Three new board members were elected by Stowe Land Trust’s (SLT) membership at the 33rd Annual Meeting held on Zoom on Sunday, September 13th. Jess Laporte, Jason Slocum and Tom Sweet will join nineteen existing board members responsible for governing the community conservation organization. Each year SLT has a limited number of openings available in its all volunteer board and new members are recruited based on an identified need within the organization.
Jess Laporte
Jess is a Haitian-Canadian-Vermonter who has recently returned to Vermont after six years of living, learning and working in Haiti. Jess grew up in Stowe and spent her childhood enjoying the outdoors with her big family, developing a deep connection to the outdoors. From the Green Mountains of Vermont to the beaches of Haiti, her favorite place to be is outside. In her career, Jess has worked at the intersection of Community Health and Social Enterprise, leveraging market-based models to provide customer driven social services. In Haiti she began in the clean water sector, transitioned to women’s health in the garment industry, and dedicated 2.5 years to the evolution of SOIL’s ecological sanitation service. Back in Vermont she is engaging in community health through the local Food System.
Jason Slocum
Jason has been a part-time resident of Stowe for the past 10 years. He is an active and enthusiastic user of SLT's properties in all seasons, and enjoys exploring the woods, mountains, and streams of Stowe with his wife, Callie, and their three young children. As a long-time SLT member and supporter, Jason appreciates the preservation and stewardship work that SLT has done over the years to create the trail network in town and looks forward to continuing to advance SLT’s mission as a board member. His passion for land conservation and outdoor recreation extends to his hometown in Massachusetts, where he serves on the Corporate Board and Charles River Valley management committee for the Trustees of Reservations. When not in the woods, Jason is a Partner at Bain & Co. in Boston.
Tom Sweet
Tom grew up in Waterbury Center and returned with his family in 1979 from a US Forest Service position in Minnesota and Michigan to assume the responsibility of the General Manager of Ward Lumber Company, a private industrial forest landowner. Tom and his son Dan established Hunger Mountain Forestry, Inc. a private forestry consulting firm in 1995. Many of his forest landowner clients are in the Stowe and Waterbury area. Tom and his wife Grace, a retired teacher, actively manage the family farm on Loomis Hill in Waterbury Center by producing hay for many horse lovers. Tom is interested in working with members of Stowe Land Trust on stewardship issues.