CUPS Staff

Director: Susan Munkres, PhD

 Susan joined CUPS in the winter of 2012.  A sociologist by training, Susan has worked as an educator in a range of settings, from liberal arts college classrooms to adult education to college preparatory programs for minority high-school students.  She has experience and training in writing across the curriculum, first-year seminars, writing-intensive classes, residential learning and place-based education.  Her passion is a “subject-centered” education, where students develop the capacity to connect higher-level concepts from a discipline to their own lived experience, and the places in which they live, deepening their understanding of themselves in context.  

When not teaching or working in the CUPS office, Susan is active in Burlington as Board President of City Market/ Onion River Cooperative, and as site coordinator for the Calahan Park Community Garden.  She is a neighborhood leader for public fruit, edible landscaping and urban farming.  Her last – but not least – occupation is helping her daughter Amelia learn to Nordic ski, garden, and get ready to run away to Circus Smirkus.

Proram Coordinator: Vacant

Program Assistant: Brit Cava

Brit joined the CUPS in August of 2012. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a concentration in Peace and Human Rights at Eastern Connecticut State University. In the summer of 2011, Brit participated in the Institute on Philanthropy and Volunteerism where she took three courses at Georgetown University and interned full-time at the Student Conservation Association in Arlington, VA. Prior to her position at CUPS, Brit was an AmeriCorps VISTA member for Connecticut Campus Compact. In addition to her position at CUPS, Brit is the House Director for UVM's Delta Delta Delat sorority. She is looking forward to pursuing her Master's degree in Higher Education in the Fall of 2013.

Outside of the office, you can find Brit enjoying the lake, eating locally, crafting and enjoying the beautiful outdoors!

Coordinator for Community-Based Learning for the RSENR: Elise Schadler, M.S.

Elise joined the CUPS office in August of 2011. She completed her Master's degree in Natural Resources in the Spring of 2012, focusing  on the role of local community-based urban forestry efforts in voluntary carbon markets in the U.S. Elise works in the Rubenstein School supporting service-learning there; in addition, she started in September of 2012 as Community Involvement Coordinator  with the State of Vermont's Urban and Community Foresty Program.

Elise was raised in the midwest but is now happy to call Vermont her home. Her experience as an AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps member and her three years as Program Director of a community-based tree planting program in Camden, NJ have allowed her to work with people and organizations dedicated to addressing divers environmental, social and economic issues. She strongly believes in the value and power of community-based action and is excited to assist in providing opportunities for UVM students to experience the same type of experiences through meaningful engaged scholarship partnerships with community organizations. When not on campus, Elise can be found swimming laps at the Y, running with her dog Luna on the bike path, dancing at the Flynn Center, pulling veggies from her garden, baking in her Old North End apartment or romping around Vermont with her partner Sam.

Last modified April 02 2013 11:06 AM