Speaker Bios
Keynote Speaker, Brian Donahue, PhD
Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands, and Communities: A Conservation Vision for New England
We live in one of the most densely populated and one of the most densely forested parts of the world. Can New England – or the Northeast – reasonably feed itself? Well, no – there are too many people; there’s not enough farmland; and the forest is too valuable. But we could grow more of our food within the region and realize significant social and environmental benefits. Our keynote speaker, Dr. Brian Donahue of Brandeis University, will discuss how we might balance the values of wild forest, sustainable wood production, local food, and thriving communities.
Brian Donahue, PhD, is an associate professor of American Environmental Studies at Brandeis University and the director of the Brandeis Environmental Studies Program. He was the lead co-author of A New England Food Vision (2014) which examines the ability of New England to produce 50% of its own food by the year 2060, in order to support healthy food for all, viable farming and fishing, protected soils, forests and waterways, and thriving communities. He is also co-author of Wildlands and Woodlands: A Vision for the New England Landscape (2010), which calls for a deliberate, long-term conservation effort to retain at least 70% of the region in forestland, which would nurture a vibrant forest economy, support continued recreational uses, help ensure clean and abundant water, furnish a continental-scale wildlife habitat corridor, and provide a globally important source of renewable energy and carbon sequestration – key factors in slowing the rate of climate change.
Donahue teaches courses on sustainable farming and forestry, early American culture, environmental issues and environmental history. His main research interests are the history and prospects of human engagement with the land, especially in New England. His publications have received acclamation and many awards, especially his books, Reclaiming the Commons: Community Farms and Forests in a New England Town (1999) and The Great Meadow: Farmers and the Land in Colonial Concord (2004).
Donahue co-founded and for twelve years directed Land’s Sake, a community farm in Weston, Massachusetts, and was director of education at The Land Institute in Salina, Kansas. He and his family co-own and operate Bascom Hollow Farm in Gill, MA, which raises pastured beef and pork, pumpkins, timber, and bobolinks.
Delivering keynote address, Monday, August 14th at 11:00am.
Chuck Ross
Chuck Ross is the Director of Extension at the University of Vermont (UVM). Before UVM, he was the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets for the State of Vermont for six years. While Secretary, he was elected the President of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA). Prior to being Secretary, he worked as State Director for U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy for 16 years. He has also served as a Vermont State Representative for three terms. Throughout his career, Chuck has helped manage his family’s farming businesses. He holds a BA and Masters in Geography from UVM and University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
Presenting during lunch on Monday.
Laura DiPietro
Laura DiPietro is the Agricultural Resource Management Deputy Director at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets where she manages the water quality technical assistance, financial assistance and regulatory programs. She holds a Master of Science degree in Plant and Soil Science from the University of Vermont and a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry at the State University of New York. Presenting during Monday’s Breakout Session 1; The Stick and the Carrot—Water Quality Policies and Programs in Vermont.
Vermont Representative David Deen
Vermont Representative David Deen of Westminster, Windham County, Democrat, was born in Abington, Pennsylvania, on December 20, 1944, and became a resident of Westminster in 1972. He serves as the River Steward for the Connecticut River Watershed Council. He graduated from Stamford High School, Stamford, Connecticut; University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut (chemistry major, English minor, 1968 no degree); Antioch New England Graduate School (MS, environmental science, 1996). He is a member of Trout Unlimited, Bass Anglers Association, Vermont American Civil Liberties Union, Ducks Unlimited, Atlantic Salmon Association, International Game Fish Association, Vermont River Conservancy, Vermont Community Foundation, Common Cause of Vermont, and Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center. He has served in the Vermont legislature since 1987.
Presenting during Monday’s Breakout Session 1; The Stick and the Carrot—Water Quality Policies and Programs in Vermont.
Julie Moore
Julie Moore is the Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, the state agency with primary responsibility for protecting and sustaining Vermont’s environment, natural resources, wildlife and forests, and for maintaining Vermont’s beloved state parks. Moore was named to that position by Governor Phil Scott in January 2017. Before her appointment, Moore worked as the Water Resources Group Leader at Stone Environmental, an environmental consulting firm headquartered in Montpelier, Vermont. She has led a variety of watershed planning and assessment projects, and has a deep understanding of water quality concerns associated with runoff from developed land and agricultural areas, as well as stream channel processes and flooding. Moore has diverse experience engaging the public in watershed management programs and activities. Prior to joining Stone in 2011, Moore spent seven years at the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) where she led the state’s efforts to reduce phosphorus pollution in Lake Champlain. In that role, she coordinated a multi-million dollar budget and grant allocations, and served as the primary Agency liaison to related programs at the agencies of Agriculture, Food & Markets and Transportation, and routinely provided testimony to the Vermont Legislature. Moore built and maintained strong partnerships with nonprofit organizations, conservation districts, regional planning commissions, and local government officials to extend the efficacy and reach of state programs. Moore earned a B.S. in civil engineering, cum laude, from the University at Buffalo and an M.S. in environmental science and policy from the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University. She is a registered professional engineer in Vermont and New Hampshire. She currently resides in Middlesex, Vermont with her husband, Aaron, and their two children.
Presenting during Monday’s Breakout Session 1; The Stick and the Carrot—Water Quality Policies and Programs in Vermont.
Hilary Solomon
Hilary Solomon has served as manager of Vermont’s Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District since 2014. She graduated from Duke University with a Master’s in Water Resources and worked for the Ohio EPA and Ross County SWCD for three years before moving to Vermont. She worked as the watershed coordinator for the Poultney Mettowee Watershed Partnership from 2004-2008, and returned to the District in 2012 as the Water Quality Specialist. She has extensive experience collecting, managing, and interpreting field data, and has participated in numerous water quality assessments including chemical water quality monitoring in Vermont, Ohio, and Washington.
Presenting during Monday’s Breakout Session 1; The Stick and the Carrot—Water Quality Policies and Programs in Vermont.
Gina DeMarco
Gina DeMarco has served as the Manager of Northern Rhode Island Conservation District for 27 years. The primary focus of her career has been developing methods of outreach and education to protect water quality from non-point source and stormwater run-off pollution. Managing and reducing agricultural run-off at its source is key in NRICD's involvement with an innovative project, The Regional Compost Feasibility Study and Pilot Project, which she will discuss.
Presenting during the first breakout session, Program Innovations, on Monday at 1:30 p.m.
Michael Middleman
Michael Middleman has been working as a Water Quality Specialist and Partner Liaison at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) since 2012. Previously, he has worked as a GIS specialist for the Poultney-Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District, as Soil Conservation Technician at NRCS, and as a Conservation Planner/ Agricultural Resource Specialist at VACD. In his role at the VAAFM, he manages the newly launched Vermont Environmental Stewardship Program (VESP), is the agency contact for the agricultural component of Tactical Basin Plans, leads efforts to track and account for nutrient reductions associated with implemented agricultural best management practices, is the project manager for the new Agricultural BMP Geospatial Partner’s Database, and is VAAFM’s representative to the Natural Resources Conservation Council. He graduated in 2010 from Green Mountain College with a Bachelor’s in Conservation Biology, received a graduate certificate in Ecological Economics from the Gund Institute at UVM in 2017, and is planning to finish his Masters in Public Administration at UVM in the Spring of 2018. When not working, Michael enjoys hiking, reading, brewing beer, playing music, and birding.
Presenting during the first breakout session, Program Innovations, on Monday at 1:30 p.m.
Fletcher "Kip" Potter III
Fletcher “Kip” Potter III has worked with NRCS in Colchester, Vermont, for 27 years serving as a resource conservationist and most recently as a water quality specialist. He provides technical assistance in the areas of water quality, environmental compliance, and conservation planning. Most recently, his work has focused on edge-of-field monitoring, testing and applying the new Resource Stewardship tool, and developing a targeted watershed planning approach to help protect and improve water quality in the Lake Champlain Basin. Kip earned degrees in Environmental Studies (B.A), Natural Resource Planning (M.S) and Forest Hydrology (Ph.D.) He worked for eight years as a Research Technician with UVM and Pennsylvania State College collecting meteorological and hydrological data, and served two years as a UVM Research Associate studying the effects of agricultural best management practices on water quality.
Presenting during the first breakout session, Program Innovations, on Monday at 1:30 p.m.
Eric Hansen
Eric Hansen is the Northeast Region Representative and Policy Specialist at the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD). He works with the government affairs team to represent America’s 3,000 conservation districts and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. He also works NACD’s Northeastern states, ensuring they are supported at the national level. Previously, he led the National Young Farmers Coalition’s (NYFC) federal policy work where he primarily focused on access to credit, farmland transition, and agricultural easement programs. He also held a fellowship with the Senate Agriculture Committee during the development and passage of the 2014 Farm Bill. Eric holds a bachelor’s degree from Colby College and a master’s from Duke University in environmental policy.
Presenting during Monday’s Breakout Session 2: Policy—Farm Bill and US Ag Budget 101
William G. Howland
William G. Howland was the director of the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) based in Grand Isle, Vermont, from 1999 until 2016. Bill has B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Vermont and a Ph.D. from McGill University specializing in biophysical remote sensing and terrain analysis in arctic and subarctic regions. His research, teaching experience and publications include biophysical remote sensing and terrain modeling, ecological biogeography, physical geography and arctic field studies. He was Director of the Northern Studies Program on the faculty of Middlebury College (VT) for a decade, followed by five years as Executive Director of Green Mountain Audubon Society. He lives in Isle La Motte, Vermont.
Presenting at Monday evening’s Lake Champlain Dinner Cruise, “A Brief History of Lake Champlain”