The Vermont Land Trust has announced the addition of new staff members Kay Ardel, as manager of people and culture; Kyle Birrer, as restoration project manager; Kaisa Lewia, as bookkeeper; Jack Minich (pictured), as project director; and Hannah Regier, as land acquisition specialist.
“We are excited to welcome such a talented group of people to our team,” said President and CEO Tracy Zschau. “Their expertise and skills will help us do more to protect and steward Vermont’s land and waters for the benefit of all.”
Ardel joined VLT from the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, where she served as senior human resources manager. She is a graduate of the University of Vermont and holds a Master of Education in environmental education and nonprofit administration from Western Washington University.
Birrer first joined the land trust in 2023 as a member of ECO AmeriCorps Vermont. He holds a degree in environmental studies from the University of Vermont and a geographic information systems certificate from Pennsylvania State University.
Lewia comes to the land trust from the Vermont Department of Public Safety, where she served as financial administrator. She lives and farms with her husband on her multigenerational family farm in Stowe.
Minich first came to VLT in 2019 as a Vermont Housing & Conservation Board AmeriCorps member. He most recently served as conservation easement steward for the Southwestern region at the Forest Society in New Hampshire.
Regier, an amateur botanist, birder and historian, most recently served as town clerk and treasurer for the town of Athens. At VLT, she handles land transactions, including donations of land to the trust, farm transfers and community-focused parcels.