BCCD Board and Staff

The activities of BCCD are governed by a five-person Board of Supervisors. The current members of the Board are:

Board of Supervisors

  • Don Wilson, Chairperson, Arlington Don is a 7th generation not-born-in-Vermonter - although he's lived on and tinkered with the family farm for thirty-five years. He is deeply committed to the issues and solutions that will allow the Vermont we all grew up in to be part of the Vermont we pass on. Something of a contrarian, he still doesn't wear long underwear in April.
  • Jim Henderson, Vice-chairperson, Sandgate -- Jim Henderson is the Senior-GIS Planner at the Bennington County Regional Commission. He and his wife Nancy live in Sandgate with their three children. He is an avid hunter and fisherman and enjoys skiing and making maple syrup with his kids.
  • Lissa Stark, Treasurer, Bennington -- Lissa was born and raised on an organic farm in Brattleboro, VT. To this day, she spends as much time outside as possible - gardening, splitting firewood, playing with her dogs, and being one with nature. She works for the Bennington County Regional Commission, has her own Reiki practice, and volunteers in the community. After a long day of work, there is nothing she enjoys more than getting her hands dirty with good old fashioned manual labor... or a nice, refreshing ride on her motorcycle!
  • Debbie Johnson, Shaftsbury
  • David Mance, III, Shaftsbury

Affiliates

  • Bill Forbes, Supervisory Soil Conservationist for Southern VT -- Bill has worked for USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service for overy thirty years, assisting farmers, landowners, conservation districts, schools and others in conserving natural resrouces.
  • Sylvia Harris, Agricultural Resource Specialist/Basin Planner -- Sylvia Harris, the Agriculture Resouce Specialist and Basin Planner for BCCD and other southern Vermont conservation districts, has been involved in the conservation arena since completing her Master's on a once endangered species, the Bald Eagle, in 1994. She has worked with big game species in Arizona, threatened species in Florida and the endangered farming community in Vermont.
  • Jenny Kimberly, Soil ConservationistJenny has worked in Bennington Counmty for almost 30 years helping farmers, landowners, towns, and others conserve our natural resources. She tends to concentrate her efforts on wildlife habitat, forestry, and cropping systems. Jenny is an avid horse person, riding and driving her horses in long distance (up to 100 miles) trail rides.

Staff Members

  • Shelly Stiles, BCCD District Manager -- Shelly Stiles has been district manager since 1993. Her background is in horticulture and non-profit communications. She is an avid hiker, gardener, and mushroom hunter. She lives with her significant other Michael Batcher in nearby Buskirk, NY, where they manage their grasslands using prescribed fire.