2025 VPIRG Board Candidates
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A 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, and 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.
Chris Miller is the Senior Vice President of Sustainability at Aspen One, where he leads the company’s efforts to embed sustainability into business strategy and operations—while using Aspen’s voice, influence, and resources to help shape more just and sustainable systems beyond the company. Prior to joining Aspen One, Chris spent 14 years at Ben & Jerry’s, where he was the Global Social Mission Director leading the integration of Ben & Jerry’s progressive values into day-to-day operations, including sustainability strategy, values-led sourcing and supply chain development, and the company’s unique, award-winning model of corporate activism. Before joining Ben & Jerry’s, Chris led the sustainability work at Seventh Generation, the leader in natural non-toxic household and personal care products. He also directed Greenpeace USA’s national climate change campaign and served on the staff of then Congressman Bernie Sanders. Chris also serves as the chair of the board of directors of Car Share Vermont.
Connor is a technology consultant and longtime sustainability advocate with deep ties to Vermont. A Babson College graduate, Connor has spent the past 17 years in technology and consulting and currently serves as a Director of Software Engineering for Slalom Consulting. In addition to his client work, he has led the charge on sustainability for Slalom – he founded the Boston Green Team which has converted the office to 100% renewable energy, introduced composting, streamlined recycling, redefined office-supply purchasing, and much more. From there he moved to helping other offices launch Green Teams and build support for their initiatives, then became a driving voice for Slalom creating its global sustainability team and eventually helped convert all offices to 100% renewable energy. Connor has also served as President of the Board for The Circle School (Harrisburg, PA) since 2009, helping guide the school through the purchase and move to a new campus, the retirement of two founders, a doubling of enrollment, and becoming accessible to families of all incomes.
Dave Rapaport has been a mission driven activist for over 40 years spanning the business, non-profit and government sectors. Most recently, he oversaw regenerative grazing projects to sequester carbon in the soil on multiple continents as Vice President of Global Grasslands for Native, A Public Benefit Corporation. From 2017-2022, Dave was Global Social Mission Officer for Ben & Jerry’s, leading the iconic Vermont based ice cream company’s commitment to be a force for good through the day-to-day impacts of their operations and value chain, and using their influence as a business through activism campaigns promoting progressive social change. Prior to this, he was Vice President of Earth and Community Care for Aveda, where he worked across the business to help drive the pioneering prestige beauty company’s mission to care for the world and strive for environmental leadership and responsibility.
Dave has previously held several leadership positions with green household care products pioneer, Seventh Generation, and his experience also includes business and project development in the renewable energy industry. Before joining the business world, Dave spent two decades in the public policy arena in roles such as Executive Director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group and various senior staff positions with the environmental organization, Greenpeace, including directing their national work on toxic chemicals and pollution prevention.
Diana (pronounced De-ahna) has over two decades of experience developing social change leaders in education, activism, and electoral politics through her work as a trainer and facilitator. She lives in Winooski and represented Chittenden 6-7 in the Vermont House of Representatives from 2014-2020; sitting on the House General committee as the Ranking Member and the assistant leader of the Progressive House caucus. She proudly worked on climate solutions, racial justice bills, and many labor rights bills.
She grew up in Southern California and has called Vermont her home since 2002. Her full time work is now as the Director of Training at Amplify, where she supports leaders from across the US and US territories to grow their leadership to uproot the causes of gender-based violence.In addition to her masters degree in Conflict Transformation from the SIT graduate institute she may one day finish her dissertation in Education, Leadership and Policy from the University of Vermont.
Kristin Warner of Montpelier is currently staff with AFSCME Council 93 and previously served as public policy manager for Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, director of organizing at the Vermont State Employees Association, senior organizer at AFT-VT and SEIU-Nevada.
Kristin has an extensive background as a successful organizer, negotiator, strategist, and advocate. With nearly two decades of work within the labor movement, she is deeply committed to supporting workers in building power over decisions impacting their lives and winning. The foundation of her work has long been the belief that collective action can empower and disrupt and is the only way to achieve meaningful political and social change.
Kristin lives in Montpelier and is a mother to a teenage daughter.
Josie is a third year undergraduate student in the social work program at the University of Vermont, with a political science minor. She has a great interest in public service. Before transferring to UVM, she studied dance at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City.
Josie grew up in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, and has a passion for understanding how we can create a state that is both environmentally conscious, and affordable for our working-class and rural populations. Her work as a field manager on VPIRG’s Democracy Summer canvass campaign has only further sparked her passion for public service.
Marshall is a sophomore at the University of Vermont studying political science with a minor in public communications. For most of his life, he’s lived in Berkshire, Vermont. Throughout his educational career, Marshall has worked to promote change throughout Vermont. He has worked with organizations like the Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network, attended the JFK leadership conference twice, and was the recipient of the 2025 John Lewis Leadership Award from the state of Vermont. In 2025, he worked as a VPIRG canvasser on the Democracy Summer campaign.
Marianne has used her innate entrepreneurial skill over a 30-year career to successfully launch and lead both for-profit and not-for-profit enterprises. As a social entrepreneur, Marianne was a founding member and now serves as a trustee of the Circle School, a Sudbury-inspired democratic school in Harrisburg, PA. She founded her first company at 23, launching the first green real estate development firm in Pennsylvania. Marianne later brought her talents into the areas of electronics, communications technology, and the green energy sector. Marianne currently serves as co-founder of Catalyst Clean Energy Finance, LLC, and co-chair of Vermont’s Energy Action Network’s Capital Mobilization workgroup. Marianne matches her creativity and boundless enthusiasm for entrepreneurship with a deep commitment to identifying and pursuing opportunities to enact meaningful, lasting positive change for the greater good.
Sandra Enman, CPA has focused on tax planning and tax preparation for 37 years. She began her career working for a large local firm transitioning in 1987 to her own business in Williston. With the metamorphosis of her clients through the stages of their lives, she developed a special interest in trusts and estates along with charitable strategies. One of her main volunteer commitments is teaching trusts and estates at the UVM Tax School each year. In 2016, her company merged with A.M. Peisch & Company, LLP in Colchester. She is a member of the Vermont Society of CPAs and the Vermont Tax Practitioners Association.
Sandra has been a longtime supporter of VPIRG and most recently has contributed her family business, Sleepy Hollow Inn Ski & Bike Center, LLC in Huntington to host the weekend canvasser directors’ training in the spring and a two-day all-staff retreat in late September.
