Meet The Center for An Agricultural Economy's Staff
Staff
Monty Fischer, Executive Director
Monty Fischer is the Executive Director for the Center for an Agricultural Economy in Hardwick. Previously, he served for 18 years as a senior staff member of the National Wildlife Federation where he was the Director of the Northeast Natural Resources Center, located in Montpelier, and was the Senior Vice-President for National Conservation Programs. He has held the position of Legislative Director for Vermont’s member of the U.S. House of Representatives. For a number of years, Monty was on the faculty of the University of Vermont. For many years he owned a commercial eel fishing business on Lake Champlain and co-operated a maple sugaring business in Vermont’s Mad River Valley. He has worked with the Central New Hampshire Regional Planning Commission and with Public Decisions Research, an economic development consulting firm. He serves on the Vermont Governor’s Advisory Council on Energy and the Environment. He holds a Master’s Degree from the Institute of Environmental and Natural Resources at the University of New Hampshire, and an undergraduate degree from Franklin & Marshall College with a double major in government and geology. He and his family spend as much as time as possible at their seasonal camp in Greensboro.
Elena Gustavson, Program Director
Elena Gustavson joined the Center for an Agricultural Economy in June 2009, focusing on developing, implementing and managing programs for the CAE and VFVC. Elena has an extensive background in small business, food, food systems and community outreach that spans a 15 year period. In Vermont, she played a principal role in the development, launching and management of Pete's Greens Good Eats CSA, as well as managing the outreach, media and business of the farm. In 2007, Elena moved on to the "green" kitchen at Sterling College where she introduced a budget-friendly local foods menu, local sourcing plan and kitchen policy that was used as a basis for the college's current curriculum around food systems and local culinary tradition. She continues to be an active member in her community as a volunteer, which includes serving as president of Craftsbury Academy's School Life Association and hopes to retire as a "lunch lady". Elena lives in Craftsbury, slowly restoring her 1854 farmhouse with her three wonderfully energetic children and a very old dog.
Heidi Krantz, Small Business Agricultural Advisor
Heidi Krantz has been an independent business owner and consultant for over 30 years with extensive experience in personnel and organizational development and training, strategic planning and implementation and marketing. Her education and career have led her on a "scenic" path including work with state and federal agencies, non-profits and private businesses. Heidi also formed Team Resources Group, a collaborative group of diverse individuals who plan and implement interactive organizational development training; she was a founding owner of Umiak Outfitters in Stowe, VT. She left her position as the Community Development Coordinator for the Town of Morristown, Vermont to work with CAE as the Vermont Small Business Development Center Area Business Advisor for the Northeast Kingdom. Heidi and her husband are restoring an 1830’ s hillside farm in Craftsbury.
Heather Davis, Research and Local Foods Monitoring Associate
Heather has been working at the Center for an Agricultural Economy since July 2010, primarily performing food systems research and developing and implementing multiple monitoring systems for the organization. She has a BA in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh and an MA in Sustainable Development from the SIT Graduate Institute. Heather has long been involved with issues of agriculture and also has a strong background in local economic development, community development, international development, project development, monitoring and evaluation, and food security issues. Heather lives with her two children in Hardwick, Vermont
Traci Lamarche, Financial Manager
Traci Lamarche joined the Center for an Agricultural Economy the summer of 2011, bringing with her a wealth of accounting, financial and systems experience spanning 13 years. Prior to joining the CAE, Traci and her husband Andre owned and operated the Albany Market in Albany, VT for 8 years, all the while serving as the Assistant Comptroller at Sterling College from 2007 to the recent present. As a CPA from 1999 to 2007, Traci worked with both a public accounting firm as well as a consultant. Traci, who is an active member of her church, lives, gardens and rides bikes in Albany with her husband, two children Megan and Andrea and their dog Jade.
George Keener, Operations Manager for Vermont Food Venture Center (coming soon)
Connor Gorham, Professional Production Assistant for Vermont Food Venture Center (coming soon)
Annie Rowell, Farm to Institution Program Associate
Annie Rowell is from Craftsbury, Vermont and is a recent graduate of Middlebury College. As a political science major, her senior thesis looked at the formation of policy change in small communities, specifically looking at an effort in Craftsbury to incorporate more local food into the Craftsbury school menus, examining the interests of the Craftsbury community and the school itself. At Middlebury, Annie was a member of both the women’s soccer and track teams. In the spring of 2010, she spent four months in the D.C. office of Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy’s office. In addition to her work at the CAE/VFVC, she works part time as a licensed real estate agent for the Peter D. Watson Agency
Erica Campbell, Farm to Plate Program Director for the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund
Erica Campbell is an integrated planner and policy analyst with a focus on sustainable communities. Over the past decade her work has spanned many areas, including food systems, economics, education, health, transportation, and climate change. She played an integral role in the development of the Vermont Long Range Transportation Business Plan, serves on her local Planning Commission and is a co-founder and active member of the Waterbury-Duxbury Food Council. She holds a Master of Science in Community Development and Applied Economics from the University of Vermont. As the CAE's Project Manager for the Northeast Kingdom Regional Food Systems Plan, Erica created a robust plan for the Northern Vermont Development Association that runs parallel to the work she is now doing as the Program Director for the Farm to Plate Strategic Plan for Vermont. Erica grew up in Walden, St. Johnsbury, and Rutland, VT and now lives with her husband and children in North Duxbury.
