Shelby Girard, Development Director
Shelby is Rural Vermont’s most senior staff, having been with the organization since 2006. She was hired as Organizer, transitioned to Outreach Coordinator, and most recently became Development Director. Shelby manages Rural Vermont’s fundraising campaigns, oversees grants, plans events, and fills in gaps as needed. She believes vibrant communities can save the world, and loves her job because of Rural Vermont’s role in building these robust and resilient communities. Shelby lives in Brookfield with her husband and two young kids. When she’s not working, she can be found in the garden, at Brookfield’s Old Town Hall, in the kitchen, or blowing bubbles with her kiddos.
Graham Unangst-Rufenacht , Policy Director
Graham served on the Rural Vermont Board for a number of years before transitioning to a part-time organizing role in January 2017. Graham’s work at Rural Vermont focuses primarily on grass roots organizing, coalition development, and policy.
Graham grew up in East Montpelier and currently lives in Plainfield, VT. He is an educator and herbalist, and co-owns a seasonal grass fed and finished beef operation (Robinson Hill Beef) and home-to-farm scale agroecology design / build business (Walking Onion). Graham has been working with youth in a variety of settings and organizations in Vermont including: ROOTS School, EarthWalk, The Maplehill School and Community Farm, and the King Street Youth Center. He is currently looking for land to live, grow a family, farm, and educate on. He graduated from UVM with a degree in Religious Studies and Plant and Soil Science; has a Permaculture Design Certificate from Yestermorrow Design / Build School; and attended the 3 year clinical herbal training program at the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism.
Mollie Wills, Grassroots Organizing Director
Mollie began working for Rural Vermont in 2010, and has since filled various roles within the organization. After taking a couple of years off, she returned in 2019 to serve as the Grassroots Organizing Director, and now spends her time working directly with Vermont’s grassroots network of family farmers and their allies organizing around issues that impact our agricultural communities, and supporting the pursuit of a dignified, just, and regenerative agricultural economy that feeds resilient communities and healthy ecosystems.
Mollie has a background in food systems, water quality, and environmental education for youth. She is an herbalist and a printmaker, and believes that art and creativity are fundamental to movement building. She lives in Montpelier.
Caroline Gordon, Legislative Director
Caroline was born in Germany and came to Vermont to engage in changing the law so that sustainable farming practices become economically viable. She graduated with her LL.M. in Food and Agriculture Law and Policy from Vermont Law School in 2019 and joined Rural Vermont the same year. During this legislative session, Caroline reports to Rural Vermont about the procedures in the State House, especially in the Agricultural Committees. Before coming to Vermont, Caroline participated in a four-year training program in biodynamic agriculture in Germany. Aside from advocacy work, Caroline is a beginning farmer in Tunbridge Vermont and interested in communal participation and collaboration among producers.
Shannon Varley, Operations Director
Shannon assists and supports staff, members, board, and the public in the day-to-day flow of operations at Rural Vermont. Her sustainable farming journey began as an undergraduate student interested in agricultural policy and law and since then has intersected with a deep, farm-based passion for nutrition, soil and human health, and community. These interests are underscored by a personal dedication to see people with heart, ambition, and know-how get onto farmland. Shannon has worked at Future Harvest (Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture), the Rodale Institute, Malabar Farm State Park, Red Wiggler Community Farm, assisted in launching Montgomery Countryside Alliance’s Land Link Montgomery program, and she has owned and operated numerous CSA/market garden ventures in Ohio, Vermont, and Maryland. In addition to readying 2 kids for the world, she is also building a licensed, sun-grown, outdoor cannabis business with her husband and business partner in Strafford. Shannon is most proud of her family’s resilient, non-linear, and arduous path to farm ownership and their collective commitment to a dream and vision, despite enormous barriers. She holds a special place in her heart for those hoping to access land and realize their farm dream without the aid of financial or familial resources. Shannon holds a Masters degree in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School, enjoys friends, reading, running, teaching spin, and being at the dinner table with her family at the end of the day.
Meet our interns here!