Shelby Girard (she/her)
Development Director
Shelby is Rural Vermont’s most senior staff member, having been with the organization since 2006. She has held a number of roles over the years and currently serves as Development Director. Shelby manages Rural Vermont’s annual budget and fundraising efforts, contributes to event planning and communications, and fills in gaps as needed. She has deep admiration for the hard-working, resourceful, and thoughtful community of farmers that Rural Vermont works alongside and supports. Shelby lives in Brookfield with her husband, two kids, and doggo. When she’s not working, she can be found in the garden, in the kitchen, or on the soccer sidelines.
Graham Unangst-Rufenacht (he/him)
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 (she/they)
Grassroots Organizing Director, Coordinator of the People’s Agroecology School
Mollie first joined Rural Vermont in 2010, and has held numerous roles over the years. She spends her time with Vermont’s grassroots network of community farmers and allies organizing and educating in the pursuit of food sovereignty. Mollie facilitates the People’s Agroecology School, an independent project of Rural Vermont led by a collective of Vermont farmers and educators based on a global network of agroecology schools.
Mollie has a background in food systems, farming, water quality, and education for youth. She is an herbalist and a printmaker and lives in Central Vermont.
Caroline Sherman-Gordon (she/her)
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 (she/her)
Operations Director
Shannon manages the day-to-day operations at Rural Vermont. Shannon has worked for the non-profit 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. 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 Master’s 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.
Jake Kornfeld (he/him)
Community Organizer
Jake grew up in the Connecticut River Valley and had his first farm job when he was 11, cleaning stalls at a now defunct dairy. Since then he’s raised broilers, laying hens, pigs, and many, many tons of vegetables. Jake works with Rural Vermont as a Community Organizer, supporting Vermont’s extraordinary farming community in building solidarity and improving our conditions. Having mentored scores of young people excited about farming, he looks forward to a day when he can assure our youth that there is a viable and enjoyable future for them in farming. Until then, he’ll be advocating for it and trying to make it a reality with his friends and family at The Farm Upstream in Jericho.