Staff and Board
Ellen Kahler
Executive Director
(802) 828-5320
Ellen Kahler graduated from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania with a BA in Political Science and from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University with a Masters in Public Administration.
She was the Executive Director of the Peace & Justice Center in Burlington from 1990 to 2002. Her most well known work through the Peace & Justice Center — the Vermont Job Gap Study and the Vermont Livable Wage Campaign — won statewide attention around the issue of basic family needs, livable wages, and under-employment.
After graduating from the Kennedy School, Ms. Kahler created and directed the Peer to Peer Collaborative, an initiative that assists founder CEOs of small, Vermont-based manufacturing and natural resource based companies. For its first two years, the Collaborative was sponsored by the Vermont Business Roundtable. In January, 2006 the Collaborative became a core technical assistance program of the VSJF.
Ms. Kahler was a recipient of a three year leadership development fellowship through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (1994-1997) and was a member of the Snelling Center for Government’s Vermont Leadership Institute class of ’97. She also served on the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission from 1998-2002 representing socio/economic and housing interests. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Vermont Community Foundation and Vermont Works for Women. She also serves on the Vermont Sustainable Agriculture Council, and the advisory board of the Vermont Small Business Development Center. She was a member of the Vermont Council on Rural Development’s Rural Vermont Energy Council (2006-07).
Janice St. Onge
Deputy Director
(802) 828-0398
Janice St. Onge is Deputy Director of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund and Peer to Peer Collaborative. Janice brings economic and business development as well as financial experience to the organization, having served in the technology and financial services industries, as well as higher education and state government sectors during her 20-year career.
Prior to joining the VSJF, Janice served as the Director of the Vermont Business Center (VBC) at the University of Vermont where she was responsible for business outreach, and the sales, development and delivery of the VBC's executive education programs. Prior to joining the University, Janice served as Technology Business Development Director for the Vermont Department of Economic Development. She was responsible for managing Vermont's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Outreach Program. Before joining the State of Vermont, Janice was the Director of Human Resources and Senior Manager of Customer Service for Kea Technologies, an e-commerce fulfillment business in Williston, where she directed human resource strategic planning and policies, employee relations, performance management, employment law issues and company-wide recruiting efforts.
In addition to other senior level roles at Kea, Ms. St. Onge has 9 years experience in the financial services industry, in retail management, commercial real estate lending and organizational development. Janice graduated in 1986 from the University of Utah with a bachelor's degree in Marketing and minor in French. She is a graduate of the 2004 Vermont Leadership Institute program, a Snelling Center for Government initiative. A Stowe resident, St. Onge serves on the board of the Vermont Environmental Consortium, as well as the board of the Vermont Investors Forum and is on the client selection committee for the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies, a technology incubator initiative affiliated with the University of Vermont.
Scott Sawyer, PhD
Research, Evaluation & Communications Coordinator
(802) 828-1260
Scott joined VSJF in 2003. He has bachelor's degrees in Environmental Studies and Sociology from Pitzer College, a master's degree and Ph.D. in Sociology from Washington State University. His Ph.D. dissertation was titled, "The Politics of Reliability: A Sociological Examination of the State of Vermont's Response to Peak Oil and Climate Change." His responsibiltiies at VSJF include research on sustainable development, market development, biofuels, peak oil, climate change, on-farm energy production, sustainable forestry, sustainable agriculture, program and grant evaluation, website maintenance, and writing VSJF's newsletter. His primary interest is helping Vermont prepare for, mitigate against, and adapt to the consequences of peak oil and climate change.
Board of Directors
The VSJF Board of Directors consists of eleven members. Seven private sector members are appointed by the Governor with consent of the Vermont Senate, while the Secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) appoints three others. The Secretary of ACCD or his/her designee fills the eleventh seat.
- Kevin Harper (Chair) (Chair) is the Founder and former CEO of Autumn Harp, Inc., a natural cosmetics manufacturer located in Bristol, Vermont. Under Kevin's leadership, the company grew to over $11 million in sales and 80 full-time employees. Kevin sold the company in 2001 to a local entrepreneur who has been successful at growing the business and adding employees. Since leaving Autumn Harp in 2003, Kevin has assisted small businesses with their development through the Peer to Peer Collaborative and one-on-one coaching / consulting. He is part owner of the Bristol Bakery and serves on the Board of the Vermont Community Foundation.
- Carolyn Cooke is the co-founder and CEO of Isis Clothing, a woman's outdoor clothing company that was started in 1998 and is located in Burlington, VT. Previously she was the General Manager for a European woman's clothing company called Wild Roses and before that spent ten years at Karhu USA in a variety of sales and marketing roles. She is the founder of the OIWC (Outdoor Industry Women's Coalition). She holds a BA in General Studies from the University of Maryland.
- Brendan Cosgrove is the Organizational Development Coordinator and Legislative Liaison for the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR). Brendan has been coordinating efforts with senior management, internal and external stakeholders on the legislatively-mandated organizational change process currently underway at the Agency of Natural Resources. A seventh-generation Vermonter, Brendan has experience in both the public and private sectors. Prior to joining the Agency of Natural Resources, he worked on policy issues at the Vermont Legislature as a government relations specialist from 2000 to 2002 and as Director of Business Development for the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation from 2002 to 2004. He has worked in government relations, public relations and has been engaged with a broad array of policy issues in the Vermont legislature. He is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration from Saint Michael’s College.
- Edward J. Kiniry,
was the CEO Tubbs Snowshoe Company before retiring. A native Vermonter, Mr. Kiniry has spent much of his career manufacturing and marketing consumer goods. He spent fifteen years as President and CEO of WinterQuest LLC where he was credited with rebuilding the worldwide sport of snowshoeing through the companies Tubbs and Atlas brands. During his ownership Mr. Kiniry was recognized by the state of Vermont as both the Small Business Person of the Year and subsequently as the Vermont Exporter of the year. In 2003, he sold the company to K2 Inc. and retired from active participation in the business. Previous work experience includes senior level management at Wilson Sporting Goods and Allied Van Lines and as the President in a regional business brokerage firm head-quartered in Vermont. Mr. Kiniry has a BA from the University of Vermont and an MBA from Loyola University.
- David Lane currently serves as Deputy Secretary for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. Responsibilities include strategic initiatives to support and grow Vermont’s three billion dollar agricultural industry. He and his wife also run a bed and breakfast, raise cattle and llamas, and keep busy in the spring with the family sugaring operation in South Hero.
- Kelly Launder relocated to Vermont from Michigan to join the Department of Public Service in 2004 as an Energy Efficiency Specialist. Kelly has 9 years of energy efficiency and renewable energy program experience. She served as staff to the Commission on Wind Energy Regulatory Policy, appointed by Governor Douglas in July 2004. She has also served on the Michigan Public Service Commission Renewable Energy Program Committee and the Lansing Board of Water and Light-Green Power Advisory Board. Kelly has a B.A. in Communications and a M.S. in Resource Development from Michigan State University.
- John Merrill was born in Amesbury, Massachusetts. He moved to Morrisville, Vermont in 1973 and now lives in Stowe. Mr. Merrill graduated cum laude from Amherst College in 1965, and from Harvard Business School in 1968 where he earned a MBA degree in finance. Now retired, Mr. Merrill and his wife, Millie, owned and managed the Turtle Fur Company, a leading worldwide distributor of winter clothing accessories, until they sold the business in May of 2001. Before moving to Vermont, Mr. Merrill was Assistant Director of Financial Planning at Yale University, and then Vice President of Finance at Jamaica Water Systems, a New York based utility holding company. Prior to Turtle Fur, he was employed for 15 years as an investment manager for National Life of Vermont. Active in community affairs, Mr. Merrill is the former Board Chair of Copley Health Systems. He is currently Chair of Stowe Land Trust, a trustee of Woodbury College and an alternate on the Vermont Natural Resources Board. He is a past member of the District 5 Environmental Commission and he served for many years as Chair of the Stowe Zoning Board of Adjustment. He is a member of the Stowe Rotary Club, the Country Club of Vermont and the Lake Mansfield Trout Club. He enjoys golf, hiking, sailing and travel.
- Bill Noyes is the Deputy Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Economic Development. Before joining the Department, Bill spent nine years as Deputy Adjutant General for Vermont, working on day-to-day operations of the Vermont National Guard. Previous to that Bill spent twenty-seven years in the broadcast industry at WSNO/WORK Radio in Barre, including the last seven years as general manager.
- Lenae Quillen-Blume is the State Director of the Vermont Small Business Development Center. Lenae has an MBA degree from James Madison University and a BS in social work from Madison College. Before coming to Vermont in 1995 she was an instructor at the College of Business at James Madison University, teaching business policy, statistics and computer applications. Prior to that she worked in financial services for the Harrisonburg, VA, Department of Social Services. In Vermont, Lenae has been an instructor for the Upper Valley Community College of Vermont and director for Southeastern Vermont Microbusiness Development program. Before Lenae became the State Director, she served as a Business Advisor and as the Assistant State Director for the VtSBDC. Lenae has also served on numerous boards and committees.
- Jamie Stewart is the Executive Director of the Addison County Economic Development Corporation. After eight years in the ski industry and the startup of two businesses in Vermont, Jamie began his career in economic development with the Vermont Job Start Program, followed by the Small Business Development Center, and now over ten years with the regional development corporation. In his current position he has initiated many collaborative projects to enhance value added industries, with a focus on natural resource based sectors. He has significantly grown the ACEDC Revolving Loan Fund while supporting new and emerging businesses throughout the county.
- Nancy Wood is the principal of Home, Farm & Garden Research Associates, LLC. Until November 2007 she was the Executive Director of the Burlington Business Association, a membership association that promotes the economic vitality of the City of Burlington. She received her masters degree in 2002 at the University of Vermont in the Department of Community Development and Applied Economics where her research focused on the economic impact of the tourism sector and the interdependence of farming and tourism in Vermont. She was the publisher of the Vermont Times from 1993 – 1995, represented the south end of Burlington in the Vermont House from 1991 – 1993 and on the Burlington City Council from 1987 – 1989. From 1982 to 1990 she owned and operated Apple Mountain, a retail store on the Church Street Marketplace that specializes in Vermont products. Over the years she has served on a variety of boards including the Lake Champlain Regional of Commerce, the Church Street Marketplace Commission, the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council, the Intervale Foundation and the Board of Advisors of the University of Vermont College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of GBIC and the Burlington Legacy Project Steering Committee. Nancy is a resident of Charlotte.
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