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Please join us in welcoming new staff members Hannah Regier, Jack Minich, Kaisa Lewia, Kay Ardel, and Kyle Birrer. They bring a wealth of experience, passion, and local knowledge to Team VLT. Their work is helping to protect farms, forests, and community spaces, and restore habitat across the state.
Hannah Regier of Athens came to VLT after serving as Town Clerk and Treasurer for the town of Athens. As Land Acquisition Specialist, Hannah handles land transactions, including gifts of land to VLT, farm transfers, and community-focused parcels.
Hannah has a background in digital product design, and is also an enthusiastic amateur botanist, birder, and historian. She often disappears into the woods to explore wetlands and cellar holes.
Jack Minich of Gilsum, NH is VLT’s Project Director for central-southeastern Vermont, and partners with landowners to conserve and steward land. He has an M.Sc. in Environmental Science from Antioch University-New England and previously worked at a land trust in New Hampshire.
Jack first came to VLT as a Vermont Housing & Conservation Board AmeriCorps volunteer in 2019 and served for nearly two years. When not out in the woods or reading land deeds, Jack enjoys keeping up with his toddler and exploring the region on foot and by bike.
A seventh-generation Vermonter with Abenaki heritage, Kaisa Lewia brings deep roots and extensive experience to VLT. She joined us from the Vermont Department of Public Safety, where she worked in bookkeeping, grant management, and business operations.
Kaisa lives with her husband on her family’s multi-generational farm in Stowe, where they continue the tradition of producing maple syrup and stewarding the land and forest. She enjoys gardening, kayaking, showshoeing, and spending time with her family, especially her two grandsons.
Kay Ardel comes to VLT with work experience at environmental and outdoor education non-profits in Washington, Texas, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Vermont. Most recently, she led Human Resources for the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps. She has worked as an environmental educator, youth summer camp director, and non-profit HR professional, and has a Masters of Environmental Education and Non-Profit Administration through Western Washington University and North Cascades Institute.
Outside of the office she can be found crafting, trying new recipes, exploring new trails or canoe camping with her husband and adventurous pup!
Kyle Birrer of Winooski is VLT’s new Ecological Restoration Fellow. He works on projects to improve water quality and flood resilience on conserved lands throughout the state, and helps advance our watershed restoration work statewide. He holds a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont and a GIS Certificate from Penn State University.
Kyle first came to VLT as a member of ECO AmeriCorps Vermont, and served for two terms beginning in 2023. In his free time, Kyle can be found riding his bike or cooking elaborate meals.
