VPIRG Board of Trustees

Officers
Duane Peterson | Richard Watts | Mathew Rubin | Crea Lintilhac

Trustees
Dan Brush | Julie Elmore | Ed Flanagan | Melissa Hoffman | Drew Hudson | Joel Miller | Biff Mithoefer | Stefanie Sidortsova | Mark Sinclair

President: Duane Peterson, Essex Junction
Social Venture Entrepreneur
VPIRG board member since 1998.  Duane moved to Vermont in 1996 from California where he spent almost two decades as a progressive political campaigner, non-profit environmental activist and government official. He came to the Green Mountain State to help Ben Cohen implement his unique values-led business vision. Duane sought out VPIRG for his community involvement because "it's the state's stand-up group, facing down the special interests that threaten our environment and health. I'm honored to bring whatever I can to VPIRG and our struggle for the public interest." < back to top

Vice President: Dr. Richard Watts, Hinesburg
Research Center Administrator, Transportation Research Center at the University of Vermont
VPIRG board member since 2002. Richard is currently the Research Center Administrator at the UVM Transportation Center. Prior to this he served as a policy fellow at the Snelling Center for Government and in various capacities in state government, in political campaigns and as the director of a strategic communications consulting firm. Watts has a Ph.D. in natural resource planning with a focus on citizen participation. He teaches energy and transportation policy at the University of Vermont. < back to top

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. < back to top

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. < back to top

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. < back to top

Julie Elmore, Westford
Emergency Medical Technician
Julie is a 25 year resident of Vermont. She’s an Emergency Medical Technician with Essex Rescue and presently serves as Vice President of that organization. She is also a founding board member of a micro-finance NGO bringing community development to Southern Sudan. Julie has been an active supporter of VPIRG's efforts to bring economically sound and environmentally safe power to Vermont. In her town of Westford, she’s a member of the newly formed Energy Commission, serves as Green-Up Day coordinator and works with the Westford Senior Citizen group. She has previously served as chair of the Westford School Board, served on the Westford Conservation Commission and was active in state efforts to pass Act 60. Earlier in her career while living in New York City, she worked with NYPIRG on efforts to help close the Indian Point nuclear reactor. < back to top

Ed Flanagan, Burlington
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. < back to top

Melissa Hoffman, Huntington
Founder of Living Future
VPIRG board member since 2006. Melissa is the Founder and Executive Director of LivingFuture, the non-profit foundation that manages Teal Farm. Melissa established LivingFuture Foundation in 2002 and purchased the Teal Farm property in 2003. She holds a BA in Philosophy from Mount Holyoke College, and conducted MA graduate studies in Film and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Chicago. She originally moved to Vermont in 1995 to start an organic farm, CSA, and apprenticeship program for women. Prior to moving to Teal Farm, she worked as an editor and writer for the award-winning What is Enlightenment? magazine. < back to top

Drew Hudson, Barre
Founder, We Also Herd Cats 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. < back to top

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. < back to top

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. < back to top

Stefanie Sidortsova, Westford
Attorney
After serving as VPIRG’s health care advocate from 2007 to 2009, Stefanie joined the board in 2010. She currently works as the legal writing specialist for Vermont Law School and is a member of the Vermont Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Stefanie is a co-founder and former president of the Jirani Project, a non-profit organization that provides funding to AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya for their education, health care, and general well-being. She also serves on the board of New Earth, a foundation that designs and implements creative expression programs for at-risk youth. Stefanie received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and her law degree from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. She lives in Westford with her husband, son, and three dogs.< back to top

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. < back to top