Randolph, Vt. — Vermont Tech is pleased to announce the hire of four new staff members for the Institute for Applied Agriculture and Food Systems. Joining the college this fall, Peter Howe will serve as the Farm Operations Manager, John Roe has been appointed Project Manager, Cara Butterly Gauthier will serve as Outreach Coordinator and Melissa Nielsen will be the Student Resource Coordinator. The Institute for Applied Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Tech is a new program focusing on food processing and dairy farm management with an emphasis on soil conservation and innovative energy production. It is made possible through a $3.4 million Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant from the Department of Labor.
“The Institute is an important new cooperative learning program at Vermont Tech that supports the industries central to our state’s economy,” said Director for the Institute, Christopher Dutton. “We’re extremely excited to welcome these experienced and enthusiastic new team members to help develop the Institute.”
With undergraduate degrees in agriculture from Vermont Tech and the University of Arizona, and a Master of Business Administration from Norwich University, Peter Howe will be responsible for tracking the income and costs for initiatives like the anaerobic digester, the Vermont Tech orchard, maple production and more. Howe is joining Vermont Tech most recently from Kent Nutrition Group where he served as a Dairy Specialist in Vermont and New Hampshire.
John Roe will lead the development of new academic offerings through the Institute and comes to Vermont Tech from Harvard University where he conducted research on the university’s internationally known forest. Roe has degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of Florida.
Cara Butterly Gauthier joins the Institute from Norwich University where she served as a Special Projects Coordinator for marketing and communications. Gauthier holds degrees from Norwich University and Unity College.
Melissa Neilson is responsible for directing the Institute’s marketing initiatives and coordinating the student intake process. Neilson joins Vermont Tech from Union Institute and University where she worked as a Program Advisor and has earned degrees from Union and Hesser College.
“From the current construction of the anaerobic digester to the dairy production facility and food hub business incubator, we have a great deal of exciting plans for the Institute and staffing the program is one of the first steps in bringing our goals to fruition,” noted Dutton.
To learn more about Vermont Tech, please visit www.vtc.edu.
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About Vermont Tech – Vermont Tech is the only public institution of higher learning in Vermont whose mission is applied education. One of the five Vermont State Colleges, Vermont Tech serves students from throughout Vermont, New England, and beyond at its two residential campuses in Williston and Randolph Center, regional campuses in Brattleboro and Bennington, and at six nursing campuses located throughout the state. Vermont Tech takes an optimistic, rooted and personal approach to education to support students in gaining the confidence and practical skills necessary to not only see their potential, but to experience it. Our academic programs encompass a wide range of engineering technology, agricultural, health, and business fields that are vital to producing the knowledgeable workers needed most by employers in the state and in the region. www.vtc.edu.