Vermont

Executive Director, Vermont Woodlands Association, Rutland, Vermont

Kathleen Wanner is Executive Director of Vermont Woodlands Association and Chair of the Vermont Tree Farm Committee. Both organizations help private landowners sustainably manage their forests. Kathleen believes strongly in Project Learning Tree for educating the next generation of forest stewards and forest landowners, and for helping teachers, nonformal educators, parents, and caregivers connect children to nature.

Since 2012, Kathleen has grown state-wide support for PLT from many different stakeholders and helped increase its capacity through new partnerships and fundraising. In addition to working with schools directly on service-learning projects, VT PLT is also reaching new audiences, for example through PLT workshops for forest landowners and private consulting foresters. Currently Kathleen is collaborating with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Implementation Committee in Vermont and other stakeholders on new initiatives to help grow the program.

Kathleen was a 2019 nominee for National PLT’s Leadership in Education Award.