United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA RD) State Director Ted Brady announced Thursday the hiring and promotion of five individuals focused on community and economic development in rural Vermont and New Hampshire.
Cheryl Ducharme, a resident of Hardwick, Vermont, has been promoted to Director of Business and Cooperative Programs for Vermont and New Hampshire. Ducharme will administer nearly a dozen grant, loan and loan guarantee programs aimed at job creation and economic growth in rural communities. In 2014, these programs invested more than $12 million into the businesses of rural Vermont and New Hampshire. Ducharme will manage and grow a portfolio of nearly $30 million in active loan guarantees. Ducharme has served 19 years at USDA RD, most recently as the Vermont and New Hampshire energy coordinator, where she administered a multi-million dollar renewable energy grant and loan program, the Rural Energy for America Program. Prior to joining USDA, Ducharme was employed at Lyndonville Savings Bank and what is now Merchants Bank.
Deborah Maguire, a resident of Montpelier, Vermont, has been promoted to Director of Community Programs for Vermont and New Hampshire. Maguire will oversee community programs, including loans and grants for essential community facilities and water and wastewater infrastructure. In 2014, these programs invested more than $22 million in Vermont and New Hampshire’s community infrastructure. Maguire has been with USDA since 2006, serving in the jurisdiction’s housing staff before becoming a Community Programs Specialist in 2007. Prior to joining USDA’s team, Maguire formed and managed investment programs for a regional bank, managed a nationwide training department for an investment company and ran a local bank branch. Maguire is a graduate of Fairfield University.
Ken Yearman, a resident of Barre, Vermont, has been promoted to serve as the new Business Programs Specialist and Energy Coordinator for Vermont and New Hampshire. Yearman will help small businesses and agricultural producers access energy efficiency and renewable energy grants and loan guarantees. Yearman joined USDA in 2008 and has served as a Housing Loan Specialist. Before coming to USDA, Yearman worked at the Vermont Economic Development Authority as a Commercial Loan Officer and at the Vermont State Employees Credit Union. Yearman has a Master’s of Business Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Michael Urban, of Middlesex, Vermont, has been hired as the Vermont and New Hampshire Housing Programs Director. Urban will oversee the jurisdiction’s single family housing loan and grant program and the multifamily housing loan and rental assistance program. In 2014, these programs invested more than $280 million into Vermont and New Hampshire’s housing sector. Urban comes to Vermont after serving six years as a Housing Programs Specialist for USDA RD in Traverse City, Michigan. Urban held positions at Wells Fargo before joining USDA. Urban graduated from Louisiana State University.
Misty Sinsigalli, of Fairlee, Vermont, has been hired as a Community Programs Specialist in St Johnsbury, Vermont. Sinsigalli is responsible for providing communities and non-profit organizations with community and economic development assistance, including loan and grant assistance, to improve community facilities and water and wastewater facilities in Caledonia, Essex, Orange and Orleans Counties. Prior to joining USDA, Sinsigalli worked at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Sinsigalli is a graduate of Champlain College and holds a Master‘s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Connecticut.
USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, administers and manages housing, business and community infrastructure programs through a national network of state and local offices. Rural Development has an active portfolio of more than $206 billion in loans and loan guarantees. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural areas.