VISITOR CENTER
Stephanie Breed
VC Coordinator
Marybeth Leu
Communications Coordinator
Marybeth’s background includes an undergrad degree in English from Northeastern University and certificates in Landscape Design and Landscape Management from Harvard University’s Radcliffe Seminars and the University of Massachusetts’ Green School. She has over two decades of experience in the high-tech industry as a systems-installation specialist in healthcare organizations and a decade of experience as a landscape designer, where she was the principal in Boston Garden Gems. In addition to her duties in the VC, she handles IT at Merck Forest.
In her free time Marybeth loves scuba-diving, woodworking and puttering in the garden.
FARM & FOREST
Dylan Durkee
Fleet & Facilities Manager
Dylan grew up on his family’s dairy farm. As a farm kid, he learned all aspects of farm management, animal husbandry and crop care; he has broadened his skill set with experience working for an electrical and general contractor.
Dylan’s passion is to raise healthy livestock and to manage the land in a sustainable manner.
Hadley Stock
Farm Manager
EDUCATION & PROGRAMS
Chris Hubbard
Education
Director
Chris spent decades as an educator and traditional folk artist. She’s brought that experience to bear in expanding Merck’s educational programs.
Chris and her husband have a small farm and enjoy sea kayaking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
Cara Davenport
Education Manager
She lives in Manchester Center and enjoys long-distance running, cooking and experimenting with food, and finding new ways to have conversations about our relationship to the land and living things on which we all depend.
Elena Santos
Education
Coordinator
She is excited to be working at MFFC where she can combine both focuses of her degree. Elena lives close to MFFC with her fiancee and a small flock of chickens. She loves identifying wildflowers, gardening, cooking and going for bike rides.
ADMINISTRATION
Liz Ruffa
Advancement
Director
Liz Ruffa joined MFFC as Advancement Director in 2018. Previous to that, she launched and led Northshire Grows, a regional food system network. Liz has held leadership positions at Common Good VT, VT Arts Council and VT Sustainable Jobs Fund, among others since joining Vermont’s mission-driven sector. She serves on Vermont Foodbank’s Board of Directors, was appointed in 2017 to the Vermont Community Development Board, and is a member of the Town of Dorset’s Select Board. She lives with her family in East Dorset.
Kathryn Lawrence
Assistant
Director
Kathryn joined us in 2010. Her professional experience in finance and business is essential to our team.
Kathryn lives in Pawlet with her husband Rick, where they tend vegetable gardens, horses, cats and chickens.
Rob Terry
Executive
Director
Rob has taught in a number of experiential outdoor programs, and his passion is to foster in our visitors the desire to connect in meaningful ways to the natural landscape at Merck Forest.
He and his wife Anna enjoy introducing their two children to new adventures in the outdoors.
COME WORK AT MERCK
Currently there are no open positions at Merck.
Board of Trustees
President
Sue Van Hook
Vice President
Sam Schneski
Secretary
Kat Deely
Treasurer
Greg Hopper
Trustee
Mark Lourie
Trustee
John Stasny
Trustee
Brian Vargo
Trustee
Merrill Bent
Trustee
Dinah Buechner-Vischer
Concord, MA
Trustee
Jim Hand
Partners & Collaborators
Chamber of Commerce
Vermont Huts Association
Vermont Land Trust
Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association
Farm-Based Education Network
Connected Taconics Project
Mahwah
Environmental Volunteers
Organization
Northeast Organic
Farmers Association
Northeast Woodland Training
Rutland Area
Farm & Food Link
Solo Wilderness Schools
Vermont Certified Organic
Many people contributed photos for inclusion in this website: Darla Belevich, Tim Callahan, Melissa Carll, Chris Hubbard, Katie Connor, Ethan Crumley, Kat Graden, Angela Kilpatrick, Aaron Lamp, Kathryn Lawrence, Marybeth Leu, Heather Richardson, Anna Terry, Rob Terry, Karl Uy. We appreciate your contributions.