Bruce Hennessey, along with his partner Beth Whiting, and a host of talented young farmers, has run Maple Wind Farm in Richmond and Bolton, VT for the last 20 years. The farm produces 100% grass fed beef, pasture-raised pork, poultry and eggs, along with operating a small USDA inspected on-farm poultry processing plant. The farms mission: To promote the health and welfare of our community, by producing the highest-quality pasture-raised products, through regenerating soil and water resources. Bruce prepared for this calling through a long apprenticeship as a mountain and ski guide, classroom teacher and experiential educator in locations across the U.S. and around the world. On those excursions he experienced firsthand compelling evidence of climate change and now deals with the consequences of those changes on his own farm. Bruce now focuses on building soil, and educating farmers and consumers to do the same by participating in local, regional and national events.

Bonnie Hudspeth leads Co-operative Development for the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA), a network of more than 35 food co-ops and start-up initiatives with a combined membership of over 150,000 people across Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Eastern New York. NFCA supports the growth, innovation, and shared success among our member food co-ops in the Northeast United States. Prior to joining the NFCA, Bonnie served as Project Manager for the Monadnock Food Co-op, creating the founding organizational structure and overseeing pre-operational development and fundraising to create a co-operatively owned grocery store in Keene, NH that opened in April, 2013. She serves as Vice President of the Board of The Cooperative Fund of New England (CFNE), a community development loan fund that facilitates socially responsible investing in co-operatives, community-oriented nonprofits, and worker-owned businesses in New England and adjacent communities in New York. Bonnie holds a master’s degree in Sustainable Community Development through Antioch University New England.

Theresa has worked in Vermont’s agricultural sector for more than 20 years. She founded Salvation Farms in 2004, receiving both regional and national awards including the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility's Young Changemaker Award. Theresa has a degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management from Sterling College, has worked for Vermont agricultural businesses like Pete’s Greens and High Mowing Organic Seeds, and filled a Director of Agricultural Resources position with the Vermont Foodbank. Theresa has co-facilitated a national working group focused on infrastructure needs to manage farm surplus with the Harvard Food Law & Policy Clinic, served as an advisor for a World Wildlife Fund directed research project looking to maximize farm resources in America, and was selected to be a founding Board Member of the national Association of Gleaning Organizations. In Vermont, her work has included service to more than 100 farms, engaging community members in thousands of hours of volunteer opportunities, providing millions of servings of surplus produce to marginalized populations, offering technical assistance to partner organizations, and collaborating with diverse partners from inmates to state agencies. Theresa has a steadfast conviction for the responsible stewardship and use of our natural resources with a parallel dedication to the engagement of individuals across the socio-economic spectrum in the work that she leads.

Dr. Katherine von Stackelberg is a Principal at NEK Associates LTD, a small firm incorporated in Massachusetts specialized in developing risk-based modeling tools to support sustainable environmental decision-making, and the co-owner of a permaculture apple orchard, Echodale Farms LLC (@echodale_farm), in northern Vermont. She is also a Research Scientist in the Department of Environmental Health and is a research affiliate at the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis (HCRA) at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health and co-leader of the Biogeochemistry of Global Contaminants Group
(BGC) at Harvard University. Dr. von Stackelberg has 30 years of experience designing and implementing human health and ecological risk assessments, focused on integrated, risk-based modeling approaches to support sustainable environmental decision making. She has published on ecological resilience, the use of uncertainty analysis in decision making, bioaccumulation modeling, and use of decision analytic approaches to integrate ecosystem services and risk assessment for more effective decision making. Dr. von Stackelberg served on the Board of Scientific Counselors at the U.S. EPA for six years and was Chair for the last three. She led the effort to explore the use of decision analytic tools and methods to support environmental decision making within the U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development. She is a member of the Scientific Advisors on Risk Assessment for the European Commission in Brussels and recently completed service on a National Academies of Science Committee on Interventions to Increase the Resilience of Coral Reefs. She teaches a course on socio- ecological systems and sustainability that uses systems analysis to explore transformative and regenerative futures. Dr. von Stackelberg received an A.B. cum laude from Harvard College, and a Sc.M. and Sc.D. from the Harvard School of Public Health in Environmental Science and Risk Management.

Karen Washington has lived in New York City all her life, and has spent decades promoting urban farming as a way for all New Yorkers to access to fresh, locally grown food.

Karen has been a resident of the Bronx for over 34 years, although in 2015 she began living part time in Orange County, NY near the farm. Since 1985 Karen has been a community activist, striving to make New York City a better place to live. As a community gardener and board member of the New York Botanical Gardens, Karen worked with Bronx neighborhoods to turn empty lots into community gardens. As an advocate, she stood up and spoken out for garden protection and preservation. As a member of the La Familia Verde Community Garden Coalition, she helped launched a City Farms Market, bringing garden fresh vegetables to her neighbors. Karen is a food advocate and trainer leading workshops on food growing and food justice for community gardeners all over the country. Karen is the former president of the New York City Community Garden Coalition, a group that was founded to preserve community gardens. She also co-founded Black Urban Growers (BUGS), an organization of volunteers committed to building networks and community support for growers in both urban and rural settings. In 2012 Ebony magazine voted her one of their 100 most influential African Americans in the country, and in 2014 she was awarded with the James Beard Leadership Award.

David Zuckerman is the co-founder of Full Moon Farm, a NOFA-certified organic farm in Hinesburg, Vermont.
Inspired by then Congressman Sanders, David first ran for the Vermont House in 1994 while enrolled at the University of Vermont. He lost by 59 votes but came back two years later to become the fourth Progressive Party member ever to serve in Montpelier.
David served for fourteen years (1997-2010) in the Vermont House of Representatives representing the City of Burlington in Chittenden 3-4. He served on the Natural Resources and Energy Committee (6 years), Agriculture Committee (6 years, 4 as Chair) and Ways and Means Committee (2 years). David’s leadership spans a number of issues including renewable energy, affordable housing, livable wages, cannabis reform, GMO legislation, universal healthcare, progressive taxation, marriage equality, and end of life choices.
David served in the Vermont Senate as a Progressive/Democrat for two terms, from 2012-2015. He served as Vice-Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and on the Senate Committee on Education.
In 2016, David was elected Lieutenant Governor as a Progressive/Democrat. On January 5, 2017, he was sworn in as the 80th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont.
David has been recognized by the following Vermont organizations for his leadership in Montpelier:
Energy Independent Vermont Coalition (2016 Outstanding Legislator Award)
Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (2014 Legislator of the Year)
Renewable Energy Vermont (2013 Legislative Champion)
The Vermont Natural Resources Council (2008)
Women Helping Battered Women (2007)
The Vermont Children’s Forum (2002 Vermont Legislators for Children) 

His service includes:
The Burlington Electric Commission (1995-1998)
The American Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer and Rancher Committee (2002-2004)
Inaugural member of Young Elected Officials
Membership on the Chittenden County Farm Bureau
Membership in the Northeast Organic Farming Association-VT
Membership in Rural Vermont
Served on the Burlington Ward 1 Neighborhood Planning Assembly (NPA)
David is a UVM graduate (Class of 1995), with a degree in Environmental Studies. He was awarded the Keith Miser Award at graduation for contributions to campus leadership.
He lives with his wife and daughter in Hinesburg, Vermont.  

Peter comes to the Strolling of the Heifers after many years working as a landscape construction project manager. He is also an experienced bike tour planner, and has organized and run many successful charity bike events. As project manager for Windham Grows he is looking forward to using his skills to help our farm and food cohort participants thrive and create new jobs in our community and statewide.

As Windham Grows program manager Peter will also be working on the Farm to Table Culinary Apprenticeship Program, Slow Living Summit, Tour de Heifer, and the small business accelerator. In his role with the Strolling of the Heifers he enjoys contributing to an organization that provides so many benefits to the Town of Brattleboro and the State of Vermont.