VCEF Board Members

Jen Cirillo – Chair

Jen is the Program Coordinator of Shelburne Farms’ Sustainable Schools Project, an innovative whole school model that uses sustainability as an integrative concept for school reform.  Her work is both in the classroom and at the state level – from community service-learning projects to assessing Vermont’s Framework of Standards. Jen moved to Vermont in 1991 to attend the University of Vermont where she received a B.S. in Plant and Soil Science and was one of the co-founders of “Common Ground” – a student run organic farm.  After graduating she served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member and leader, receiving a Community Service Award in 1998 from Mayor Peter Clavelle.  In 1999 she was hired by the City of Burlington’s Legacy Project to help develop a 30-year sustainability plan through a public participatory process with her efforts on youth engagement.  In 2002 Jen received a Masters of Science in Environmental Education from Lesley University’s Audubon Expedition Institute.  During her studies in Mexico, Canada, and Italy she learned about and experienced the complex relationships between social equity, political and environmental issues.

Joe Speidel – Vice Chair

Joe is the Director of the Regional Alumni Boards in the Development and Alumni Relations Department at University of Vermont.  Joe has worked with UVM since 1998 in various roles including Career Counseling,  Service Learning and the psychology department. 

Amanda Van Vranken – Treasurer

Amanda last worked for the City of Burlington at the Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO), before taking time to raise her twin children. As a Community Development Specialist, Amanda provided multifaceted support to the City's seven Neighborhood Planning Assemblies, created and coordinated the City's training and leadership programs, as well as producing citywide publications and outreach materials. In addition, she managed the neighborhood services budget, and grant programs designated for neighborhood improvement. Amanda was deeply committed to empowering Burlington residents by giving them the tools to help improve their neighborhoods.

Prior to working for the City of Burlington, Amanda was the Executive Director of Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports (VASS), a 501c-3 organization that provides recreational opportunities to people with disabilities. While managing year-round, statewide recreational programs, Amanda worked closely with the Board of Directors to create a four-year strategic plan to ensure a successful and dynamic future for the organization and the clientele it serves.

Kathryn Blume – Secretary

Kathryn is Co-Founder of the Lysistrata Project, the first worldwide theatrical event for peace, and has toured The Accidental Activist – her critically acclaimed one-woman show about Lysistrata Project – to over 25 cities in the US and Canada.  She is an Associate Artist with Vermont Stage Company, a co-founder of Queen City Shakespeare, as well as co-founder of The Hill Actor's Retreat Center and New Paradigms Personal Coaching Services.  

In amongst her theatrical activities, Kathryn has worked for organizations such as the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, and Forest Watch.  She started Earth on the Air, a nationally-syndicated, award-winning environmental and social justice radio program, and was a company member of Living Voices, touring one-woman shows about the Holocaust and immigration to communities nationwide.  She serves on the advisory board of The Backbone Campaign, and the strategic planning committee of the World Without Walls Foundation. 

Kathryn received her BA from Yale with a self-designed degree in environmental studies and theater and currently lives in Charlotte with her husband Mark Nash and their emotionally needy cat Toast.