VPIRG Staff
Paul Burns, Executive Director
Paul Burns, Executive Director
paul @ vpirg.org (802) 223-5221 ext. 12
Paul Burns is VPIRG’s Executive Director. He has been working as an organizer, advocate and attorney for PIRGs in New York, Massachusetts and now Vermont since 1986. As Toxics Program Director for MassPIRG, Paul was instrumental in the passage of major environmental legislation aimed at rivers protection, brownfields cleanup, beach water testing and pesticide use reduction and disclosure. He earned his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York College at Oswego, and his law degree from the Syracuse University College of Law. At VPIRG, Paul serves as the senior advocate for all programs and lead advocate for our democracy program, represents the organization with the media and state leaders, heads our fundraising efforts and provides overall vision, direction and leadership for the organization. Concurrently, Paul serves as the New England Regional Program Director for Environment America, where he plays a leading role in the development and coordination of state-based and regional environmental advocacy campaigns across New England. <back to top
Andy Perry, Information Manager
andy @ vpirg.org (802) 223-5221 ext. 18
Andy is VPIRG’s Information Manager. He comes to Vermont after working as the California Data Coordinator Obama for America in 2008. In this role Andy helped facilitate 10 million phone calls from California volunteers into 20 battleground states. More recently, Andy served as Organizing for America's California Voter File Manager, coordinating data and voter targeting for two statewide races and five congressional races in 2010. In the distant past, he was a founding member of the Los Angeles Student Coalition, which organized around South African apartheid and in support of L.A.'s homeless community. Andy holds a BA in English Literature from Swarthmore College and an MA in English from Brown University, as well as a preliminary teaching certificate from the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. At VPIRG, Andy maintains data systems and works to ensure that all activities undertaken by the organization are data driven to achieve maximum impact. <back to top
Ben Walsh, Clean Energy Advocate
ben @ vpirg.org (802) 223-5221 ext. 23
Ben Walsh is the Clean Energy Advocate for VPIRG. Ben comes to this position after over a year as VPIRG's Field Director and spending the two previous summers helping to lead VPIRG's summer door canvass. In both these roles, Ben engaged and mobilized thousands of Vermonters in support of a clean energy future. His expert grassroots and community organizing skills were honed during his time as a Green Corps organizer, a program that gave him experience on advocacy campaigns for National Environmental Trust, Environment America and the Oregon Natural Desert Association. Later, he served as the recruitment director for Green Corps. A native of Vermont, Ben holds a BS in Environmental Studies and BA in Political Science from UVM. At VPIRG, Ben works with VPIRG's Clean Energy Program Director to research, identify and advance clean energy policy solutions in the State House. <back to top
Brooks Mountcastle, Clean Energy Program Director
brooks @ vpirg.org (802) 223-5221 ext. 22
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Cassandra Gekas, Health Care Advocate
cgekas @ vpirg.org (802) 223-5221 ext. 21
Cassandra Gekas is VPIRG's Health Care Advocate. Since moving to Vermont in 2005, she has spent time as a national level legislative analyst, an anti-hunger policy advocate and most recently, as a research fellow at UVM's Transportation Research Center. During her time at the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger (VTCECH), she played a leading role in several major policy achievements. She has also worked extensively on gender issues, serving as a facilitator for the Domestic Abuse Education Project, volunteering for several domestic violence programs and serving as President of the Vermont Women's Transportation Seminar. Cass holds a BA in Women's Studies and Political Science from Pennsylvania State University and MS in Community Development and Applied Economics from the University of Vermont. At VPIRG, Cass conducts policy research and advocacy on health care reform efforts at the state and national levels. <back to top
Cassandra Wills, Office Manager
cwills @ vpirg.org (802) 223-5221 ext. 11
Cassandra Wills is the Office Manager for VPIRG. After interning with VPIRG for over six months, playing a key support role on field, development and administrative projects, Cassie has now formally joined the team full time as office manager. In this role, she handles day to day administrative and bookkeeping tasks, and contributes regularly to membership and field projects. Cassie has returned to her home state after living in California for the past 14 years. While living on the west coast she attended Long Beach College where she focused on psychological studies. While residing there, she served as President and Chairperson of Steinbeck Elementary School in Salinas, CA. She also has had several years of managerial experience before taking time off to have a family. She now resides in Central Vermont with her two children and serves as the Vice President of the Parent Teacher Association of Calais Elementary School in her free time. <back to top
Colleen Thomas, Associate Director
colleen @ vpirg.org (802) 223-5221 ext. 13
Colleen Thomas is VPIRG’s Associate Director. Colleen has worked as a senior non-profit manager since the early 1990s in Vermont and overseas. For ten years she served as the Director of Development for Project Harmony where she designed and supported international community-based development programs, securing over $45 million in funding for these programs. Colleen’s experience in local grassroots organizing and issue-based advocacy is rooted in her 20 years of volunteer leadership with Amnesty International. She remains involved with international work, serving on the advisory board for Second Chance Africa. Closer to home, Colleen spent the past five years on the Board of the Central Vermont Humane Society during the group’s pivotal reorganization. Colleen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Writing and History from Loyola College and a Master of Arts in International Studies from the University of Washington. She is also a member of the New England chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. At VPIRG Colleen manages day-to-day operations and provides leadership in areas of financial management, organizational development, fundraising and technology integration, as well as staff recruitment and training. <back to top
Falko Schilling, Consumer Protection Advocate
falko @ vpirg.org (802) 223-5221 ext. 26
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Julia Michel, Membership Coordinator
julia @ vpirg.org (802) 223-5221 ext. 14
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Lauren Hierl, Environmental Health Advocate
lauren @ vpirg.org (802) 223-5221 ext. 25
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Leah Marsters, Field Organizer
leah @ vpirg.org (802) 223-5221 ext. 16
Leah Marsters is taking part in the VPIRG Fellows program, which trains recent college graduates in the skills of grassroots organizing and advocacy through a two-year organizing placement, including a leadership role on our summer door canvass. Before joining the full time staff, Leah was a VPIRG canvasser for the past four summers (assistant directing the past two) where she mobilized support on issues from clean energy to environmental health. Leah graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a bachelor’s degree in political science, and a minor in environmental policy and decision making. While at school she wrote her thesis on grassroots organizing and social movements, using VPIRG’s work on Vermont Yankee as the main case study. Now she is excited to put her academic interests to work in the state where she was born and raised. <back to top
Liz Edsell, Field Director
liz @ vpirg.org (802) 223-5221 ext. 15
Liz Edsell is VPIRG’s Field Director. Liz has nearly a decade of experience in grassroots organizing and environmental advocacy. Previously, as Associate Director of The Conservation Campaign, advocacy affiliate of The Trust for Public Land, Liz helped to create, renew and defend more than $20 billion in public funding to protect land and water via ballot and legislative campaigns. As an organizer with Green Corps, the Field School for Environmental Organizing, Liz mobilized volunteers, interns and coalition partners in campaigns working to promote clean energy with Greenpeace, halt the tobacco industry’s influence over global public health treaty negotiations with Corporate Accountability International, stop rollbacks to the Clean Air Act with USPIRG and much more. She graduated from the University of Chicago in 2002 with honors in Environmental Studies and from Green Corps in 2003 as the Leadership Award recipient. As Field Director, Liz directs field operations for all VPIRG campaigns and is responsible for engaging members and citizens across Vermont in our efforts to protect the public interest and make our state the best place to live and work. <back to top
Taylor Johnson, Canvass Director
taylor @ vpirg.org (802) 223-5221 ext. 17
Taylor Johnson is taking part in the VPIRG Fellows program, which trains recent college graduates in the skills of grassroots organizing and advocacy through a two-year organizing placement, including a leadership role on our summer door canvass. Before joining VPIRG’s year-round staff, Taylor spent three summers as a part of the summer outreach program, the last two as an assistant director. With VPIRG he has organized to close Vermont Yankee, expand clean energy and update the bottle bill. He also worked with Toxics Action Center on chemical reform and the Vermont League of Conservation Voters on their Vote Green Gov campaign. Taylor recently graduated from the University of Vermont with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a minor in history. His family lives in Rochester, VT. <back to top
