Snelling Center for Government

Mark Snelling, mark@snellingcenter.org

Mark is the president of the Snelling Center. Mark is also president of The Shelburne Corporation, a manufacturer of brass wire products. He has owned and operated a number of businesses in the ski, bike, and hardware industries. He is currently on the board of The Snelling Center for Government and is chair of the Vermont Governor’s Council of Environmental Advisors. He also recently chaired the Governor’s Commission on Downtowns and GrowthCenters. He has previously served on the Boards of Key Bank Vermont, the Vermont Land Trust, Medical Center Hospital of Vermont, and as Chair of Housing Vermont and the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps. Mark resides in Starksboro, VT with his wife Linda.

Val Gardner, valg@gmavt.net

Val Gardner is the Director of the Vermont School Leadership Project. Val has worked as a teacher and coach, as well as Associate Principal and Principal at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg, Vermont. CVU has been recognized at the state and national level for innovative programs. In 1993 – 1994, Val served as the first Principal in Residence in the U.S. Department of Education under Deputy Secretary Madeleine Kunin. Val earned a Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Vermont and a Masters from the University of Oregon. She currently serves on the Snelling Center for Government and the Vermont Youth Orchestra Board. In the past she served on the Vermont Economic Progress Council, St. Michael’s College Graduate Advisory Panel. The Snelling Center School Leadership Project Advisory Board, and as President of Vermont Headmasters. Val has been recognized in numerous awards, including the Robert F. Pierce Award for service to youth in Vermont (1984); National Distinguished Principal for Vermont (1990); and has been inducted into the UVM Hall of Fame.

Colleen Oettinger, colleen@snellingcenter.org

Colleen is the Director of Events and Business Operations at The Snelling Center for Government. She has been with The Center since January 1994 and handles all of the financial and business matters. She is also our conference manager. Colleen is a graduate of Champlain College. She is an active Board member of the Vermont Women's Health Center.

Judy Warriner Walke, judy@snellingcenter.org

Judy Warriner Walke, new director of The Vermont Leadership Institute, has been associated with VLI since helping to launch the program in 1995. She has contributed to other Snelling programs -- the Vermont School Leadership Program and to a one-year nursing student leadership program. Judy is an organization development consultant and facilitator whose work has been energizing inspired teams and reflective leaders since 1993, in a wide variety of organizations, companies, and communities. To this work with groups, Judy Walke brings fifteen years’ management and planning experience in manufacturing with Digital Equipment Corporation, where she led her 60-person production group from a traditional hierarchy into a network of successful self-managing teams, with substantial increases in business results and employee morale. She has worked in nonprofit organizations and in government at the local and state level. Judy holds an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School of Business at DartmouthCollege and an undergraduate degree in history of art from SmithCollege. She loves travel, reading, singing, tasteless jokes and terrible puns, and time outdoors whenever she can. Judy is a 35-year resident of Montpelier, where she is active in enVision Montpelier, a very long-range citizen engagement effort to create a sustainable city. She and her husband Steamer Walke are enjoying their new roles as doting grandparents.

SENIOR ASSOCIATES

Charlie Smith, charlie@snellingcenter.org

Charlie was president of the Snelling Center for Government from 2006 - 2009.  In January 2003 Charlie was appointed Secretary of the Agency of Human Services by Governor James H. Douglas where he led the agency reorganization. He was then appointed Secretary of Administration in February 2005. Prior to serving in state government he was the District President and Senior Commercial lender for Key Bank Burlington, and served as Vice President of the same organization and its predecessors from 1988-1996. From 1984-1987 he was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Transphase Systems, Inc. in California; 1981-1983, he was Staff Director and Administrative Assistant for Congressman James Jeffords; 1980, Assistant to the Chairman of the Vermont Public Service Board; and 1975-1978, served in the Vermont House of Representatives representing the City of Burlington. He graduated from Harvard College 1978; attended the University of Melbourne, Melbourne Australia on a one year Rotary Foundation Scholarship. Charlie lives in Burlington with his wife, Amy Mellencamp and their children, Emily and Chas.

Heidi Klein, heidi@snellingcenter.org 

Heidi Klein formerly served as the Director of Public Policy at the Snelling Center for Government.  She worked with the Snelling Center on policy projects related to health care reform, the green economy, the Commission on the Future of Economic Development, transporting the public, electric transmission planning, and the Burlington Livable City Project.  She continues to operate her own contracting practice consulting with governmental agencies and non-profit organizations, including the Snelling Center, on various public policy and public engagement projects.  
 
The primary focus of Heidi’s work is the to design and support projects and processes that engage policy makers, community leaders and citizens in linking science and values to improve public policy and public health.   She provides a wide range of services including: strategic planning; training and facilitation; qualitative and focus group research; project planning and evaluation; educational program development; and collaborative project design and implementation.
 
Heidi previously served as Director of Field Operations for the Vermont Department of Health, Program Manager at the Green Mountain Institute for Environmental Democracy, and Associate Director of the National Association of City and County Health Officials. Heidi earned her Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) at the University of Massachusetts, School of Public Health and a Bachelors of Arts (BA) in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Michigan. She joyfully lives in Jericho, VT with her husband and sons. 

 Sue McCormack, sue@snellingcenter.org

Susan McCormack was the Director of Leadership Development at the Snelling Center for Government from 2007 through 2009.  Prior to her work with the Snelling Center, Sue was a Program Director for Everyday Democracy (formerly the Study Circles Resource Center), a national non-profit operating foundation.  Sue continues her affiliation with EDD where she assists many kinds of people and communities around the country who are working to create and sustain public dialogue and problem solving.  Sue worked for 10 years as a consultant, serving a variety of public and private clients as a meeting facilitator, program developer, and researcher.  During this time, she focused on framing policy issues for public discussion, and fostering constructive dialogue among citizens, policy makers and community leaders.  From 1995 to 1997 she served as project director for the Vermont Commission on the Public's Health Care Values & Priorities.  During this time, Sue also served on the faculty of the Vermont Leadership Institute, and is a 2005 graduate of VLI. Sue holds a bachelors degree in English from Skidmore College.  She lives in Essex Junction, Vermont, with her family.

Karyn Vogel, karyn@snellingcenter.org

Karyn was formerly Director of Development for the Snelling Center for Government.  Karyn previously worked as software developer from 1995 to 2008. In addition to her technical work, she has been involved in several public engagement projects, including the 2003 Study Circles on Race in Burlington and a 2007-2008 Mercy Connections group focused on the issue of poverty in Burlington. Karyn trained students and teachers to be discussion facilitators at Harwood Union High School, Missisiquoi Valley Union High School and the Milton School District. She has collaborated with educators on student photography projects in many area schools, including the Edmunds Middle School Senior Portraits community service project.  Karyn attended the Audubon Expedition Institute and holds a bachelors degree in Animal Behavior from Hampshire College, where she was the Assistant Director of the Livestock Dog Project. She is currently a part-time graduate student at Saint Michael’s College in the Education Department. Karyn lives in Essex with her husband, Jim Leveillee, and their children, Feora and Bryce.

Larry Rudiger, lrudiger@uvm.edu

Larry Rudiger is a Policy Fellow at the Snelling Center. He directs UVM's program in General Psychology, where he uses a wide range of instructional techniques and technologies to teach in various settings, both in person and online. He brought iClickers to the Snelling Center after proving their worth to the United Way of Chittenden County, where Larry is a long-time volunteer. A social psychologist by training, he earned his MA and PhD at UVM, where was a Postdoctoral Fellow in behavior genetics. He also worked for 9 years in medical software development. Larry was an honors graduate from the School of Music at Oklahoma City University. He also earned a BA in psychology at the University of Arkansas. He lives in Burlington with his partner, Joe Sorensen.