Board of Trustees

Officers

Trustees

President: Julie Elmore, Westford

Administrator and Communications Director, Sudan Development Fund

VPIRG board member since 2009. Julie Elmore lives in Westford, Vermont where she and her husband Rich raised their five children. She is the Administrator and Communications Director for Sudan Development Foundation, (SUDEF) a Burlington based non-profit that brings health resources, community development and educational services to Southern Sudan. She is a certified EMT and volunteered with Essex Rescue for 7 years and served two terms as Vice-President on Essex Rescue’s Board of Directors. She is a member of the Westford Energy Committee and the Green-UP day coordinator for her community. Previously she served as Chair of the Westford School Board. Julie has been an active supporter of VPIRG’s efforts to create safe, green energy and a universal and financially sustainable health care system for Vermont.

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Treasurer: Mathew Rubin, Montpelier

President of Spruce Mt. Design

VPIRG board member since 1984. Mathew is the President of Spruce Mountain Design where he is engaged in run-of-river hydro project operations and energy conservation work. Mathew is also President of East Haven Windfarm, a small commercial wind energy project. He has previously developed, and continues to own and operate, three small hydroelectric power plants in Vermont, and has consulted on the development of numerous other hydro projects in New York and New England. Mr. Rubin has served on the boards of directors of a wide array of community and civic organizations including Renewable Energy Vermont, the Vermont Independent Power Producers Association, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and the Vermont Public Interest Research Group.

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Secretary: Crea Lintilhac, Shelburne

Director of the Lintilhac Foundation

VPIRG board member since 1998. A graduate of Skidmore College with an MA in Geology from University of Vermont, Crea serves on the Lake Champlain Advisory Council at UVM and is involved with Lake Champlain research studies at UVM and Middlebury College. Crea serves on the Conservation and Research Foundation at Connecticut College and is involved in historic preservation, conservation and education projects and programs in Vermont. Crea is a Director of the Lintilhac Foundation.

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Barbarina Heyerdahl, Shelburne

Mother, educator and activist

A VPIRG board member since 2011, Barbarina Heyerdahl is a citizen activist, lobbyist, and funder engaged in climate change, sustainable agriculture, and community resilience projects. She is particularly interested in how citizens and government can work collaboratively to address challenging environmental problems. Her love of nature and interest in humanity’s relationship with the natural systems that support us was enhanced by her BA in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic. For the past few years her “day job” has been full-time mother of her four children, but over the past 25 years she has worked at environmental organizations, run an organic vegetable farm, and been a parenting educator and fund raiser at Waldorf Schools in Maine and Vermont. Her activism includes giving public talks, organizing awareness raising events, and lobbying the US Congress and Vermont Legislature. She is a member of the Democratic National Committee’s National Advisory Board and a founding member of Climate Champions, a group of politically active funders lobbying the US Senator to pass climate legislation. She is also a member of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Global Leadership Council and Action Fund Board. In addition she is active in the international grassroots Transition Town movement which helps individual communities reduce their energy usage and carbon footprint. She lives in Shelburne, Vermont with her husband and four children.

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Biff Mithoefer, Dorset

Author and Yoga Teacher

VPIRG board member since 1995. Biff Mithoefer has taught yoga at Nosara Yoga Institute in Costa Rica, Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, and at workshops in Vermont, Hawaii, and California. He is a 500-hour Yoga Alliance registered teacher, has studied shamanism. Previously, Biff was the President of East Mountain Environmental Services, engaged in the development of large-scale organic waste composting projects and is the former President and owner of East Mountain Transport, a solid waste handling, transportation, and recycling company.

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Dan Brush, Woodbury

President Emeritus, Vermont AFL-CIO

VPIRG board member since 2008. Daniel L. Brush, his wife Cassandra and their three children live in Woodbury, VT. Dan was born in Burlington and is the son of a Congregational Minister. He’s a Graduate of the Vermont Police Academy, The George Meany Center for Labor Studies, Wentworth Institute, and has an Associates Degree in Computer Electronics Design. Dan is the Political Director for Local One – L of the Amalgamated Lithographers of America, of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. He is also President Emeritus of the Vermont AFL-CIO and Past President of Local 745 of the former Capital City Press of Montpelier. He currently serves on the Vermont Commission on International Trade and State Sovereignty, and on the Teamster’s Human Rights Commission.

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Dr. Joel Miller, Burlington

Psychologist

VPIRG board member since 2000. Dr. Miller is a professional psychologist with over 30 years of diverse experience in clinical, forensic and management psychology. Dr. Miller first became interest in public policy issues in the early 1970’s while serving as a full time consultant and advisor to the white House Special Action Office For Drug Abuse Prevention. A pioneer and authority in addiction treatment and prevention, Dr. Miller participated in the design of innovative treatment and management systems for federally funded treatment centers and prevention initiatives throughout the United States. In Addition to VPIRG Board responsibilities, Dr. Miller is a founding trustee and active Board member of the Child Care Fund of Vermont. Currently in clinical practice and management consulting, Dr Miller resides in Burlington with his wife Hinda and their two children.

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Dr. Michael Scollins, South Burlington

Retired Doctor of Internal Medicine

Dr. Scollins is a retired primary care internist who practiced medicine in Vermont for 35 years. He spent 20 years in his own practice at Aesculapius Medical Center in South Burlington, before joining forces with Fletcher Allen Health Care (FAHC) – a partnership that last an additional 15 years. Mike is a former President of FAHC medical staff and spent time as one of their attending physicians. He also served as a Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at UVM College of Medicine. Mike has a special interest in cardiovascular prevention, adverse drug reactions, innovative models for health care delivery and cost control. He joined VPIRG as a trustee in 2010.

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Drew Hudson, Columbia, SC

Executive Director at Environmental Action and Founding Partner at PowerThru Consulting

A VPIRG board member since 2008, Drew describes himself as a cat-herder, wrangler of impossible coalitions, and developer of complex communications and field campaigns. His consulting confab specializes in helping candidates and campaigns identify the messages and tools to effectively mobilize people in pursuit of peace, justice and sustainability — from simple websites to massive voter mobilization and everything in between. Recent clients have included Greenpeace, TrueMajority.org, USAction and others. Drew built his skills in political organizing and communications as a fellow at MoveOn.org, Field Director for the Symington for Governor Campaign and at VPIRG, where he served as Field and Communications Director from 2003-2008. Before settling in Vermont, Drew worked for the State PIRGs and their affiliates in Maryland, Georgia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of the Green Corps Field School for Environmental Organizing and New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study.

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Duane Peterson, Essex Junction

Co-Director SunCommon

VPIRG board member since 1998. Duane is a social entrepreneur with an eclectic 35-year career in socially responsible business, campaign management, government service and community involvement.  He moved his family from California in 1996 to Vermont where he worked as Chief of Stuff at Ben & Jerry’s for 12 years getting to execute Ben Cohen’s creative vision.  Committed to advancing values-led business models, he’s a member of the national Social Venture Network, Vermont Venture Network and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility.  He also serves on the Boards of the HowardCenter and USAction. Duane co-directs SunCommon, a solar venture modeled after VPIRG’s highly successful solar communities program.

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Ed Flanagan, Burlington

Former Vermont State Senator

VPIRG board member since 2000. For more than ten years, Ed Flanagan has been an active participant in grassroots Democratic Party organizations, serving on the state committee, the Party’s executive committee, and as past chair of the Burlington Democrats and as a member of the Chittenden County Democratic Committee. He also serves as Vermont’s lone Democratic National Committee representative. He has a B.A. in history and political science from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

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Floyd Nease, Johnson

Executive Director, Vermont Association for Mental Health

VPIRG board member since 2011. Floyd Nease joined the board of VPIRG after serving four full terms in the Vermont House of Representatives, where he served for six years in leadership positions including Majority Leader for the 2009-2010 session. Prior to his service in the State House, Floyd had a distinguished career in social services and teaching, including ten years as the Executive Director of Laraway Youth and Family Services and five years as Director of Internal Development for Washington County Developmental and Mental Health Services. He currently serves on the boards of Voices for Vermont’s Children and the Central Vermont Community Action Council, both of whom VPIRG has collaborated with in recent years.

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Mark Sinclair, Waitsfield

Vice President, Clean Energy Group

VPIRG board member since 2004. Mark Sinclair is Vice President and Deputy Director of the Clean Energy Group (CEG), a nonprofit organization established in 1998 to increase the use of cleaner energy technologies in the U.S. and abroad through creative financing, business partnerships, public policy and advocacy. Prior to his work with CEG, Mark was Vice President and senior attorney with Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), a New England-based regional environmental organization, and directed CLF’s Vermont advocacy center for ten years. He has also served as General Counsel to the State of Vermont’s environmental agency. Mark has practiced environmental and energy law for twenty years. Before becoming an attorney, he worked as a park ranger with the National Park Service. Mark attended Williams College and Cornell Law School and now serves on the board of directors for several environmental organizations.

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