WHO WE ARE
Board Members & Officers
John Little started attending meetings of concerned citizens along the Missisquoi River in the early 90s, and was a founding member of the Missisquoi River Basin Association in 1996. Over a 36 year career, John taught in the sciences at Richford Jr/Sr High School, North Country Union High School, Vermont Community College and Vermont Technical College. He received the Commissioner’s Award for Vocational Technical Education in 1993 for a Solar Race Car Project, and also the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in 2009 for creating MRBA’s Bugworks educational program which is annually provided to local schools within our watershed. John also played an integral role earning Wild & Scenic River designation for the Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers (UMATR), a 10-year effort that achieved success in 2014. Now retired, John enjoys paddling through our beautiful region and to dedicating his time to both the MRBA and UMATR organizations.
John Little, President
Paul was raised on his family’s farm in Franklin, VT and has always been involved in agriculture. For the past 30 years, he and his wife, Linda, have owned and operated a small registered Jersey dairy farm in Bakersfield. Paul also serves as a Certified Crop Adviser for 15 local farms of all sizes. He is an avid volunteer, serving as a director for MRBA. He is also a past chief and current member of the Bakersfield Fire Dept., an active member of Franklin Watershed Committee, and a 4H leader. He enjoys motorcycle riding and downhill skiing in his limited spare time.
Paul Stanley, Treasure
The Missisquoi River Basin Association (MRBA) is an active, non-profit group of volunteers dedicated to the restoration of the Missisquoi River, its tributaries, and the Missisquoi Bay. We bring together diverse interest groups within the community – teachers, farmers, summer residents, loggers, business owners, environmental experts, outdoor enthusiasts, municipal officers, woodland owners, and concerned citizens like you.
Previously serving as the Coordinator of the Missisquoi River Basin Association, and now serves as a Board Advisor from Montgomery. Her tireless efforts to conserve and protect the Missisquoi watershed are greatly appreciated!
Cynthia Scott, Board Advisor
Wendy Scott has been involved with MRBA for many years. An avid paddler in Canada, Wendy decided after many northern trips that it was important to pay attention to the local waterways of Franklin County. Wendy lives in Enosburg Falls with her husband Al Stirt and has been enjoying retired life after 30 years of teaching. After many summers going to Northern Canada for canoe trips, Wendy and her husband Al now enjoy paddling and camping locally.
Wendy Scott, Secretary
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Brian Jerose has been a Board member for the Missisquoi River Basin Association since 2001. He acted as MRBA Technical Advisor until 2016, coordinating volunteer tree plantings, erosion control demonstrations and other field projects. Brian has been President of Agrilab Technologies Inc. (AGT) since 2012. He and his small business team work on a range of environmental and agricultural projects, with a focus on compost aeration and heat recovery (CAHR) systems. AGT has equipment installations in VT, NY, NH, MA, CT, CA, MT and MI, and has provided technical and consulting services to state, national and international clients. Brian is a founding Board member of the Composting Association of
Vermont and currently serves as VP. He has a BA in Political Science from SUNY Geneseo and a MS in Environmental and Resource Engineering from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Brian lives in Fairfield, VT with his wife Joanna and daughters Maya and Lucy.
Brian Jerose, Board Member
Mike Manahan, Enosburg, VT
Craig Cimmons, Jay, VT
Kate Donlon, Bakersfield, VT
Deborah Girouard, Swanton, VT
Dany Boyle, Montgomery, VT
Sarah Cushing, Vice President, Montgomery Center, VT
Meet Our Staff
Lindsey serves as the Executive Director for both the Missisquoi River Basin Association and the Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers Wild & Scenic Committee. A biologist by training and inclination, for a time Lindsey specialized in surveying for endangered bats; she is still involved with bats through the Vermont Bat Center and will happily talk your ear off about some of her favorite animals. She grew up in Brookfield, Vermont, and now resides in Jay, where she loves to explore rivers both new and old with her husband and their many pets (or at least the dogs).
Lindsey Wight, Executive Director
Ellen serves as a Project Manager for the Missisquoi River Basin Association. She helps to plan and implement riparian tree plantings, performs water sampling, works with the community to move toward responsible stewardship of river and floodplain resources. Ellen grew up along the Great Miami River in western Ohio and seeks to rebuild our human connection to the landscape, particularly to rivers. When she isn’t working on a project, she spends her time tending a flock of dairy sheep, cheesemaking, providing consultation on food safety, and serving in municipal government positions to address land use regulation.
Ellen Fox, Project Manager
Sarah serves as the Watershed Engagement Manager for the Missisquoi River Basin Association and the Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers Wild & Scenic Committee. Originally from Georgia, Vermont, she spent much of her time growing up exploring the Missisquoi watershed on horseback, skiing, and hiking. After studying biology at college in New Hampshire, she is excited to have returned to the northern Vermont area. She started serving for us through the VT DEC ECO Americorps program in 2021, and has stuck around with us since. In her free time, she is a volunteer ski patroller at Jay Peak, enjoys hiking with her dog Pearl, and spends as much time outside as she can exploring the Green Mountain State.
Sarah Lunn, Watershed Restoration Manager
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Ruby serves as the Watershed Engagement Coordinator for the Missisquoi River Basin Association and the Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers Wild & Scenic Committee as a VT DEC ECO Americorps member. She grew up in and still lives in Burlington, discovering a love and appreciation for the natural world early on in life. Ruby is a recent graduate from Southern New Hampshire University on campus studying environmental science and biology, being a heavily involved member of the campus community. In her free time, Ruby likes to spend all the time she can outside, watching the sunset, gardening and tending to her houseplants.