We are a group of people who are passionate about our work and believe in the power of education, conservation, and policy action!
Debbie Archer
she/her/hers
Education Program Manager
802-434-3068 ext: 13 | Debbie.Archer@audubon.org
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Contact Debbie with questions about education programs, field trips, and camps.
Growing up in a military family, Debbie moved around the country throughout her childhood. But, as a fourth-grader, she made a declaration that she would live in Vermont when she grew up. Many years later she is very happily putting down roots here in Vermont and working for Audubon. Debbie joined the education team in 2015 with a Master of Science in Environmental Science from Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs. She gained experience in outdoor education working as an educator, naturalist, and camp program manager at environmental education camps in Alaska and California. She lives in Montpelier where she continues to be excited to see and experience all that Vermont has to offer during each of its seasons.
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Educator
She/her/hers
emily.calder@audubon.org
View articles written by Emily.
Programs: Unschool, Afterschool, Free Nature Playgroup
Emily's curiosity for the outdoors grew from a childhood of exploring the marsh behind her house in New Hampshire. She came to Vermont for college where she earned a B.S. in Environmental Science from Saint Michael’s College in 2019. Emily has worked in education for six years, with experience ranging from summer camps, to teaching in the White Mountains, to leading teen trail crews, to being an elementary school paraeducator. At Audubon Vermont, Emily is the lead educator for Unschool and Free Afterschool, as well as teaching many other programs including Free Nature Playgroup, library programs, and field trips. In her programs, she loves to teach about aquatic animals, tracking, birds, and letting kids explore to make their own discoveries. Emily lives in Burlington where she enjoys birding, rock climbing, hiking, and playing board games.
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Tim Duclos
he/him/his
Forest Program Senior Associate
tim.duclos@audubon.org
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Tim is a native Vermonter with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Vermont and Master of Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His passion for conservation extends back to teenage years spent at the Green Mountain Conservation Camps. In times since, he has worked with birds in almost every role he has held in his career. His passion for Northern Forest birds really took flight after becoming involved with the work of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, where he fell in love with the Bicknell’s Thrush and mountain conservation. This led to his graduate studies where Tim conducted pioneering research with the USGS Climate Adaptation Science Center and USFS Northern Forest Research Station investigating the role that climate and forests play in shaping the avian communities of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. After graduate school, Tim returned to Vermont where he combined his knowledge of forest birds with the field of forestry at Merck Forest & Farmland Center.
For Tim, his passion for birds is rooted in the functional application of the story that avian diversity tells in terms of ecosystem health - and the connections that all people can have with conservation through our feathered friends. Growing up off-the-grid in rural Vermont his interest in avian conservation also directly relates to the importance of working lands. Today, he continues this legacy himself, homesteading on 35 acres in Dorset, Vermont with his wife Carolyn. Beside working the land, Tim spends his free time occupied by many passions involving the mountains, the waters, and woods.
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Margaret Fowle
she/her/hers
Conservation Program Manager
802-434-3068 ext: 22 | Margaret.Fowle@audubon.org
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Margaret Fowle is a conservation biologist and Program Manager with Audubon Vermont's Priority Bird and Working Lands Initiatives. Prior to coming to Audubon in 2009, Margaret coordinated Peregrine Falcon and Bald Eagle recovery efforts in Vermont. Margaret also works with private landowners to promote management activities that enhance grassland, shrubland, and farmland habitats for priority bird species. Margaret obtained her Master's degree in wildlife biology from the University of Vermont, where she studied the population of Double-crested Cormorants on Lake Champlain. She lives in Huntington with her husband Breck, daughters Ada and Frances, and many animals. They enjoy hiking, skiing, biking, horseback riding and gardening.
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Kim Guertin
she/her/hers
Green Mountain Audubon Center Director
802-434-3068 ext: 12 | Kim.Guertin@audubon.org
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Kim has worked for Audubon Vermont since 2000 and before that worked for the local Audubon chapter. Nature-based education is her passion and she became the first National Audubon certified teacher-naturalist in the country. Kim now works as the Director of the Green Mountain Audubon Center in Huntington. She graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.S. in Environmental Studies, with a concentration in Environmental Education. She also attended the School for International Training in Arusha, Tanzania where she studied wildlife, conservation and ecology. Kim lives with her husband and two children in North Duxbury. She enjoys hiking with her dog, skiing out her back door, yoga, and drinking coffee by her woodstove.
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Steve Hagenbuch
he/him/his
Senior Program Manager, Forests
802-434-3068 ext: 21 | Steve.Hagenbuch@audubon.org
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Steve has worked with Audubon in a variety of roles since 1998. Currently, he is the Senior Program Manager, Forests. In this position, Steve advances work with private landowners, municipalities, foresters, and land managers to promote management activities that will enhance the habitat value of forestland for priority bird species. His primary focus is on expansion of the Bird-Friendly Maple program, both in VT and throughout the US. In 2009 Steve obtained his master's degree in conservation biology from Antioch University New England. His graduate research investigated the implications of maple sugarbush management for Neotropical migrant songbirds. When not in the woods on business Steve can still be found there - hiking, mountain biking, backcountry skiing, fly-fishing, or whatever else seems like fun. Steve, his wife Dana, and their two teen-aged children live on an 1850's farm in Waterbury Center, VT.
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David Hewitt
he/him/his
Community Science and Chapter Engagement AmeriCorps Member
802-434-3068 ext: 17 | david.hewitt@audubon.org
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David’s love for the natural world was initially spurred by the Science and Nature Program at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and growing up adjacent to the trails of the Audubon Society in Fairfield, Connecticut. When he was a junior in high school, he received the James Lowenstein Scholarship to attend the Conserve School, an environmental semester program in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. This experience was transformative and strengthened his resolve to learn more about biodiversity. A 2020 graduate of Hobart William Smith College, he majored in Environmental Studies and minored in Public Policy. David is an avid sailor and has taught summer programs, coached a high school team and been the director of a non-profit sailing program for the past three years. He looks forward to serving with Audubon Vermont as their Community Science and Chapter Engagement AmeriCorps Member.
Sarah Hooghuis
she/her, they/them
Youth Conservation Leadership Coordinator
802-434-3068 ext: 20 | sarah.hooghuis@audubon.org
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Sarah grew up in Connecticut and graduated from Skidmore College with a BA in Environmental Studies. As a kid, you could find them playing in streams and woods. Sarah discovered a love of birds later in life, her spark bird was a Steller’s Jay in Colorado - from then on a bird guide and binoculars were necessities on every walk. Prior to joining our team as the Youth Conservation Leadership Coordinator, they served as our Outreach and Education AmeriCorps member from 2019-2021, and returned in the winter of 2022 as a Sugaring Assistant for our bird-friendly maple syrup operation. They come to this position witha decade of experience in environmental education and communications.
Sarah describes themself as an amateur naturalist with a desire to sponge up as much knowledge about the natural world as possible. They are excited to be back at Audubon Vermont working to provide opportunities for youth around the state to engage in environmental conservation.
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Emily Kaplita
she/her/hers
Senior Educator
802-434-3068 ext: 14 |Emily.Kaplita@audubon.org
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Emily is originally from Connecticut. Vermont has always held a special place in her heart since she was young, and she is happy to now call Vermont home. Emily has been at Audubon Vermont since 2016, first teaching as summer camp staff, then serving as Audubon Vermont's first AmeriCorps Member, and now joining the Education Team as a Teacher/Naturalist. She has a Bachelor's of Science degree in Biology from Dickinson College and a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education from Champlain College. Emily has multiple years of experience in environmental education and research experience with amphibians, mostly the American Toad, and will enhance our education programs more with this knowledge. Emily currently lives in South Burlington. She enjoys hiking, biking, swimming in fresh water, skiing (both Nordic and downhill), and spending time with family and friends.
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Mark LaBarr
he/him/his
Conservation Program Manager
802-434-3068 ext: 10 |Mark.LaBarr@audubon.org
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Mark has been with Audubon for more than 15 years. His work includes coordinating the Vermont Common Tern Recovery Project, the Green Mountain Audubon Center bird banding station and the Audubon Vermont Conservation Internship Program. He has worked on bird projects from Hawaii to Belize studying everything from albatrosses to catbirds. Mark also oversees the stewardship needs at the Green Mountain Audubon Center. Mark has a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Vermont and a Master’s in Education from St. Michael's College. He enjoys spending time with his two children, Owein and Mae, and lives in Huntington.
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Meghan Lee-Hall
she/her/hers
Office Coordinator
802-434-3068 ext 18|meghan.lee@audubon.org
Meghan started at Audubon Vermont in the summer of 2023. She has always loved spending time outdoors and has a passion for birds and wildlife. Meghan moved to Vermont from Massachusetts to attend UVM and earn her BS in Zoology. She fell in love with the mountains and spends most weekends exploring with her husband and dog. She is excited to join the Audubon Vermont team and help them protect the beauty and biodiversity of Vermont for future generations.
Drop by the Visitor Center front desk to say hi! She's happy to help you plan your hike around our trails, share the best spots for birding, or sell you some Bird-Friendly Maple Syrup.
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Truman Lee-Solomon
he/him/his
Environmental Educator AmeriCorps Member
802-434-3068 ext 17|truman.leesolomon@audubon.org
Truman is serving at Audubon Vermont as an Environmental Educator. Growing up in Vermont, Truman has backpacked, fished, kayaked, and practiced bushcraft for over a decade. Well-versed in the eastern woodlands, Truman has previously worked as a wilderness therapy guide for True North, leading groups of adolescents on backcountry adventures, teaching outdoor skills and offering emotional guidance. Truman has also served as a wilderness survival instructor for Outschool and Skidmore College teaching numerous skills from fire starting to spearfishing. He also did wildlife conservation work in the Peruvian Amazon for Hoja Nueva, living remotely in the jungle for multiple weeks, doing tasks from bushwhacking trails to handling venomous snakes
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Jillian Liner
she/her/hers
Interim Executive Director and Director of Conservation
802-434-3068 ext: 24 | Jillian.Liner@audubon.org
View articles written by Jillian
Joining Audubon Vermont in 2022, Jillian is a newer member of the Vermont team, but she is no stranger to Audubon or Vermont. She spent the last twenty years at Audubon NY—first as the Important Bird Area Coordinator, then Director of Bird Conservation, and most recently Director of Conservation. In those roles she co-authored Important Bird Areas of New York: Habitats Worth Protecting, a reference for groups looking to protect bird habitat, and launched new conservation initiatives focused on the most at-risk birds.
Prior to joining Audubon, Jillian was involved in a variety of research projects in Florida, Minnesota, Montana, and Vermont, many studying raptors. She also worked on landscape inventories and conservation plans to prioritize limited resources on the most vulnerable habitats. Jillian earned her B.A. in biology from Skidmore College and M.S. in Ecological Planning from UVM’s School of Natural Resources. She also participated in the School for Field Studies’ Wildlife Management program in Kenya.
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Amy Simmons
she/her/hers
646-290-0821| Amy.Simmons@audubon.org
Director Individual Giving
Originally from Kentucky, Amy supports Audubon Vermont remotely from New York City, where she’s lived for most of her adult life. She’s passionate about birds and the environment. As a child, she and her family watched birds and spent a lot of time enjoying nature. In the years since, she’s noticed the reduction in the number and diversity of birds and insects and wondered how she could help -- given that her college degree is in history. After years of working in the corporate world, in 2019 she gave herself permission to “pivot” and do work that was truly meaningful for her, and that brought her to Audubon where she was able to put her business skills to work raising funds to help birds and the places they need. Amy lives with her partner, Audrey, in Manhattan and spends as much of her free time as possible birding – often in Central Park. She’s thrilled that her work often brings her to Vermont and loves nothing more than squeezing in a bit of local birding while here.
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