The Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) announced the resignation of long-time President John Dolan, effective October 1st, 2013. Dolan has served as President of the 40-year-old nonprofit environmental education organization since 2006. Dolan is leaving VINS to join his wife Julie in Worcester, MA, where she recently was appointed Executive Vice President and Treasurer of Clark University.
VINS Board Co-Chair Len Cadwallader praised Dolan’s accomplishments saying, “Over the past seven years, John has done a superb job at VINS’s helm. He successfully led VINS through a critical transformation and then through a tough recession that threatened the survival of many nonprofits. Thanks to John and his team, VINS today has strong momentum and excellent prospects for sustainable growth going forward. The VINS Board and staff are grateful to John for his dedicated service and truly appreciate all he has done for VINS and our community. He will be greatly missed.”
Starting in 2006, Dolan oversaw VINS’s final transition to its new home at the VINS Nature Center in Quechee. He then guided VINS through a major reorganization, consolidating its operations and education programs in Quechee. He refocused the organization on its environmental education mission by expanding VINS Nature Camps throughout the Upper Valley and establishing a long-term partnership with the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge to provide environmental education programs across New England. Dolan and his team also enhanced the VINS Nature Center as an exciting visitor destination and locus of important community events. In recent years, VINS has been the venue for lectures by environmental thought leaders such as Bill McKibben and Gus Speth. In 2011, VINS hosted public meetings to organize and comfort Hartford residents in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene. In 2012, VINS staged the Upper Valley’s first-ever outdoor opera in collaboration with Opera North. And, just this month, VINS premiered a documentary film on the science behind Tropical Storm Irene, produced with a grant from the National Science Foundation.
Under Dolan, VINS also has made key improvements to its Nature Center. In 2007, VINS opened a “Rehab in Action” exhibit to highlight VINS’ expertise and important work as New England’s premier avian wildlife rehabilitation clinic. Access to this exhibit and live views of VINS’s collection of raptors and other wild birds soon will be available online. In addition, this year VINS completed a new accessible nature trail to enable all Nature Center visitors to enjoy the full breadth of the facility.
Reflecting on his tenure, Dolan said, “I am proud of the team we have today, which is second to none in environmental education, avian rehabilitation, and community service. VINS’s dedicated staff members and volunteers deserve much of the credit for our success. Working with them has been a true privilege, and I am very optimistic about VINS and its future.”
The VINS Board has formed a search committee and expects to name Dolan’s successor in early 2014. Retired Hartland Elementary School Principal and current VINS Trustee Judith Callens has been appointed to serve as VINS’s Managing Executive Director in the interim.
