Intervale Center announces new members of board of director

The Board of Directors of the Intervale Center is excited to announce the election of three new board members: Jonathan Abodeely, Leslie McCrorey Wells and Joe Perrotto. Travis Marcotte, Executive Director of the Intervale Center says, “For 30 years, we’ve led a community food revolution to make healthy, locally produced food available for anyone who wants it. The Intervale Center is fortunate to attract strong leaders with expertise in business, entrepreneurship, food, farming and community engagement to help steer our movement.”

Jonathan Abodeely moved to Burlington, Vermont after spending more than a decade in New York City working as a professional investor. He now manages a private investment fund in Burlington. A graduate of Middlebury College, Jonathan is passionate about food and wellness and has put his knowledge to work to help drive expansion plans for Tomgirl Juice Company, a local business that is providing delicious, healthy food for the community.

Leslie McCrorey Wells is the co-founder Pizzeria Verità, a local restaurant that brings the Neapolitan pizza experience to Burlington, which has won local and national awards for culinary and hospitality excellence. Leslie has followed her passion for fine food and entrepreneurship throughout her life. She worked as an Assistant Director of Admissions at UVM while completing her undergraduate degree, during which time she also founded her first business, Ellington Cody, a family products business named after her daughter Ellington. In 2017, Leslie and her business partner, John Rao, added Trattoria Delia and Sotto Enoteca to their restaurant group.

A strong voice for the importance of education and social justice, Leslie has served on the Vermont Commission on National & Community Service, the UVM Coming Home Project, the Burlington School District Strategic Planning Committee, and Burlington Mayor Clavelle’s Anti-Racism Task Force. She currently serves on the board of Mercy Connections, a Vermont-based non-profit organization with an enduring concern for women, and on the board of the Fleming Museum.

Joe Perrotto is President and CEO of New Vitality, a developer and marketer of nutraceuticals and nutritional supplements based in Brentwood, NY. From 1992-2016 Joe served as President and CEO of Country Home Products, Inc (CHP) manufacturer and sellers of the DR® and Neuton® lines of outdoor power equipment, and an eight time winner of the “Best Places to Work in Vermont.” He currently chairs the Board of Directors of Ecklers Industries, one of the largest direct marketers of restoration parts for car enthusiasts, and served on and chaired the board of New Vitality from 2010-2015. He has served on the boards of CHP-3J, a Shanghai based sourcing joint venture, Vermont Bicycle Tours, RevoBike USA, and Controlled Energy Corp, and non-profit boards including the Vermont Fresh Network, Preservation Trust of Vermont, the Vermont Manufacturers Extension Center, and the UVM School of Continuing Education.

About the Intervale Center:

Our mission is to strengthen community food systems. Founded in 1988, the Intervale Center manages a 340-acre campus of farmland, trails and open space along the Winooski River in Burlington, VT. Our influence radiates out from this beloved place as we work across Vermont to enhance farm viability and land sustainability, and more broadly as we serve as a model for food and farming organizations throughout the world. For 30 years, we’ve led a community food revolution. We’ve pioneered game-changing initiatives like community-supported agriculture (CSA), large-scale composting, food hubs and farm incubators. We continue to innovate so that more good food is available for anyone who wants it.

At the Intervale Center, we believe in the power of good food. We envision food systems that support joyful, vibrant communities. Farms and food businesses thrive, natural resources are healthy and protected, and people are nourished and happy. The Intervale Center – our people, programs and place – is the living embodiment of this vision. For more information about the Intervale Center, visit www.intervale.org.