Executive Members
Chair
Kirk Dombrowski, Vice President for Research
Kirk.Dombrowski@uvm.edu
A cultural anthropologist by training, Dr. Kirk Dombrowski is an active researcher whose work straddles the social and behavioral health sciences. Dombrowski’s research has received funding from NSF, NIH, and numerous foundation sources, and his published work has appeared in social science, computer science and health science journals. Kirk Dombrowski bio.
Extension Representative
Roy Beckford, UVM Extension
Roy.Beckford@uvm.edu
Roy Beckford brings a global perspective and an impressive record of setting up successful outreach programs that make lasting, impactful changes. He has worked in agricultural consulting around the world, including service with the government of the British Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture, as well as in Qatar and Belize. Roy Beckford bio.
Innovations Representative
Dr. Corine Farewell, UVM Innovations
Corine.Farewell@uvm.edu
Dr. Corine Farewell has a proven record of identifying innovative opportunities and aligning the necessary human and material resources to implement sustainable initiatives, especially in building relationships between the private sector and academia. Corine Farewell bio.
Ex-Officio
Retired U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, D-VT (or Designee)
A separate $14 million USDA grant, secured by Senator Leahy, has allowed UVM to renovate the Joseph L. Hills Agricultural Science Building, now the Leahy Institute Building, on the UVM campus. Leahy also secured $11 million of federal funding last year to support UVM’s Food Systems Research Center, a collaboration between UVM and the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), which will also be located in the Patrick Leahy Building.
Public Members
Michael Metz (Vice Chair), Founder, Generator Makerspace
Michael Metz is a retired material scientist, business owner, and consultant specializing in the development and commercialization of precious and rare earth metals materials used in high-tech applications. Since his retirement, Michael has focussed his energies as a volunteer supporting Vermont's creative economy. Michael currently serves as a board member of The Burlington City Arts Foundation, The Vermont Academy of Scientists and Engineering, The Echo Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, and as an advisory board member of the Leahy Center for Rural Partnerships. Michael is also the founding board member of Generator makerspace and The Burlington City Arts Foundation.
Bettyjo Bouchey, Chief Professional & Continuing Education Officer, UVM PACE
Dr. Bouchey is the Chief Officer of Professional & Continuing Education (PACE) at University of Vermont. As one of the longest-standing PACE units in higher education, the team serves the institution offering high-quality online and hybrid non- and degree offerings in collaboration with the university’s academic units and institutes, workforce development, and lifelong learning opportunities to Vermont residents and beyond. Dr. Bouchey holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University at Albany, an M.B.A. in Entrepreneurship from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Doctorate in Education from Northeastern University. Her research interests include the nature and future of organizational structures of online units in institutions of higher education, as well as inventive and high-impact pedagogical practice in online teaching, inclusive of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Dr. Bouchey writes and is widely quoted in the academic and popular press; her articles and curriculum vitae can be accessed here: www.drbouchey.com
Chris Callahan, Associate Director of Extension, University of Vermont
Chris is an engineer who works in the food system. As the leader of the UVM Extension Agricultural Engineering program and in his role as Extension Professor of Agricultural Engineering he works closely with food producers and processors in the northeast to overcome challenges of quality, effectiveness, profitability, and safety. His work focuses on growing fruits and vegetables as protected culture in high tunnels and greenhouses, improving postharvest handling and storage of food crops, value-added processing, advancing food safety among small and medium scale producers and small processors, and expanding the use of sustainable energy practices in the food system. He also serves as the Director of the Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS) and is a consulting engineer. Chris lives in Cambridge, NY and works out of the Extension office in Bennington, VT.
Ben Doyle, President, Preservation Trust of Vermont
Ben Doyle serves as the President of the Preservation Trust of Vermont, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to build community through the preservation of Vermont’s historic buildings, villages, and downtowns. Throughout his professional career, Ben has dedicated himself to serving rural communities—as a Peace Corps volunteer and administrator, a high school educator, and in various leadership roles at USDA Rural Development. Raised in the Northeast Kingdom, he is deeply passionate about Vermont’s history and the potential of its communities.
Ben has held leadership positions including Chair of the Vermont Humanities Board, President of the Vermont Community Development Association, and Co-Chair of the Montpelier Commission for Recovery and Resilience. He currently serves on the Montpelier City Council. Ben earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont and holds an M.A. in Humanities and Social Thought from New York University. He resides in a historic fixer-upper in Montpelier with his wife, Angela, and their three children: Sal, Rosemary, and Frances.
Joyce Judy, President, Community College of Vermont
Joyce Judy became president of CCV in 2009. A special focus of her work has been to help people understand the value of CCV to Vermonters and Vermont businesses. She has overseen the expansion of a broad number of workforce education programs and has been a statewide leader in the development of Vermont’s dual enrollment program for high school students.
Roz King, Division Chief of Research for Emergency Medicine, UVM Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine
Roz King serves as the Division Chief of Research for Emergency Medicine (EM) at the University of Vermont's (UVM) Larner College of Medicine, where she has been instrumental in building a robust research program. Under her leadership, the Emergency Medicine division now manages over $13 million in research funding and numerous IRB protocols. As the Director of the Emergency Medicine Research Associate Program, Roz revitalized the department’s research education, inspiring the next generation of clinical researchers. She has established a sustainable infrastructure to enhance both research output and scholarly productivity in Emergency Medicine at UVM, all while advancing her own research. Roz’s primary interests focus on improving low-barrier access to care, initiating Medication for Opioid Use Disorder in the ED, addressing healthcare disparities, and investigating workplace violence in the emergency department.
Dan Kopin, Manager of Innovation, VELCO
Dan Kopin ’17 is Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO)’s Manager of Innovation. He supports the development and acceleration of innovative initiatives that deliver value to VELCO, its customer owners and Vermont. He has been published in the Energy Journal, Utilities Policy, and Utility Dive, and was named one of the Top 50 Data Changemakers in the Energy Sector by CDO Magazine in 2025.
Chris Maggiolo, Deputy Director, Black River Innovation Campus
Chris Maggiolo is Deputy Director of Black River Innovation Campus (BRIC) in Springfield, VT, where he leads rural innovation through technology entrepreneurship and STEAM education. At BRIC, he supports early-stage founders via the Actuator program and develops workforce-aligned STEAM initiatives for educators and students of all ages. As a new member of the Board of Advisors for the UVM Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships, Chris looks forward to advancing collaborative strategies that empower Vermont’s rural communities.
Mieko Ozeki, Cofounder, Vermont Womenpreneurs; Principal Owner, Radiance Studios LLC
Mieko Ozeki is a small business owner and advocate. She is the principal owner of Radiance Studios, a boutique event production and marketing agency. Additionally, Mieko is the cofounder of Vermont Womenpreneurs, a statewide network of women-led/owned businesses, and serves on multiple boards advocating for Vermont's agriculture sector and direct markets.
Dr. Travis Reynolds, Associate Professor, UVM College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Dr. Travis Reynolds is an associate professor of Community Development and Applied Economics. His research areas include institutional economics, agricultural development, and payments for environmental services, with an emphasis on the links between agriculture, food security, community governance institutions and the environment. Travis Reynolds bio.
Jessica Savage, Director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives, Vermont Council on Rural Development and Working Communities (Community Development)
Jessica Savage joined the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) staff in 2021 after 15 years in the public sector, mainly in the natural resources and recreation management fields. Her current work focuses on community-driven economic development initiatives including the Vermont Working Communities Challenge and Climate Economy programs.
Sarah Waring, Executive Director, Northern Border Regional Commission
Sarah Waring serves as Executive Director of the Northern Border Regional Commission, a Federal-State partnership for economic and community development in the four states of ME, NH, VT and NY. She has worked in federal service, philanthropy and rural community and economic development.
Carolyn Weir, Executive Director, McClure Foundation; Vermont Community Foundation (Philanthropic)
Carolyn Weir is executive director of the McClure Foundation where she leads the organization's efforts to scale strategies that help Vermonters plan for life after high school and access Vermont's high-pay, high-demand jobs.