Teaching and demonstrating the benefits of innovative, sustainable management of forest and farmland

Merck Forest & Farmland Staff

	Melissa Carll (Communications Coordinator) The opportunity work for a historic, natural landscape where people can learn about sustainability is what drew Melissa to intern on the farm, then apprentice under the education director, and, currently, work full time as the Communications Coordinator for Merck Forest. Her undergraduate degree in historic preservation taught her how people have interacted with landscapes in the past, and she feels that historic uses of a landscape can help shape present and future land use decisions. After obtaining a graduate degree in ecological planning and design to learn sustainable methods for designing and caring for landscapes, Melissa began work at MFFC. Melissa works daily on a variety of communications material, and the big project this year is designing new signage that enhances visitors' understanding of Merck’s working landscape: the land's ecology, its history, and how we can all be a part of creating a resilient system.

	Tim Hughes-Muse (Farm Manager) From working as an adjunct professor as well as serving as the Farm Manager and Coordinator of Sustainability Programming at Green Mountain College, serving as the Farm Manager of the North Country School/Camp Treetops in Lake Placid, New York, to working as the Field Manager for Denison Farm (Schagticoke, NY), Timothy brings a breadth of comprehensive and engaging educational and hands-on farm experience to the fields of Merck. Timothy lives in Pawlet, VT with his wife and four daughters. Together they enjoy canoeing and hiking.

	Kathryn Lawrence (Assistant to the Director) Kathryn joined the Merck Forest staff in October of 2010 as office coordinator and bookkeeper. Her professional experience includes book keeping for a local motel, a local contractor and most recently as office and finance manager for Riley Rink at Hunter Park, for six years. She has three married children, whom she home schooled while partnering with her husband Rick in the operation and management of a 90 cow dairy farm. Her farm responsibilities included farm bookkeeping, calf management, milking and driving tractor in whatever capacity needed. She has a love for farming and the outdoors, which attracted her to the opportunity at Merck Forest. Kathryn grew up in Arlington, has lived in numerous places in Vermont and Pennsylvania but chooses to call the beautiful Mettowee Valley home. She and Rick live in Pawlet and have transferred their love for farming to a small farm with perennial gardens, a vegetable garden and five horses. Their children and grandchildren come to Vermont to play as often as is possible.

	Carolyn Loeb (Apprentice) A Massachusetts native with a passion for the outdoors and a keen interest in sustainable living practices, Carolyn graduated with a B.A. in Environmental Studies (Ecology Focus) from Macalester College in 2008. Her diverse work history includes time as a high school English teacher in French Guyana and Chile; as a research assistant studying endangered mussel species in Minnesota and poison frogs in Panama; and as a trainee with a sustainable development non-profit in Hungary. Since 2010, she has also worked multiple seasons as a Naturalist Guide, Environmental Educator and GIS research assistant for the Appalachian Mountain Club in Pinkham Notch, NH. Carolyn is a conversational Spanish & French speaker, enthusiastic potter, hiker and backpacker, international traveler, wood-stove lover and avid tea drinker. She hopes that her time as a farm apprentice with Merck will prepare her to eventually run a small homestead alongside a weekday environmental job. Her vision is to incorporate a more sustainable, holistic approach to land management and food systems into her life and work.

	Amy Malsbenden (Visitor Engagement Specialist) Growing up in the Lakes Region area of New Hampshire Amy spent most of her time outside and playing sports. She went on to attend the University of New Hampshire where she studied athletic training and competed on the track and field team in the throwing events. After graduation Amy moved to New York City and coached track at Columbia University. After a year of fun and adventure in the city, she decided to pursue greener pastures. In 2010, Amy moved to Western Mass where she helped grow and maintain a small beef farm with her significant other. While there, she learned the basics of farming and fell in love with the lifestyle. Last June they decided to relocate to Salem, NY with their two beagles and flock of almost 40 chickens. Over the past two years, she developed a strong passion for agriculture and hopes to have a working farm in the future. In her spare time Amy runs a small custom sewing business where she designs handbags out of recycled fabrics and enjoys reupholstering antique furniture. Amy enjoys spending time with her animals, gardening, cooking, the outdoors and being creative!

	Rebecca Osborne (Apprentice) Becca grew up in upstate New York with Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains as her playground. So naturally, when it came time for college she chose to study environmental science and attended SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) in Syracuse, NY. While living in Syracuse, Becca was able to experience classroom teaching by working with a non-profit focused on bringing alternative educational programs to inner-city schools. After graduating in May, Becca worked on an organic vegetable farm in Wolcott, VT and is excited to combine her love of education and sustainable land management during her year here at Merck.

	Emilie Schwartz (Apprentice) Originally from Northern New Jersey, Emilie has always loved the outdoors. She became drawn to environmental education early on while working at a nature-oriented day camp and through an environmental internship. Emilie graduated from Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont in May 2012 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies, with concentrations in Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Education. Before becoming an Apprentice at Merck Forest, Emilie worked as an educator at Heifer Ranch and Education Center for Heifer International in Perryville, Arkansas and at an organic vegetable farm in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Emilie is excited to be back in Vermont and can’t wait to begin learning about sustainable forest and farm management practices. She enjoys reading, cooking, learning about vegetables, and crossword puzzles.

	Sarah Ullman (Director of Education) Sarah is a Massachusetts native, studied Environmental Science at the University of Vermont and fell in love with outdoor teaching during her summers working at the W. Alton Jones' Earth Camp in Rhode Island. In 2006, she headed west to Bainbridge Island, WA where she earned a certificate in Education, Environment and Community from Islandwood. She finished up a year later with a master's degree in Teaching and Curriculum from the University of Washington. During her time in WA, Sarah taught first through sixth graders at The Silverwood School, developed farm to school programs with Global Source Education and was a naturalist at Seattle's Camp Long. In 2011, Sarah found her way back to VT and is thrilled to be Director of Education at Merck. Although she sometimes misses the moss and the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, she is delighted to be returning to her New England roots.

	Christopher Wall (Trail Maintenance Coordinator) Originally from Illinois and Louisiana, Chris connected to the outdoors at a young age through scouting. After college, he headed west and spent eight years doing biological fieldwork in Colorado, Oregon, California, Washington and Alaska. In 2005, Chris shifted his focus to Environmental Education by attending graduate school at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. He returned to Washington to work as an educator at Islandwood and the Olympic Park Institute and in 2008 began crew leading youth and adult volunteer trail crews for Washington Trails Association. Ready for a change in November of 2011, Chris moved to Vermont and started helping with Merck's general maintenance and sugaring operation. Now, he's getting volunteers out on trail at Merck. Come join him on a trail work party!

	Tom Ward (Executive Director) Tom is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University (BS, Marketing 1969) and The University of Vermont (MS, Forestry 1981). After graduation from undergraduate school he served as a Maintenance Officer with the United States Air Force and with the New Jersey and Vermont Air National Guard when a graduate student. On active duty he oversaw as many as three functional areas with over one hundred enlisted men and women under his supervision. He has prior experience in non-profit management as the Director of Smokey House Project in Danby, VT, and Executive Director of the Community Agriculture Center in Manchester, VT. He has served on numerous non-profit boards of directors and chaired the Manchester, VT, school board for four years. Tom also has over twenty years' experience managing his own business as an investment advisor. He is an avid birder and gardener and enjoys hiking, biking and long winter walks with his wife, Jean.