Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) Board of Trustees named Alden Smith the next Executive Director of the Quechee-based environmental education nonprofit.
Smith will serve as chief strategist, fundraiser, educational leader, and operational manager of the organization.
“After a comprehensive search, we chose Alden Smith from a slate of strong candidates. We are delighted to welcome Alden as VINS’ new Executive Director and are confident that he will maintain the organization’s excellent reputation in the Upper Valley and beyond while also expanding our reach and impact,” said Jack Lee, Chair of the VINS Board of Trustees.
Smith will report to the Board of Trustees and will lead a staff that includes 24 full-time and 8 part-time, seasonal employees and volunteers.
From 2002 to 2022, Smith served as the Director of the Mountain School of Milton Academy, a semester school for high school juniors located on a farm in Vershire, Vermont.
During his tenure there, Smith successfully stewarded and implemented several strategic plans, built an endowment, increased alumni engagement, and expanded the campus to 420 acres, turning it into a model of energy efficiency and outdoor education.
A graduate of Davidson College in North Carolina and Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English in Vermont, Smith taught high school English for five years at Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut before moving in 1999 to Vermont.
While managing the Mountain School for two decades, he continued to teach English and take students animal tracking and foraging in the woods.
Smith succeeds current Executive Director Charles (Charlie) F. Rattigan, who assumed the role in 2014 and led VINS through a period of extraordinary growth, including the recent addition of the Forest Canopy Walk to the VINS Nature Center.
Alden Smith said, “Charlie Rattigan, Mary Graham, and their team have done an amazing job preserving what is special about VINS and moving the organization forward. Raptors are still central, but VINS has become much more: a refuge for intergenerational visitors, a thriving center of place-based education, and an inspiration for all who want cleaner rivers, more diverse forests, and healthier wildlife. The world needs the mission of VINS more than ever, and my hope is to build it into an even more impactful force for good.” Smith will begin his work with VINS April 1. 
About VINS
VINS' mission is to motivate individuals and communities to care for the environment through education, research, and avian wildlife rehabilitation. VINS welcomes nearly 80,000 visitors a year to its 47-acre Nature Center campus in Quechee, VT where its programs and services engage and instill in people of all backgrounds a desire to care for the wildlife and the diverse natural habitats they encounter in their daily lives. It offers environmental education programs for adults, families, and school children; partners with leading conservation organizations to promote environmental science field research; and operates New England’s premier avian wildlife rehabilitation clinic. VINS has been a leader in environmental education and wildlife conservation and care since 1972. It is known nationally for innovative natural science curricula and education programs for learners of all ages.
VINS is headquartered in Quechee, VT at the VINS Nature Center, 149 Natures Way, Quechee, VT 05059. We invite all to explore our Forest Canopy Walk and discover the amazing variety of mammals and birds we have on exhibit at the center. Also, explore our Adventure Playscape, a natural play area with elements for creative play, fun for all ages.
Source: Quechee, VT - February 6, 2024 - Vermont Institute of Natural Science. https://vinsweb.org/
