At the Green Mountain Club’s 113th Annual Meeting on Saturday, June 17, 2023, five general seats will open on the board of directors. General directors serve alongside directors elected by the sections. Directors are elected to three-year terms, with a limit of six consecutive years of board service. Read about this year’s candidates, and vote using the form below.
Anne Houser, Second Term
Anne and her husband, Ron, moved to Vermont in 1987 determined to build a life in the mountains. With that idea, they opened Mountain Goat Outdoor Clothing and Gear store in Manchester. Managing the store for 33 years has given Anne a great platform for supporting the Long Trail/Appalachian Trail network. From her base in Manchester, she has been lucky to hike almost every inch of the Long Trail and spends a part of every day in the backcountry. Recently, Anne led the effort to establish Manchester as an Appalachian Trail Community, providing local support and amenities for hikers passing through on the trail. This designation helped to rally the community to welcome the hikers and to raise awareness of the trail. Her long tenure in the outdoor industry has given her a broad view of the Green Mountain Club’s role in preserving the trails that we have the privilege of calling our own. This year Anne stepped back from everyday work at the Mountain Goat and moved to New Haven, Vermont, where new adventures await.
Mariah Keagy, Second Term
Mariah grew up in southern Vermont and set her first step stone on the Long Trail with the VLTP near Stratton Pond at the age of 15. After being told by the GMC trails director that the LTP didn’t hire under the age of 18, she went across the lake to do trail work, returning to the GMC as soon as she was old enough to be hired. This kicked off a trails career that has lasted over two and a half decades and spread over 10 states, eventually landing her back in Vermont as a trail designer/planner and partner in Sinuosity, LLC, a professional trail building firm based out of Morrisville, VT. Throughout her seasonal and then year-round trails career, Mariah has returned to the GMC periodically as a summit caretaker on Mt. Mansfield, consulted on various trail projects, led tool safety/maintenance trainings for the LTP and caretakers, and eventually became a Trail Management Committee member after returning to Vermont full time in 2013. Mariah has also served on the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council’s Board of Directors since 2014, in between traveling around New England for trail projects. She holds an M.S. in Environmental Studies from Antioch University and continues her professional development in the service of trails whenever possible, recently completed a Wetlands Delineation course, and is a member of the Professional Trail Builders Association. When not immersed in the trails world, she supports students and teachers in planning and executing projects to reduce carbon emissions in schools and communities as the Energy Action Projects Manager for Vermont Energy Education Program.Alexis Peters, Second Term
Alexis’ love of the mountains began on family ski trips in and around the Mad River Valley, and that love has since grown to encompass backpacking and other outdoor adventures. In 2017, Alexis graduated from a dual degree program between Vermont Law School, where she primarily studied land use and conservation, and the University of Cambridge, from which she obtained a master’s degree in Environmental Policy. That summer, she thru-hiked the Long Trail. Alexis is an attorney at Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC in Burlington, where she focuses on real estate and other land use matters. She also is a member of the GMC Land Conservation Committee. In addition to hiking and skiing, Alexis enjoys cooking, running, and attending live music.
Owen Rachampbell, First Term
Owen Willis Rachampbell was born and raised at the base of Camel’s Hump in Huntington, Vermont. From a young age, the spirit of the outdoors, its conservation, and the community it brings together have driven his hobbies and passions. His first experience backpacking on the Long Trail was as a young scout on the Laraway Section. This positive and challenging experience subsequently encouraged him to hike the trail end-to-end with his best friend after high school, which he still considers the most formative weeks of his life. This inspiring trek led Owen to an Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 2017, which helped him appreciate the GMC’s greater influence over the last century. Since then, he has hiked the Long Trail end-to-end two additional times, completed the Side-to-Side with his wife, volunteered with the Laraway Section, and, more recently, joined the Membership sub-committee.
Outside of his involvement with the GMC and the Long Trail, Owen is dedicated to community building and shared responsibility throughout Vermont. He is active with other nonprofits and community groups, including Camp Exclamation Point, Scouting, Lyric Theater Company, Richmond Trail Runners, and previously as a Cemetery Trustee in Huntington.
Owen works in new product development at Darn Tough Vermont Socks in Northfield and resides with his lovely wife, Anna, in East Montpelier.
Owen looks forward to this opportunity to share his beliefs that the trails of Vermont are for everyone of all backgrounds and abilities, and that every outdoor experience is equally valid, whether it is someone’s first hike or their 10th End-to-End journey. Access to these experiences is a privilege that he aspires to help extend to as many people as possible, while fostering a shared commitment to forest stewardship.
Michele Kupersmith, First Term
Born and raised in Burlington and (then-rural) Colchester, Michele grew up always choosing to be outdoors over inside. A serious sailor through her twenties, hiking and skiing took over with her two sons and their many friends. Graduating from UVM and Vermont Law School, over the years Michele practiced law, did consulting work, and served in the Vermont House for four terms until 2014, representing South Burlington. After being in office, for three years she worked under two Commissioners doing workforce policy, and for two-plus years, worked part-time with the Vermont Employee Ownership Center, advancing ESOPs and worker cooperatives in Vermont. Michele lives in South Burlington and, recently retired, is now skiing (all kinds), hiking, and boating more than ever, including co-leading two Women of UVM A-level hikes in the past two years. Michele has been a devoted Green Mountain Club member for many years and considers it a privilege to bring her knowledge of Vermont government, as well as her experience with numerous boards, to the Club.
