Board of Directors
The VSJF Board of Directors consists of eleven members; eight independent members, the Secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (or designee), the Secretary of Agriculture, Food & Markets (or designee), and one member appointed by the Governor.
Edward J. Kiniry (Chair) 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 (Vice Chair) grew up working on his family's dairy farm in South Hero, Vermont, where he still lives. He and his wife run a bed and breakfast, raise cattle and llamas, and keep busy in the spring with the family sugaring operation. After graduating from the University of Vermont in 1983 Dave became a partner in the dairy farm and operated it with his father. Currently he serves as a Loan Officer with Vermont Agricultural Credit Corporation, financing farmers and agricultural facilities that are not having their financing needs fully met by conventional agricultural credit sources. Prior to becoming a loan officer at VEDA / VACC, David was Deputy Secretary with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (2003 – 2006), where he oversaw daily operations and played an integral role in agricultural policy.
David Marvin (Secretary/Treasurer) is owner of Butternut Mountain Farm, a diversified, value-added producer and processor of maple syrup products. Syrup from his 1,000 acre farming operation and hundreds of other producers is processed and marketed by 65 employees to customers worldwide. The company also provides forestry consulting services to 250 clients on over 50,000 acres. David has served on numerous volunteer boards including: maple industry organizations, Copley Hospital, Lamoille Industrial Development Council, UVM College of Agriculture, Vermont Land Trust, VYCC, Vermont Sustainable Agriculture Council, and VNRC. Presently, he serves on boards for Shelburne Farms, the Northern Forest Center, the Vermont Studio Center, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, and the Vermont Maple Industry Council. He is a former town of Johnson lister and presently serves as town cemetery agent.
Lee Bouyea is a Managing Director of Fresh Tracks Capital in Middlebury. In his capacity as Managing Director, Bouyea currently serves on the Boards of Vermedx, NEHP, and is Chair of the Board at Draker Labs. Lee also formerly served on the Boards of mophie & Kluster, currently known as Quirky Inc. Lee’s professional background includes marketing, product and business development experience working for eBay, Nextel Communications and for the venture-backed startup Ebates.com. Lee is a native of Burlington, VT where his family owned and operated Bouyea-Fassetts Bakery for three generations. Bouyea-Fassetts successfully sold its assets to the Freihofer Baking Co. in 1989, a wholly owned subsidiary of Philip Morris Inc. Lee graduated from Colgate University in 1997 and earned an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth in 2005. While at Dartmouth, Lee was selected to be a Fellow at Tuck’s Center for Digital Strategies, where his studies focused on the Digital Media industry. He is an active member of the Vermont community and serves on the Board of the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce (LCRCC), and as Secretary for Burlington City Arts. He was also a graduating member of the Leadership Champlain Class of 2009. Bouyea serves on the Vermont Tech Council and is a member of the Steering Committee for the Vermont Investors Forum. Lee is also a member of the Vermont Business Roundtable.
Joan Goldstein is the Executive Director of the Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation. She served for several years as a Business and Technology Advisor for the Vermont Small Business Development Center and as an adjunct accounting, economics, and small business management instructor for Community College of Vermont and the Vermont Technical College. Joan previously conducted business for herself as an eBay selling consultant and she also brings a wide perspective from her 20 plus years in the financial services industry with international sales, marketing, client and project management experience. She has an MBA in Finance and an undergraduate degree in Economics.
Kelly Launder is the Assistant Director of the Planning & Energy Resources Division at the Department of Public Service. Kelly has 12 years of energy efficiency and renewable energy program experience. Previous to relocating to Vermont, she was the Biomass Energy and Rebuild Michigan Program Manager in the Michigan Energy Office. Kelly has a B.A. in Communications and a M.S. in Resource Development from Michigan State University.
Lawrence Miller is the Secretary of Commerce & Community Development. As an entrepreneur he founded Otter Creek Brewery in 1990. Following the sale of Otter Creek, Lawrence became involved with Danforth Pewter and moved into the role of CEO. He served on a number of Peer Advisor teams for the VSJF's Peer to Peer Collaborative program between 2004 and 2010 and was on the Advisory Board which helped establish the VSJF's Flexible Capital Fund, L3C. He has been involved with creating economic development strategies for Vermont through his work on the Vermont Economic Progress Council and the Clean Energy Development Fund.
William (Bill) Murray is a Realtor with Berkely & Veller Greenwood Country Realtors and a licensed broker in Vermont and New Hampshire. In 2004, he was named Realtor of the Year by the Southern Vermont Board of Realtors. Through his real estate career, Bill has developed a strong interest in green design, energy efficiency, historic preservation, and sustainable land use. Bill has worked with the Vermont Land Trust and Windham Regional Planning Commission to preserve Vermont’s working landscape and thoughtfully plan for Vermont’s future. Additionally, Bill has served on the boards of the Brattlboro Food Coop and Brattleboro Museum and Art Center. [Appointed by Governor Shumlin]
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.
Chuck Ross is the Secretary of Agriculture, Food & Markets. Until January, 2011 he served as U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy’s State Director for 16 years. Prior to joining Leahy’s staff, Ross was a farmer and legislator from Hinesburg, Vermont. During his six years in the Vermont State Legislature, Ross served as Chair of the House Natural Resource and Energy Committee. He has served on the Board of Directors at Shelburne Farms; on the Advisory Board of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont; as an advisory member of the Vermont Council on Rural Development; and as Vermont’s National Democratic Committeeman. Ross formerly served as a trustee at Fletcher Allen Health Care; a trustee at the University of Vermont; a member of the Hinesburg Planning Commission; and a member of the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission. Born in Burlington, Vermont, he graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.A. in Geography in 1978 and from the University of Washington with an M.A. in Geography in 1982. Ross is married with three children and lives in Hinesburg, Vermont.
Nancy Wood (Chair) is the principal of Home, Farm & Garden Research Associates, LLC, and the executive editor of The Charlotte News. From 2003 – 2008 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 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 boards of the Opportunities Credit Union and The Charlotte News, Inc. Nancy is a resident of Charlotte.