Meet the new faces on the Intervale Center’s board

The Intervale Center has added seven members to its board of directors, according to community announcement from the organization.

The new members bring expertise in social entrepreneurship, sustainable agriculture, community development, public service, legal strategy, environmental stewardship and hospitality, says the announcement.

Chuck Ross, Intervale Center board chair, said, “The Intervale Center’s programming is essential to supporting the incredible potential in Vermont’s farm and food economy and to ensuring we do all that we can to help farmers and sustain our working landscape. Our Board of Directors and talented staff bring the right mix of experience and passion to this important food systems work.”

The new board members are:

• David Keck, owner of Stella 14 Wines and director of hospitality at Golden Dog Farm. He is a master sommelier.
• Hannah Lebel, contracts counsel at BETA Technologies.
• Lucie Lehmann, a naturalist, environmentalist, writer and former public servant.
• Lauren Masseria, regional manager for Vermont State Parks.
• Johanna Schneider, small business support specialist with the city of Burlington’s Community and Economic Development Office.
• Eric Sorkin, co-founder and CEO of Runamok Maple.
• David Torres, professor of the practice of social entrepreneurship and global health at Middlebury College.

“We are thrilled to welcome this diverse and talented group of leaders to the Intervale Center board,” said Travis Marcotte, executive director of the Intervale Center, in the announcement. “Their collective experience and dedication to community, sustainability and innovation will help guide our work as we continue to strengthen Vermont’s food system that sustain farm, land and people.”

The Intervale Center has been supporting Vermont’s food system for more than 35 years. The organization works to unlock opportunities for the farm and food economy while addressing challenges such as farm viability, water quality, hunger and climate resilience.

The organization’s programming includes farm business development, riparian buffer and land restoration, food and market access and stewarding a 360-acre campus in Vermont’s most populated region. Learn more at intervale.org.

This story was created by reporter Beth McDermott, bmcdermott1@usatodayco.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.