Staff & Board of Directors

Staff

Meg (far right) and her family on top of Mt. Mansfield with their international guest from Azerbaijan.

Megan Brook – Executive Director

Meg had her first taste of international travel when she was selected as an International 4-H Youth Exchange (IFYE) representative from Vermont in 1988 and was sent for 8 months to Taiwan where she lived and worked with local farmers. Since 1989, Meg has been actively involved with VFP including organizing and assisting with international workcamps in Vermont and around the USA as US Program Coordinator (1999-2000); placing thousands of volunteers oversees as Outgoing Placement Coordinator (1989-1993); as Co-Director (1990-1993) organizing and facilitating programs in the former Soviet Union, as well as living there for almost 5 years; and as a member of the Board of Directors since 2001. She is an active participant in many local non-profit and social service organizations, a regular host of international visitors and often presents cultural information at schools and fairs. She has a B.S. in Management and Leadership with a Russian minor (1995) and a M.S. in Education (2010) from St. Michael's College and extensive board and non-profit experience. She lives with her partner Jim and their two daughters in South Burlington, Vermont. Email Meg.

Chelsea Frisbee – International Placement Coordinator

Chelsea graduated from Ithaca College in 2008 with a B.A. in International Development Studies. She caught the travel bug during her four years at Ithaca College, spending a semester in Geneva, Switzerland with the School for International Training, a semester in Mexico with the Mexican Solidarity Network and a month in the Dominican Republic as part of a sociology class studying social movements. She has worked as Office Manager for the Center for Leadership, Innovation and Community and as an Admission Counselor at Ithaca College. She also completed professional training at the Finger Lakes School of Massage and practices as a certified massage therapist on the weekends in her town of residence, Middlebury, VT, where she resides with her boyfriend Tim and cat Jimminy. Email Chelsea.

Tessa Fancher - US Program Coordinator

Tessa graduated from The University of Vermont in 2011 with a BA in Global Studies and a minor in SPanish. During her time as an undergraduat she studied in Alicante, Spain with CIEE and Oaxaca, Mexico. In Oaxaca she worked with Centeotl, a small NGO focused on agricultral restoration projects. Born and raised in Vermont she started traveling at a young age. In 2001 she served as a student ambassador to Australia with People-to-People and in 2005 she spent a month participating in the Global Village Project in Ghana. Since that time she has also traveled to Cuba, Portugal, France, Italy, England, Morocco, Greece, Puerto Rico and the West Indies. Tessa has lived and worked in the Burlington area for the last 5 years. Email Tessa.

Board of Directors:

Scott Simpson, LICSW: President

Scott holds a BS in Social Work from the University of Vermont and a MSW from Smith College School for Social Work. Scott participated in short-term voluntary service projects in England and the Slovak Republic. He organized two projects in Burlington, Vermont as part of a year long community organizing internship with the University of Vermont, Burlington’s Mayor’s Youth Office, and the Burlington Peace and Justice Center. Scott has served as medium term volunteer organizing service projects for church youth in Biloxi, Mississippi. Scott volunteers with CARE.org and ONE.org coordinating legislative advocacy efforts with other volunteers. He currently has a private counseling practice in Burlington, Vermont.

Peter Coldwell, Treasurer and Founder

Peter holds a B.A. from The American University and graduate credits from Assumption College and Castleton State College. He speaks conversational German, Russian and dabbles in Spanish. Peter has traveled, lived and/or worked in some sixty countries. Peter did his first workcamps in Czechoslovakia and Hungary in 1968. He has practiced Yoga for over 35 years and has taught Yoga classes in Vermont. He's a "jack of all trades" skilled in carpentry, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work. He and his soul mate, Penny, built their own home in Mt. Holly, Vermont.

Matt (front right) with his 2010 group of volunteers from France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, and South Korea.

Matt Messier, Secretary

Matt is a teacher of English and history at the Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center in Burlington, VT. He also teaches courses in history at two local colleges. Matt serves on the board of Peace Brigades International and has volunteered on behalf of several local agencies. In May 2009, Matt received his doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Vermont.

Andrew Bell

Andrew is a Tallahasee, FL native living in New York City since 2005. In his daily life, Andrew promotes LOVE for all, PEACE in mind and the POWER to choose as his contribution toward a better society. Around New York, Andrew is coordinator of the CREATE, Inc. Youth Mentor Program in Harlem, a Sunday school teacher at his Unitarian Universalist church, a frequent volunteer, budding community activist and a working actor and model.

Jennifer Brewer

Jennifer is on the faculty of East Carolina University, jointly appointed between the Department of Geography and Institute for Coastal Science and Policy. She has also worked in Washington D.C. at the National Research Council and U.S. House of Representatives, and has partnered with several organizations involved in fisheries management and fisheries-dependent communities. She holds a Ph.D. in Human Geography from Clark University, a M.S. in Marine Policy from the University of Maine, and a B.A. in Art and Society from the University of Michigan. She studies environmental governance, especially marine fisheries, but also climate change. She has traveled in Europe, Latin America and North America. Jennifer first became involved with VFP in 1987, and worked in the VFP office from 1995-1997. She has organized, led or participated in workcamps in Mexico, Poland, Russia/Estonia and the Northeastern US. She has represented VFP and CCIVS (UNESCO) at international meetings in Peru and Chile.

Paula Cantor

Paula graduated from Clark University with a BA in psychology and from UMass, Boston with a Masters in Education. She currently lives in Boston where she teaches fourth grade in the Boston Public Schools. She first participated in workcamps in Europe in 1988. Since then she has volunteered in Turkey and Ghana and has led and organized workcamps in Honduras, Philadelphia and many in Boston. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras from 1993-95. She has traveled extensively in the US, Europe, Egypt, Israel, Central and South America and West Africa. Paula has been a VFP Board member since 1991.

Judy at an orphanage in Vietnam in 1998.

Judy Cohen

Judy Cohen has a BA from Adelphi University and is a Certified Guidance Counselor. She has been on the board of VFP since 1982. She is always connected with the helping and healing professions, first as a NYC Social Worker, then an Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor, and most recently as a Special Education Counselor. She was the advisor to the Human Rights Club at the high school where she worked. Judy feels it is important for everyone to learn about diversity, tolerance, and justice. She therefore facilitates 2 workcamps for VFP every year in her community and has, in the past, helped with workcamps in Cambodia. She lives in South Berwick, ME with her husband, Scot Weinstein, a musician and educator, who also puts energy into VFP. Judy has traveled extensively within the United States and to Russia, Germany, France, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Mexico, and many Caribbean islands. She is now retired.

Penny Coldwell

Penny holds a BA in Art from Framingham State College and a Master's Degree in Elementary Education from the College of Saint Joseph. She has taught Art, Drama, Reading and Math at the Mount Holly School since 1987. She is the Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Mount Holly Community Association. Penny spent a month in Ireland in her senior year in college, and has traveled to Russia, throughout Eastern Europe and Greece. Penny and Peter co-founded VFP and Penny worked in the office for the first several years of the fledgling organization. Since that time, Penny has supported workcamps, by giving emotional support to Peter, helping with local workcamps, and serving on the Board of Directors.

Gretchen Craig

Gretchen is a lifelong social justice advocate who feels that volunteering and promoting intercultural exchange are excellent ways to make the world a more peaceful, just place. She has participated in four VFP projects, and volunteered with numerous grassroots organizations domestically and internationally. Gretchen has a BA in Gender Studies and an MA in International Affairs, and has worked with various organizations promoting gender justice, community development and human rights. She is happiest when exploring new places, contributing to good work, going on long walks, singing and dancing, spending time with her loved ones or learning new languages.

Charles Rudd Mackenzie

Rudd is a graduate of Bowdoin College and Vermont Law School. He has been a VFP board member since 1991. He has served the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, the Dobbs Ferry Conservation Advisory Commission, the Indian Point Project, and New York Public Interest Research Group. He also serves on the Boards of Gitt-Moul Historic Properties, Navigators USA and the Saint Nicholas Society of New York. Rudd has traveled throughout Europe, taken part in two workcamps in Poland in 1991, and led a workcamp at the URI's Environmental Resource Center in 1993. He was raised in Germany and Ardsley Park, New York, and speaks fluent German.

Volunteers from Tom’s Peace Camp ~ 2009

Tom Sherman

Tom is the former Executive Director of the New Hampshire affiliate of the American Diabetes Association. Tom has professional skills in fundraising and grant writing, and is also experienced in public relations and advocacy work, having served as the Project Director for Southwestern Community Services in Keene, NH and Assistant Director of Catholic Relief Services in Beirut, Lebanon and Hodeidah,Yemen. Tom has helped to organized about 15 workcamps in the Newport and Concord, New Hampshire area and is a founding member of Volunteers for Peace. He is a grandfather of five children and lives in Goshen,NH. Tom has taught Yoga, Tai Chi and Chi Kung in southern New Hampshire for the past 22 years and is director of the Bija Ananda Yoga Teacher Training Program .