Staff

Ellen Kahler became the Executive Director of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) in late 2005. She is a graduate of Bucknell University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University with a Master of Public Administration.

For her work in promoting Vermont’s food system, Ellen was inducted into the Vermont Agriculture Hall of Fame in August, 2024 in the category of Ag Innovator. Ellen has also received numerous leadership awards including: Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility’s Terry Ehrich Award for Lifetime Achievement (2025);  Energy Action Network’s Anne & Arthur Berndt Award for her demonstrated vision, leadership, and commitment to creating an energy future for Vermont (2024); The Con Hogan Award for Creative, Entrepreneurial & Community Leadership from the VT Community Foundation (2015); the Arthur Gibb Award for Individual Leadership from the VT Natural Resources Council (2015); and the Jan Eastman Excellence in Leadership Award from the Snelling Center for Government (2010). Ellen was also 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 1997.

Ellen currently serves on the Boards of the Working Lands Enterprise Fund and the University of Vermont College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Board of Advisors. She also serves on the Advisory Committee for the Center for Agriculture, Food and Forest Entrepreneurship at VT State University – Randolph. She served on the Governor’s Vermont Workforce Development Board (2018-2024) and the Governor’s Commission on the Future of Vermont Agriculture (2021-2023), and on the Board of Directors of the Energy Action Network (2011-2023), Red Tomato (2011-2016), Sustainable Forest Futures (2008-2012), the Clean Energy Development Fund (2009-2011), VWW (2007-2011), the Vermont Community Foundation (2001-2009), the Advisory Board of the VT-Small Business Development Center (2008-2009), on the Vermont Council on Rural Development’s Rural Vermont Energy Council (2006-2007) and Climate Economy Council (2016-2017) and as a Commissioner on the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (1998-2002).

Anthony Mennona joined the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund in 2012. As the Finance & Operations Director, he is responsible for all financial management and human resources administration and holds a proven track record for clean audits at the organization. Anthony has handled the financial management, grant administration and human resources for several Vermont nonprofit organizations over the past 11 years. From 2009 through 2012 he was the Director of Finance & Administration at the Biomass Energy Resource Center (BERC). Prior to his work at BERC, Anthony was the Controller at Downstreet Housing & Community Development. In addition to his nonprofit experience, Anthony has worked in finance at various private businesses including PricewaterhouseCoopers and Bolton Valley Ski Resort. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Stockton University.

Jake joined the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund in 2012 to support the Farm to Plate website and Farm to Plate Network groups as well as contribute to the Farm to Plate Strategic Plan. In 2017 he was promoted to Farm to Plate Program Director and is responsible for providing facilitative leadership and strategic coordination for the Farm to Plate Network’s work to implement Vermont’s food system plan. He manages the Farm to Plate team at VSJF and works to align activity among 350 stakeholders and increase collaboration between private sector, nonprofits, and government to strengthen Vermont’s farm and food economy for the benefit of all Vermonters.

Previously he served as an AmeriCorps member with the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC). At VNRC, Jake worked closely with town energy committees across the state.

Jake has an undergraduate degree in philosophy from Fordham University and still enjoys, time permitting, waxing philosophical. He received a Master of Science in environmental policy from Bard College and his thesis focused on the value of ecosystem services from farmland in Vermont. Jake serves on the Hunger Mountain Coop Community Fund Committee, the Sodexo Vermont First Advisory Board, Vermont Fresh Network Board of Directors, Community Harvest of Central Vermont Board of Directors, and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant Advisory Committee.

Christine McGowan joined the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund in 2016 and serves as the Forest & Fiber Program Director. She leads efforts to enhance the economic competitiveness of Vermont’s forest products industry by encouraging innovation, fostering relationship-building across the forest economy supply chain, and facilitating overall sector development.

Vermont’s forest products industry is imperative for job creation and sustainability, providing economic, environmental, and social benefits for rural communities that have limited economic opportunities. The Vermont Forest Products Program aims to help create and sustain quality jobs for Vermonters and increase the use of regionally grown tree species in Vermont’s value-added forest economy sector, with a strong emphasis on sustainable forest management.

In 2025, the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund assumed management of the Forest Business Accelerator, and Christine now manages the program, which supports early-stage entrepreneurs and growing businesses in the forest and wood products sector.

In 2023, Christine assisted the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation with an 18-month initiative to develop the Vermont Forest Future Strategic Roadmap. She now serves on the Implementation Steering Committee, where she focuses on the pillar of Research, Innovation, and Technology.

Before joining VSJF, Christine served as Director of Communications at both the National Wildlife Federation and the National Wildlife Refuge Association, where she led national campaigns and media strategies. Her work at National Wildlife Federation helped elevate the national conversation around climate change and its impact on wildlife. A common thread throughout her career has been advocating for solutions to climate change. Earlier in her career, she was a regional reporter on Capitol Hill and a local journalist in Texas. She holds a degree from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College.

Christine currently serves on the boards of the Vermont Green Building Network and the Northern Vermont Economic Development District, and is an advisor to the board of the Vermont Wood Works Council. She also served for nine years on the Stowe Conservation Commission, including two years as chairperson, where she helped guide local conservation efforts.

Originally from Albany, New York, Christine grew up working in her family’s business, Dorsey Millwork, Inc., a distributor for Andersen Corporation. The company supplied wood window and door products to lumber yards and building supply retailers throughout New England.
.

Kelly joined the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund in 2018 and serves as Communications Director, leading strategic communications to amplify VSJF’s mission and impact across Vermont’s economy. She oversees marketing, public relations, and digital content for VSJF programs, manages the organization’s brand voice, and produces original storytelling to highlight the work of VSJF and its partners.

With a foundation in journalism and a career spanning technical writing, agency copywriting, and digital strategy, Kelly brings a holistic, audience-centered approach to communications. Before joining VSJF, she worked as Senior Copywriter and Senior Social Content Strategist at Gelia, a marketing agency, where she developed and executed social media strategies for national brands. Her experience also includes roles with the Williston Observer, JapanLink Translations, Data Innovations, and Quinlan and Company.

Kelly holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in journalism from the University at Buffalo. She began her career as a reporter and photographer for the Hardwick Gazette and continues to apply her storytelling skills to connect people, build trust, and drive meaningful change.

She currently serves on the boards of the Buffalo Mountain Market Coop and The Civic Standard in Hardwick. Previously, she served on the boards of Four Seasons of Early Learning and the Northeast Kingdom Arts Council.

Leah joined the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund in 2023. On behalf of the New England State Food System Planners Partnership, a collaboration amongst seven-state level food system organizations and representatives from the six-state agricultural, economic and environmental departments in New England. New England Feeding New England (NEFNE) is the Partnership’s primary initiative and aims to have 30% of the food produced in New England consumed in the region by 2030. This work aims to mobilize our networks to impact local and regional food supply chains and strengthen and grow the New England food system.

Leah worked at America’s Test Kitchen for 9 years running test kitchen operations for all media-related production. After moving to Maine, she spent several years in specialty retail sales at Whole Foods Market, transitioning into grant writing and strategic consulting for several local food businesses including support of the USDA Farm to School program in Maine.

Leah holds a degree in Media & Communications from Muhlenberg College, and a publishing certification from the Columbia School of Journalism.

Kurt joined VSJF in 2024. As the DeltaClimeVT Program Manager, he is responsible for managing the DeltaClimeVT Business Accelerator and the Tools of the Trade business coaching program.

A native Vermonter, Kurt comes to VSJF with almost 20 years of experience in the environmental and sustainability business realms. His experiences range from working as a federal regulator in pollution prevention and response in the Port of New York; collaborating with industry, state, and federal resources to protect coastline during the BP Spill of 2010, to overseeing the day-to-day operations at Vermont Compost Company while doubling production and sales over a 5-year period.

Kurt brings his diverse background, passion for sustainability and love for the state of Vermont to the VSJF team to contribute to pursuing mission excellence.

Hannah joined the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund in 2024 as the Farm to Plate Network Manager. She is responsible for providing facilitative leadership and project management to the Farm to Plate Network’s Priority Strategy Teams, Communities of Practice, and Topic Exchanges. Previously, she was the Food Access Manager at the Intervale Center in Burlington for 5 years.

Hannah holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from the University of Vermont. Originally from the upper valley, she began her career in food systems working at Vermont vegetable farms and restaurants. Serving as an Americorps member with Healthy Roots Collaborative, she built a gleaning program serving Franklin and Grand Isle counties in Vermont.

Esther joined the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund in 2022. As the Office & Events Manager, she leads office operations and provides programmatic support to the Farm to Plate Network, the Forestry Products Program, the DeltaClimeVT business accelerator, and VSJF through meeting and conference planning, and special projects.

Esther holds a master’s degree in food studies and was drawn to relocate to Vermont for its strong, decentralized food system. She has worked for farms in administration, growing, and fulfillment positions. Prior to living in Vermont, Esther worked as a volunteer coordinator at the San Antonio Food Bank where she led educational tours and projects for thousands of visitors on the food bank’s 40-acre fruit and vegetable farm.

Laura joined the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund in 2022. As the Business Manager, she supports the work of the Finance & Operations Director, and is specifically responsible for the bookkeeping and contracts management at VSJF.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Art Conservation from the University of Delaware and dual master’s degrees in Art Conservation and Art History from NYU. She is currently enrolled in the accounting program at CCV, and is a certified Quickbooks Online ProAdvisor. Since moving to Vermont in 2007, Laura has worked for the Shelburne Museum, Cedar Circle Farm, Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat Center, and New Frameworks Design Build. Her various roles in these organizations including art conservator, office manager, event registration director, and bookkeeper have prepared her for the financial and contractual record keeping work that is essential to support the wide range of programs at VSJF.

Sydney joined the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund in 2022 and is the Grant and Development Manager. She is responsible for applying for and overseeing state, federal, and foundation grants as well as VSJF’s fundraising efforts.

She holds a Master’s degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University and a Bachelor’s degree in French and European Studies from the University of Vermont. She started her career working in international relations for a federal agency in Washington, DC. She was lucky enough to work in seven European countries for several weeks at a time and put her French degree to good use.

Prior to joining VSJF, she worked as a grant manager for a school district in Vermont, where she successfully brought in federal and state funds for students. Before that, she was the Administrator for a busy academic department at Dartmouth College.

Jessica joined the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund in 2024 as the Farm to Plate Network Assistant. In this role, Jessica manages and coordinates Topic Exchanges and cross-group collaboration to advance progress on achieving the goals of the Vermont Agriculture and Food System Strategic Plan 2021-2030.

Jessica is responsible for member engagement and account management, Network communications and newsletters, website maintenance and support, and research and reporting to ensure the Network is accessible, responsive, and well-supported.

Jessica’s work is grounded in a relational, people-center approach to collaboration and accessibility, with a focus on building systems that support dignity, and long-term change. Prior to joining VSJF, Jessica held program coordination and communications roles at nonprofits, and research centers, focusing on community-centered sustainability, transportation and climate initiatives. Additionally, Jessica has experience in education and disability support, including work as an ESL teacher in South Korea, and as a one-to-one support professional for students on the autism spectrum upon returning to Vermont from South Korea.

Jessica holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science, Sustainable Development and Climate Change from Antioch University, New England, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Knox College.

Drusilla (Dru) joined the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund in 2025 as the Program Manager for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance of Vermont (WEAV), formerly the Vermont Prosperity Project. She is responsible for supporting member organizations, as well as diverse and emergent partners, to align efforts that can transform Vermont’s economy to one that centers the wellbeing of people and the planet.

Since 2012, through her work as the Director of Performance Improvement at the Vermont Agency of Human Services, and then through her independent facilitation practice, Dru has partnered with community-based organizations, nonprofit boards, a variety of government agencies, legislative committees, collective impact initiatives, and philanthropy to align values with organizational practices, strengthen planning, learning and evaluation practices, and understand their impact through more meaningful use of measures.

She grounds her facilitation in principles of relational justice and Dialogue Education practices, believing the way we practice care and intention with one another sets the conditions for any systems change effort to root.

Dru was a lead contributor to the passage of Act 186: Outcomes of Well-being in the Vermont Legislature in 2014, a common agenda to improve outcomes for Vermonters, and established public-facing performance data dashboards and multi-year community and stakeholder engagement processes to create population data dashboards for community organizing.

Dru graduated from UVM with a BA in English and Women’s and Gender Studies, and received a Professional Certificate in Restorative Justice from the Vermont Law School in 2019. She is a current Masters Degree candidate in UVM’s Masters in Leadership for Sustainability program with a focus on disrupting patterns of domination in problem-solving methodologies. Dru has served on various nonprofit boards in Vermont committed to wellbeing in Vermont, including as Vice Chair of the Vermont Women’s Fund Council, Chair of Vermont Access to Reproductive Freedom, Secretary of WholeHeart, and Secretary of the board at Umbrella.