CEAC is powered by a board of directors, the director of the Energy Navigator Project, and summer interns from Middlebury College, all of whom work closely with Addison County towns, local businesses, and community and environmental groups.

Our Team

Board of Directors

Steve Maier

Chair of the Board of Directors

Steve Meier is a former member of the Vermont House of Representatives who previously headed the Addison County Solid Waste District and currently serves on the Middlebury Energy Committee.

Cheryl Brinkman

Board Member

Cheryl Brinkman lives in Vergennes, is recently retired from the Vermont Health Deparment Laboratory and is a volunteer with our Energy Navigator program. She also represents Vergennes on the Addison County Regional Planning Commission, the Addison County Solid Waste Management District Board and the Vergennes Energy Committee.

Minna Brown

Board Member

Minna Brown is the Director of the Middlebury College Climate Action Program, through which she supports students in developing the knowledge, motivation, and capacity needed to tackle climate change. Over the last fifteen years, she has led the design and implementation of new programs for various organizations, all focused on collaboration and impact. She holds a B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology from Middlebury College and a Master of Environmental Management (M.E.M.) from the Yale School of the Environment. She and her family recently moved to East Middlebury

Jean Terwilliger

Board Member

Jean Terwilliger is a Vermont architect who specializes in the design of sustainable homes, additions and renovations using collaborative design methods and cost-effective green building technologies.

Mike Roy

Board Member

Mike Roy was formerly theDean of the Library at Middlebury College and is now a member of the Town of Middlebury Energy Committee.

The Navigator Project

Shannon Bryant

Director of the Energy Navigator Program

Shannon joined CEAC to lead our Energy Navigator program as our inaugural Program Director. She brings to the job a great deal of hands-on experience with sustainable building practices, regenerative community organizing, education, and coaching. Shannon resides in Sudbury with her wife, Shelly, and their dog Finny.

Shannon shares that “I am excited to join the passionate CEAC team in launching the Energy Navigator Program and working with the towns of Addison County. This is urgent and meaningful work for Vermont residents and for the health of our planet.”

Nicole Borgione

Community Engagement Manager

Nicole joined the Energy Navigator team in October of 2025. As the Community Engagement Manager, Her focus is to help bolster awareness of Energy Navigators and ensure that the program is serving community needs. Nicole has a BS in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont, with a concentration on Sustainability and Community Development and over 10 years of experience in outreach work in a variety of fields including workforce development, animal welfare, food security, gang violence reduction, green infrastructure, etc. When not working, she spends her time hiking with her dogs, kayaking and attending local community festivals and seeing live music. Nicole is excited to be serving the people of this unique, special state. You may see her around tabling at various community events – come on over and say hi!

2024 Interns

Maggie Bryan

Energy Navigator Project Intern

Maggie Bryan is an Environmental Policy and French double major and will be a senior this year at Middlebury. She is from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. At Middlebury, she is also the Senior News Editor of The Middlebury Campus and a Climate Action Fellow. This summer, Maggie is helping to develop the website for CEAC’s Energy Navigator Project and the new CEAC website. During her free time she enjoys running and hiking on local trails and discovering new music and podcasts.

Jorgelina Reyes

Energy Navigator Project Intern

Jorgelina Reyes (she/her) is an Environmental Architecture joint major at Middlebury College. She’s originally from Mendoza, Argentina. This summer she’s interning with CEAC helping with marketing and promotion of the Energy Navigator Program. She is developing an effective marketing strategy, including social media marketing, participating in the different outreach events, and creating a video that portrays how climate change is affecting Vermonters and the energy efficiency work that Energy Navigator is doing. In her free time she loves hiking and exploring new areas of Vermont, painting, and taking photos with her grandpa’s film camera.

Anne Kleinerman

Greenhouse Gas Inventory Intern

Anne Kleinerman is a rising junior Math major from Maastricht, the Netherlands. This summer she is working alongside Dr. Richard Hopkins to create an updated greenhouse gas inventory for Addison County. This involves going sector-by-sector and estimating emissions from agriculture, transportation, building heat, electricity generation, waste, and more. We will then be able to write a report with all our findings that includes trends from 2017 to 2022. We expect the report will get used by future policymakers, contractors, committees, and the general public.

CEAC Alumni

Past Interns

2023

  • Kristyn Carroll

  • Cyryus Perkinson

  • Eli Richardson

2022

  • Duncan Kreps

  • Aidan Shepardson

2021

  • Sidra Pierson

  • Emily Power

2020

  • Grace Maley

  • Acadia Hegedus

Past Board Members

  • Amy Sheldon (founding member)

  • Greg Dennis (founding member)

  • Andrea Murray (founding member)

  • Sally Burrell

  • Julia Ulsh

  • Diane Monroe

  • Spence Putnam

  • Richard Hopkins