Jasna Janjic-Brown -Director
Ned Houston - Energy Coordinator
Sarah Lord - Secretary/Director
Duncan McDougall - Chair/Director
Johanna Miller - Director
Keith Thompson - Treasurer/Director
Nathan Winters - Social Media Guru

 

Jasna Janjic-Brown has a long history of community activism and working for social and environmental causes. She is currently the Enterprise Volunteer Program Manager for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and has personally logged hundreds of hours of volunteer work in local communities. In this role she coordinates employee-volunteer activity by connecting employees to aligned non-profits and good causes across the US and Canada, for nearly 2000 employees involved in GMCR’s family of brands. She has organized several environmental-focused events for GMCR, in partnership with aligned organizations across the country including 350.org, Focus the Nation, and the Carbon Shredders.  As a co-founder of the Carbon Shredders, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people go on a “Low CO2 Diet” through events and online programs, Jasna has lead major initiatives including a partnership with Bonnaroo Music Festival and several socially responsible companies. She has also worked as a UNESCO-funded translator abroad, as she is fluent in several languages and has a degree in International Relations from Webster University in Geneva, Switzerland. After moving to the US from her native Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Jasna served as a Case Worker for the International Refugee Committee, helping refugees from around the world find housing, social services, jobs and training in the US. Jasna lives with her husband and 5-year old son in Fayston, Vermont, in the beautiful Mad River Valley, and enjoys snowboarding, hiking, gardening and yoga in her spare time.

Ned Houston works 8 hours per week as the Waterbury Energy Coordinator.  He collaborates with LEAP Team members and helps move local projects forward. Ned has almost 30 years experience working as an environmental consultant.  During that time he has had significant involvement in planning, design, permitting, construction, and advocacy for environmentally sound projects in Vermont.  Ned is very interested in advancing green technology with particular interest in renewable energy.  He was past President of Waterbury Trails and Greenways where he supported the development of local walking and biking paths.  He has a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Planning from Johnson State College.  Ned lives with his family in Waterbury Center, VT.

Duncan McDougall founded Waterbury LEAP in 2007 because he feels very strongly that if humans are to be successful in meeting the challenge of the climate change crisis,  it will be thanks largely to leadership from thousands of local, grassroots organizations around the world and millions of volunteer activists.  "If the people lead, the leaders will follow." Duncan serves as LEAP's chairman. He has been a wilderness guide, freelance writer, teacher, and public radio commentator. He has an MBA from the Tuck School of Business.  After seven years as a management consultant in Boston Duncan moved to New Hampshire in 1998 to found the Children's Literacy Foundation (CLiF), a non-profit that serves 15,000 rural, low-income, and at-risk young readers and writers across Vermont and New Hampshire every year. Duncan remains CLiF's Executive Director. He is the past Chair of the Waterbury Conservation Commission, and is active in local political and environmental efforts and campaigns. He lives in Waterbury Center, VT, with his wife and son.

Johanna Miller is an organizer, writer, editor, lobbyist and coalition builder at VNRC, the state’s leading environmental education and advocacy organization. Johanna works with organizations, local officials, and citizens across Vermont to empower them to get involved in important environmental, climate change land use and community development issues. Johanna also helps to manage and support the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network, which is the growing network of community energy committees across Vermont that are working to help save energy, transition to a renewable energy economy, promote alternative transportation solutions and more. Before joining VNRC in January 2005, Johanna spent five years as an organizer, editor, and policy specialist for the Michigan Land Use Institute — a planning and smart growth policy organization. Johanna has served on numerous boards of directors and currently serves on the boards of Local First Vermont, Waterbury LEAP, the national nonprofit SEEDS. Johanna was educated at the University of Vermont, where she received a B.A. in English and Environmental Studies.

Keith Thompson is a life long resident of Waterbury, Vermont.  He currently lives on Ruby Raymond Road with his wife Suzy.   He is a co-owner of the forestry and wildlife consulting business Northern Stewards LC and spends a lot of his free time volunteering in the town. He sits on a couple of the municipal boards, on the Stowe Land Trust and worked as a founding member of Waterbury LEAP.  Keith tries to bring a strong land ethic to any activity or pursuit, which feeds his enthusiasm for his work with LEAP.  Keith enjoys bumbling around in the woods, seeing whats over the next hill and around the next bend of the river. 

Nathan Winters has been working professionally in the emerging technology landscape for over seven years. In May of 2009, Nathan single handedly created a successful social media campaign where he was able to capture a corporate sponsor and develop a platform with a tremendous following as he biked 4,300 miles across America in an effort to learn and share information in regards to environmental issues and sustainable agriculture. This journey not only created a strong personal brand, rooted Nathan deeply into online communities but has inspired Nathan to give back and volunteer. It was on this journey where Nathan was introduced to Duncan McDougall, Chairman of Waterbury LEAP. Recently, Nathan has moved to Vermont and has been motivated and excited to join Waterbury LEAP. Nathan currently lives near Stowe with his dog and best friend Chaya. You can learn more about him through his website at www.follownathan.org