Jill has nearly thirty years of non-profit management and sustainable development experience, mostly overseas. She lived and worked in Thailand and Cambodia for eleven years, managing relief and development programs for several organizations. She returned to the US to attend graduate school, where she earned two masters degrees – one in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, and the other in Economics from Boston University. After graduate school, Jill moved to one of her favorite places – Vermont – where she worked for eleven years at the Institute for Sustainable Communities managing civic participation and sustainable development programs. After traveling the world, Jill began learning more about conservation and community development in Vermont and in the beautiful Mad River Valley, where she lives and facilitates sustainable agriculture initiatives. Jill is particularly interested in supporting local food production and building bridges between different segments of the community. 

The manager and bookkeeper of our virtual office is the current business office manager of Black River Design Architects. Carrie Youngblood is a graduate of the University of Michigan and has lived in Vermont for more than 30 years. Her previous office/financial positions have included the non-profits Downstreet Housing, VPIRG, Heaton Woods Assisted Living Facility, and Turtle Island Children's Center, as well as four years at Solar Works (now Real Good Solar). Carrie lives in Montpelier and is active in the United Church of Christ, currently a member of Bethany Church, Montpelier, and is serving on the Board of Directors of the Vermont Conference, where she will be Moderator of the 2024 Annual Meeting. She is also the Treasurer of the Vermont Philharmonic Orchestra and sings in the Vermont Philharmonic Chorus. 

Born and raised in Rockland, Maine, Troy grew up enjoying life on the ocean as a Rockland High School Tiger dabbling in cross country, track, drama and other theater groups. He also developed a strong passion for guitar and music. After high school he attended Vermont Technical College majoring in Civil Engineering Technology. In the summer months he worked as a Stern-man on a few lobster boats and played guitar in a few professional rock bands. During his senior year at VTC, Troy did work-study for the Vermont Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Councils Vermont Rural Fire Protection Task Force on the Rural Fire Protection initiative. In the spring of 1998, the VT Legislature started funding the Dry Hydrant Grant Program and Troy has worked as the Engineering Technician for that program for 15 years until the RC&D's closed their doors in 2013. Troy has now moved on to become the Rural Fire Protection Program Manager for the VACD to continue the Dry Hydrant Grant Program and help evolve the Rural Fire Protection Program to another level of service & support for Vermont communities & Fire Departments. To date, Troy has helped install nearly 1200 dry hydrants in 235 towns and communities across the state. In 2017, Troy’s daughter Joule Loretta Dare was born and, in the Fall of 2018, he bought a house in Sumner Maine.

Emily was born and raised in Michigan, and took advantage of the state’s natural beauty as soon as she could crawl. She participated in her first citizen science conservation project in 3rd grade, when she went on daily hikes to identify frog and toad calls. While studying at the International Sustainable Development Studies Institute in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Emily discovered her passion for agroecology. This passion grew while she worked as a farmhand on a Certified Naturally Grown vegetable CSA farm. In her previous role as Director of Education at BaySail, Emily worked with conservation districts to deliver water quality outreach and education programs onboard tall ships sailing the Great Lakes. A lover of interdisciplinary learning, Emily’s background in sociology and psychology complements her M.S. in natural resource management, allowing her to effectively connect with and support land stewards. Emily lives with her partner, two dogs, three cats, and countless houseplants. She loves swing dancing and quilting, and is venturing into the world of roller derby. She enjoys all outdoor activities, but feels particularly at home on a sailboat or kayak.

A native Vermonter, Alli was privileged to enjoy her childhood growing up in the Green Mountain State. While camping, hiking, traipsing through bogs and catching frogs, she developed a deep connection to place. Though trips abroad were enticing, Alli always wanted to return to the state she called home. She earned Bachelor’s degrees in Integrated Environmental Science and Wellness and Alternative Medicine from Johnson State College. Her passion for the environment led her to work in hazardous waste remediation, collaborate with farmers on water quality projects as a VACD agricultural resource specialist, and coordinate the NRCS-supported Lake Champlain Regional Conservation Partnership Program and other water quality grants through the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Clean Water Initiative Program. As a mother, she strives to live in close relationship to the land and those who inhabit it, so that her son may develop the same awe, respect and commitment to the special place that Vermont is.

Molly received a B.S. in Marketing Management from Syracuse University in 2008 and is currently one course from completing her Master's in Environmental Science and Policy at Johns Hopkins University. Molly joined the Grand Isle County Natural Resource Conservation District as Project Manager in March and has been combining her business acumen with recent training in conservation to expand the role of the district within the community. Inspired by the unique landscape and culture of the Champlain Islands, Molly hopes to bring new energy and light to issues challenging the county, such as water quality, and aquatic and terrestrial invasives. Her fellow Vermont districts, VACD, and NRCC have guided her through the state's conservation landscape, helping her to now support each in the role of Communications Coordinator. She's looking forward to reinventing her marketing skills to serve an eco-conscious audience. In her short time in Vermont, she's developed a deep connection to the Green Mountain State, spending her free time hiking, discovering new swimming holes, and enjoying the local culture. She is committed to enhancing the vitality of Vermont through both positions.

After graduating from Beloit College with Bachelor of Arts degrees in philosophy and political science, Clare spent four years with an AmeriCorps program as a conservation crew leader and wildland firefighter in Missouri and Montana. During this time, she also acted as an emergency response coordinator, providing leadership in volunteer and data management in the wake of natural disasters across the United States. In 2015, Clare joined the L-A-D Foundation where she managed human resources, finances, and outreach initiatives for one of Missouri’s largest conservation nonprofits. Despite her field-based background, she is, in fact, a “numbers person” who loves the problem-solving power of a beautifully designed spreadsheet. A St. Louis native, Clare married a New Englander in 2017, and both she and her husband are excited to be brand new Vermonters. Outside of work, Clare enjoys hiking, wood working, gardening, and playing old-time fiddle.

Jessica’s career began in the temperate rainforest of the Pacific Northwest, where for two years she led a citizen science program that monitored aquatic macroinvertebrates. A caddisfly lumbering along a stream bed never failed to leave her agape, and she found a home in the quirky and curious human communities that form around natural history. She went on to monitor rare moths in New England pine barrens and wild bees in mid-Atlantic farms; when she returned to school, Jess investigated the impact of mowing regimes on the butterfly diversity of Champlain Valley hayfields. Her career took an administrative turn, and for the last decade Jessica has worked in business, state government and nonprofit administration, mastering strategies for knowledge management and process improvement. She joined VACD in 2022 eager to use the skills and insights of this work to streamline grant administration. Jess is an avid home herbalist and open to trades for intel on secret swimming holes.

The daughter of Canadian immigrants who moved to Vermont to have a better life, Lina was born and raised on a dairy farm in New Haven Junction, VT. There, she learned the value of hard work and developed a deep appreciation and love for Vermont. After attending college and moving to Montana for a few years, she returned home and worked as operations manager for a small cottage industry which brought her to the Northeast Kingdom employing home knitters to make specialty sweaters. Other jobs included raising two children, school secretary, managing her own specialty sweater business and working as a freelance bookkeeper for area businesses before being elected Town Clerk and Treasurer for the Town of Walden where she served for 20 years. She loves any activity that will allow her to be outside. Walking/hiking, gardening and building things as well as singing, reading, being creative and at the top of the list is spending time with family.