Who's Involved

Leadership Team

The Leadership Team’s goal is to launch CCCNVT. Made up entirely of volunteers, the team meets weekly to roll up their sleeves and get things done. 

Bridget Higdon

Chair

Bridget is the managing editor of the Saint Albans Messenger and of three digital news sites in Chittenden County. As chair of the Leadership Team, she is excited about giving youth opportunities to get outside and make a difference. When she isn’t working, you can find her reading, skiing, or riding her bike. 

Jenn Yandow

Vice Chair

Jenn Yandow is an innovation champion at Green Mountain Power where she works with customers to help them happily electrify their ride – reducing their impact on the air we breathe. As a CCCNVT Leadership Team member, Jenn is excited to be able to offer direction and guidance to our younger generation to help them understand how their day to day choices makes a difference….small or big.

Stephanie Hodgeman

After graduating from the University of Vermont in 1994, Stephanie started her career in community development with AmeriCorps VISTA as an intern at Vermont Adult Learning in the heart of downtown Burlington.  Since then, Stephanie has spent the last 25 years serving as a school counselor at the largest two high schools in Franklin County, Bellows Free Academy and Missiquoi Valley Union High School. She is a co-founding advisor for BFA’s chapter of Rotary Interact and has a passion for building capacity for youth as our future leaders and teaching social entrepreneurship.

Penny Collins

Penny is the executive coordinator at Green Mountain Power working with the leadership team to organize lots of details for projects across the company.  As a fourth generation Vermonter, and as a Leadership Team member for CCCNVT, she strives to keep Vermont clean and green for the two generations that follow her and the generations to come after that, teaching them Vermont values and love and respect for community and land. 

Leeann Wright

Leeann has been the director of Northwest Career and Technical Center in St. Albans since 2011. Prior to that, she was an instructor at NCTC, teaching culinary. 

Strategic Advisors

These are community leaders who are passionate about building CCCNVT and who provide timely feedback to the Leadership Team on critical issues.

Tim Smith

Mayor, City of St. Albans / Executive Director, FCIDC

Leeann Wright

Director, Northwest Career & Technical Center

Dominic Cloud

City Manager, City of St. Albans

Andy Crossman

FCIDC Board of Directors / President, Franklin County Mountain Bike Club

Katy Dynarski

Program Manager, Franklin County Natural Resources Conservation District

Mark Redmond

Executive Director, Spectrum Youth & Family Services

John Leddy

Executive Director, Northwest Solid Waste District

Carissa Stein

Natural Resources Consultant

Lisamarie Charlesworth

Director, Franklin County Regional Chamber of Commerce

Lindsey Wight

Executive Director, Missisquoi River Basin Association

Kent Henderson

Chair, Friends of Northern Lake Champlain

John Holzscheiter

President, Hard’Ack Recreation Area

CCCUSA Support

Thomas Hark

President & Founder

As a 25-year-old in 1986, Thomas received a one-dollar appropriation from the State of Vermont and, by 2015 grew it into the Vermont Youth Conservation Corp. The success of VYCC was based on the values Thomas learned in his own youth conservation corps days. The Civilian Conservation Corps, USA, exists to bring those same values nationwide.  

Tom Spencer

Vice President of Operations

Tom’s passion in life has always been working with youth. After decades working in corporate America, he left to find more purpose in nonprofit work. He couldn’t be more excited and enthusiastic to partner with Hark and bring CCCUSA to fruition.

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