Heidi Benjamin , Whole Foods Chef
Heidi Benjamin had been catering for Yestermorrow for over 10 years before coming onto the team full time in 2007. We affectionately call her our "favorite lunch lady" as she also did a spell of said job at a local elementary school. During her time as a lunch lady, she helped change the palates of most of the kids to appreciate local and organic whole foods. Before that, she did the same for glider pilots and ride takers alike up at the Dinersoar Deli at Sugarbush Glider Airport. She has worked in cooking for the past 22 years since she finished up at UVM in Burlington, Vermont, majoring in social gerontology and French. heidi (at) yestermorrow.org
Heidi is the mom of a delightful plethora of 5 step kids and 2 "out of body experiences", and married to her husband, John. She also has two young grandchildren. She enjoys being with her family while either skiing, fishing, camping, cooking, just hanging out and more. An Ipswich, MA native, she now lives in Warren, VT.
Jesse Cooper , Design/Build Intern
With a background in the visual arts, Jesse spent 6 years in Washington DC, where he had a smattering of exhibits and began constructing re-designed furniture using salvaged materials. DC presented him opportunities to do restaurant design, learn the art and science of espresso-making and to undertake home renovation utilizing salvaged materials. He returned to Vermont in 2006 and began work in a small, production furniture shop before coming to Yestermorrow.
Monica DiGiovanni , Student Services Manager
BFA, Studio for Interrelated Media, Massachusetts College of Art
Monica studied fine art and ceramics at Pacific Northwest College of Art and the Oregon College of Art and Craft before shifting to Media Studies at the Massachusetts College of Art. She also has a background in community organizing, teaching, business management and as a theatrical technician. She is currently enrolled in an herbal apprenticeship at Sage Mountain Herbs and enjoys hiking, cooking, and creating works of art. monica (at) yestermorrow.org
Shannon Donovan , Registrar
BA Management, Franklin Pierce College
Shannon worked in the telecommunications industry for a number of years. Much of that time was spent traveling around the world training people in telecommunications software. Since moving to the Mad River Valley she has worked in business administration. She enjoys skiing, snowshoeing, gardening and watching the Red Sox in her free time. shannon (at) yestermorrow.org
Dan Eckstein , Curriculum Director
BA Literature and Rhetoric, Binghamton University
Dan came to Yestermorrow after a decade working in high schools as a teacher of literature, journalism, and creative writing. He has also worked as a journalist, been involved in the promotion of arts events and festivals, and enjoyed a brief stint as a carpenter. His love for music prompts him to moonlight as a DJ on the Mad River Valley’s community radio station. He lives in Warren with his wife and son.
dan (at) yestermorrow.org
Jose Galarza LEED AP , Community Outreach Coordinator
M. Arch, The University of Texas at Austin
On a hiatus from professional architecture practice, José came to Central Vermont after designing an assortment of iconic buildings for two well known and highly acclaimed firms in Europe and the United States. Before that, he was earning his Master's of Architecture degree; and, concurrently apprenticing for a carpentry shop, producing high end custom pieces, and collaborating with various design build and art installation projects. This work laid the foundation for his current position as a member of the VHCB Americorps program, where he hopes to draw interest to Yestermorrow from potential students with similar backgrounds, as well to facilitate the building of class projects with future clients. jose (at) yestermorrow.org
Rob Maddox , Design/Build Intern
Rob comes to Yestermorrow by way of Brooklyn NY where he had worked for the past four years as a junior designer for a small architecture firm specializing in sustainable design. Pre-Katrina he could be found in New Orleans working on his Masters, various millwork / contractor outfits, and on generaly having a good time in the big easy. Having gotten the taste for both construction and sustainable design Rob comes to Yestermorrow to effectively hone his chops. When not on task Rob can be found indulging in his collectors habit, which he swears he reigning in one of these days.
Serena Matt , Design/Build Intern
Serena is from NYC. She received her B.A. in Geology from SUNY Geneseo in western NY. She has been to various states performing trail maintenance and other odd jobs and is happy to be back in Vermont, cooling off in swimming holes and driving tentatively on winding roads. She hopes her experience at Yestermorrow brings her one step closer to self-sufficiency and balances her general tendency to daydream and over-think with tangible skills. She is applying for a degree in ecological engineering at SUNY ESF. Serena also thoroughly enjoys writing in the third person.
Kathy Meyer , Kitchen Assistant
B. Arch. Cornell
Kathy enjoys designing houses and being intensely involved in their construction. Her interests include saving the world, innovative and holistic agriculture, the food-health connection, recycling, alternative diets, and thinking about everything. Since coming to Yestermorrow as an apprentice in 1981 she has worked at nearly every job at the school, including a 9-year stint on the Board of Directors.
Lylee Rauch-Kacenski , Kitchen/Garden Intern
Raised in St. Louis, MO Lylee developed a love for drawing plants, hearts, hiking through the city, art, community and cooking. Those loves led to a BFA in painting and mixed media from Webster University in 2006, and a move to the snowy north of Minnesota. She spent 2006-2007 as an AmeriCorps volunteer working for non-profits and discovering the plethora of collectives, co-ops and art groups in Minneapolis. After three years as a cook, manager, and art guru at a whole foods cafe in St. Paul she was ready to combine her loves. She is excited to spend the year at Yestermorrow learning to combine cooking healthy food served with love with growing food and learning how to physically build the self sustaining, community oriented collective of her dreams.
Karie Reinertson , Kitchen Assistant
Originally from Santa Barbara, CA, Karie has lived in nearly every major city on the east and west coasts, most recently Washington, DC. While working for the Landscape Architecture Foundation, an environmental design non-profit in DC, she realized that she needed to find out more about the type of design projects she was funding, hands-on. LAF supported this decision and Karie went to southern Spain to learn straw bale building and, after another stint with LAF, she learned cob building in the Costa Rican rain forest. She’s traveled extensively throughout the United States, Southeast Asia, parts of Central America, Europe, and Egypt. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2003 and hopes to start graduate architecture school in 2010, focusing on responsible community design/build in Latin America.
Austin Ricketts , Kitchen Assistant
Austin grew up in the Mad River Valley and has worked in a variety of local restaurants and inns. He also works with his father in his landscaping and plowing business.
Erin Smith , Design/Build Intern
Arriving from Brooklyn, Erin brings with her a deep love of scavenging odd wonders and of building new ones. Since earning her BA in Film from Wesleyan University, Erin has been working as a designer of props, sets, costumes and miscellany. Her recent work has included underwater sets and props for the Sundance channel's "Green Porno”; a fifteen foot, floating, garbage ship; and a life sized gorilla puppet. She anticipates her time at Yestermorrow will hone her skills daily, add an arsenal of new ones, and give her a deeper knowledge of sustainable building and design practices to relay to the film world.
Kate Stephenson , Executive Director
MS, Management, Antioch University New England
BA, Anthropology and Environmental Science, Haverford College
Kate came to Yestermorrow in 2002 with experience planning and facilitating workshops on sustainability education, restoring historic gardens, researching bioenergy projects in developing countries, and promoting land conservation. Kate is the volunteer Residential Green Building Advocate for the state of Vermont, working closely with the Vermont Green Building Network. She is a co-founder of the Mad River Valley Localvore Project and is a Senior Fellow of the Environmental Leadership Program. Her interests include intentional communities, local foods, preserving rural landscapes, baking, historic preservation and frolicking in the snow. kate (at) yestermorrow.org
Dave Warren , Facilities Manager
With a firm belief in the importance of a creative collaborative relationship between design and building, Dave has found a home at Yestermorrow. He has over 35 years experience in residential and light commercial construction in Oregon as owner/operator of a custom building company and most recently in Vermont as carpenter to project manager for a couple of local contractors. In addition to the use of hand tools and the employment of responsible building practices, Dave enjoys making music, sailing, and politics. dave (at) yestermorrow.org
Mary Kate Wheeler , Woodshop Intern
Ithaca, NY native Mary Kate Wheeler was first introduced to Yestermorrow as a student in 2005. Since then she has completed a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Design, studied sustainable development in Costa Rica, and built a straw bale home with Red Feather Development Group. Most recently she spent a year in Seattle teaching environmental education and building a skin-on-frame kayak. She loves to learn about traditional crafts, and is excited to expand her woodworking skills while at Yestermorrow.
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