Scott joined Smokey House with a range of property management and construction experience and a commitment to environmental stewardship. Scott ran his own property management company in Mass. and Rhode Island. He studied wildlife conservation biology at the University of Rhode Island. Scott served for many years on the board of Revive the Roots in Smithfield, RI, working closely with others to develop a robust educational permaculture site. Scott lives in Danby with his wife and dogs in a house he’s working on.

Walker joined the Smokey House team as the first Program Director for the Farm and Forest Living Lab. He received his BA in botany and environmental studies from Connecticut College before receiving his MF from the Yale School of the Environment. His research and work has focused on multi-use forestry, sustainable development of non-timber forest product industries, implementation of agroforestry systems, and place-based education.

Mara joined the Smokey House team in spring of 2022, in the role of office administrator and bookkeeper. She grew up in Vermont and has worked as a bookkeeper for over a dozen area businesses since 2017. She loves helping local businesses succeed in their own passions. In addition to bookkeeping, she and her partner also operate their own farm, Levy Lamb, where they raise grass-fed lamb for meat. She is committed to farming as a climate solution.

Ben Holmes joined Smokey House in the winter of 2022 as the Interim Executive Director to lead the next phase of Smokey House Center’s planning and operations.

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Ben spent over 30 years founding and elevating The Farm School, a vibrant non-profit that has connected tens of thousands of people to the land. During his tenure, Ben fostered the development of new perspectives and leadership, turning the organization over completely to the next generation in the fall of 2021.

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Andrea is a shepherd, flax farmer, and fiber arts teacher based in Danby, Vermont. She and her husband, Stanton Sears, have created more than seventy public art projects for sites across the United States. Her work in natural fibers has focused on the revitalization of local and regional textile production systems as a means to confront climate change and revitalize rural economies. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Northern New England Fibershed, and was the recipient of a 2017/18 USDA SARE grant exploring the growing and processing of flax fiber for community-scale linen production. Her present research includes work on carbon sequestion in wool production and the development of bast fibers (flax, textile hemp) in New England. She is a graduate of Macalester College, St. Paul, MN.

Danielle joined Smokey House as Communications Director in 2022. She has a BS in Communications from Ohio University and a certificate in Digital Media Marketing from UVM. She has worked in film and TV in Los Angeles, for corporate media in Ohio and as an independent marketing contractor in Vermont. She is passionate about sharing clients stories with their audiences and connecting people digitally to share ideas. She is also passionate about climate change and building soil which she works on through her 100% solar hobby farm in Rupert, Vermont.