, and do our part in building a better tomorrow for our children.

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Ezra joins the VYCC board after being a Project Lead with the Food and Farm Program in 2019, and participating in the Racial Equity Leadership Team in 2022. He is eager to continue to support an organization that has been so pivotal in his professional and personal growth. Having grown up near VYCC and hearing lore from his mom who served with the Vermont Conservation Corps in 1975 and 1976, you could say it was only appropriate that VYCC is again a part of Ezra’s life. Currently living in NYC, Ezra is the Greenmarket Operations Manager for GrowNYC. He supports a team that oversees over 45 producer only farmers markets through the city that support more than 200 farmers, bakers, and food business owners. Ezra enjoys being able to visit markets and neighborhood throughout the 5 boroughs! In his free time he enjoys biking and finding the city’s best fried chicken sandwich!

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August Tallmadge has a long history with VYCC, first coming to the Richmond barn when he was five years old and his older brother was joining a Youth Camping Crew. Since then, August has had various roles from Crew Member, to Crew Leader, to Field Supervisor. Now, as Conservation Program Coordinator, August brings a diverse skillset and life experiences to the Conservation team. In addition to his work with VYCC, August has a degree in Economics with a minor in Arabic, has lived in Jordan, and runs marathons.  His passion for the outdoors shows through his love of hiking, fungi and gardening. In his free time August also loves to read, paint, and of course run. He is excited to bring his love of cooking and knowledge of trail work to Conservation crews and VYCC Staff.

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Debbie Archer is a lover of learning by following your curiosity, which is really helpful for her work as an environmental educator. She earned her BS in Biology from James Madison University in Virginia and MS in Environmental Science from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs.  She gained experience in outdoor education working as an educator, naturalist, and camp program manager at environmental education camps in Alaska and California. She got into this field while serving with AmeriCorps, first as a Youth Crew Leader with Southeast Alaska Guidance Association in 2012. She is currently the Education Program Manager for Audubon Vermont where she has worked since 2015. Debbie lives in central Vermont with her partner Ira, their dog, cats, and chickens. She enjoys hiking, birding, and cross-country skiing at a thoughtful pace

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John Ashworth is the CEO and Managing Principal of Bull Stockwell Allen, an award-winning, internationally recognized architecture, planning, and interior design firm based in Boston and San Franciso. With an Art and Architectural History degree from Harvard and a Master of Architecture degree from Princeton, John has used his education and experience to develop broad understanding of our built environment in relation to nature and place. John’s love for Vermont comes from his involvement in major projects throughout New England including the expansion of the historic Mount Washington Hotel, the Rosebrook Lodge at Bretton Woods, as well as the master planning and realization of Stowe’s Spruce Peak Village. Individual projects at Stowe include Spruce Camp, the Adventure Center, the Stowe’s Alpine Club and Residences, One Spruce Peak, the Tree House, the “Whistle Pig” pavilion and the village’s core Village Green and seasonal ice rink. The Village won a “Best Places of Vermont” award in 2023. John has a home and lives part time in Craftsbury Common.

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Mallory has been serving in the conservation corps world since 2018. She got her start right here with the VYCC! After graduating with an environmental biology degree from Appalachian State University, she decided to get out of her home state of North Carolina. While Mallory got her start as a Conservation Crew Leader with VYCC, the next season she crew led for the Montana Conservation. Following her term in Montana, she found herself in a program staff position as a Field Training Coordinator with the Northwest Youth Corps in Oregon and Washington as well as their sister corps, the Idaho Conservation Corps! In 2021, Mallory decided to be closer to family and friends and moved back home. She is currently a Program Coordinator with Conservation Corps North Carolina! During her time with VYCC, Mallory fell in love with conservation corps work and the growth that service can bring into young people’s lives. She is so excited to serve the conservation corps world in this capacity, especially with the corps where she got her start. When she’s not in the world of conservation corps, you’ll find her curled up with a good book, on a hike, or in the best local coffee shop. 

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Cheryl (Cherie) Morse is a long-time admirer of VYCC. Serving as a day crew leader in 1988 and 1989 sparked an enduring interest in how hands-on embodied work can bring us into better relationship to ourselves, our community, and our places. She now collaborates with VYCC through the Fellowship for Restoration Ecologies and Cultures, a year-long program for undergraduates at the University of Vermont (UVM). Cherie is Associate Professor of Geography at UVM and is affiliated with the Environmental Studies major, the Gund Institute, the Institute for Agroecology, and Food Systems Graduate Program. A rural geographer, her work is concerned with how people perceive, co-produce and experience rural places. Her recent research is on climate and environmental migration to Vermont and other locations in the US. For fun she officiates women’s lacrosse, gardens, and finds as many interesting ways as possible to get into Vermont’s landscapes. She lives in Underhill.

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Beth is Head of Corporate Communications and Community Relations at National Life Group, where she also oversees the National Life Group Foundation. She focuses on strengthening employee and community engagement and co-founded the Do Good Fest benefit concert series, which has raised millions of dollars to support at-risk neighbors. Previously, Beth held leadership roles in marketing, branding, and public relations. She has served on the boards of the Vermont Foodbank, Preservation Trust of Vermont, and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR). In her free time, Beth enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends.

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George Russell is an 8th generation Vermonter who left the state for college and returned in 2009 to be close to family and his roots. His corporate career involved selling and servicing products used by farmers and contractors both in North America and globally. He is founder of Machinery Advisors Consortium whose several independent consultants advise machinery manufacturers and their dealers in North and South America, and Europe. His corporate leadership positions have been in marketing, product development, strategic and business planning, and international dealer sales management. He and his wife Judy lived and managed for Case and CNH Industrial in Italy and France, where he was last Regional Vice President of Sales and Marketing for construction equipment in Europe, Africa, Middle East and CIS. His history honors thesis at Harvard was about agricultural development in Addison Country and his MBA from Chicago was in Strategic Marketing. He lives in downtown Burlington and serves on several local boards including The Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History in Middlebury, which provides the opportunity to check on the family farm in New Haven dating back to 1788. The Vermont legacy and future is his driver to help VYCC deliver on its mission.

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Paul is excited to join VYCC as a board member and to use his prior corps experience in service to VYCC’s mission. As early as 1998 and continuing until 2015 (with a little break to experience Alaska), Paul served as a VYCC staff member in various roles such as Field Assistant, Conservation Program Director, Operations Director and Chief Operating Officer. His VYCC experience is in addition to leadership experiences with other corps organizations across the country including the Northwest Youth Corps, Arizona Conservation Corps, and Conservation Legacy. He emphatically believes in the positive impact of the “corps” experience on young people and the environment. In 2023, Paul joined the National Forest Foundation as Senior Director of Conservation Programs, supporting conservation, stewardship, and program development with the regional field programs in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Northern California, New England, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York. Recently he transitioned to Associate Vice President of Conservation Programs and is focusing on NFF programs in the Pacific region, from the Cleveland National Forest in Southern California up to the Chugach National Forest in Alaska. Paul lives in Central Vermont with his partner JJ (a VYCC alum herself) and their three Setters. When he’s not exploring the Vermont forests with the dogs, he enjoys working on the abundance of projects critical to care for a rural Vermont property.  

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Jason has been involved with VYCC for over 15 years as a volunteer and friend of the organization. Jason’s professional career began as a physicist before transitioning to being a professional investor.  He has over 16 years of financial services experience, most recently with Champlain Investment Partners where he was a partner and quantitative analyst on the investment team. Prior to joining CIP Jason was a Vice President and Quantitative Analyst at Dwight Asset Management. Jason lives in Underhill, Vermont where he keeps himself very busy as a stay-at-home dad trying to keep up with his two sons and as a ski patroller at Smugglers Notch Ski Resort. In the winter he is an avid backcountry skier, and in the summertime, you will often find him mountain biking and building bike trails for the Brewster River Mountain Bike Club. Jason was previously on the board of directors of the Catamount Trail Association where he served as the Treasurer and member of the Executive Committee. Jason graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Physics from Middlebury College and earned a Masters of Science and a PhD in Physics from the University of Chicago.

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Anne Adler, a graduate of Wheaton College (Norton, MA) and Boston College Law School, practiced securities law for 15 years. While raising 5 sons and a daughter she did volunteer work and then became webmaster for an independent day school from 2002-2010 working with the communications, alumni and development teams. Her volunteer work included serving on multiple boards acting as counsel and/or overseeing the organization’s website, including being President/Board Chair of The Keewaydin Foundation based in Salisbury, VT.  Anne has also served on the parents boards of her children’s schools, the Junior League, and Women of Vision.

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