Meet the Orleans County Team

Ted is the newest member of the Orleans County NRCD. As Conservation Specialist, he will be the lead on natural resource restoration programs that primarily deal with aquatic environments like streams, rivers, and wetland/floodplains, as well as web based information sharing about the OCNRCD. 

Prior to moving to the Northeast Kingdom, Ted was a research fish ecologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in La Grande, Oregon leading monitoring efforts on Snake River Pacific salmon. Ted earned his Master’s of Science from Montana State University, and for the last 25 years, he has been involved in the development, coordination, and implementation of large-scale aquatic habitat and water quality monitoring programs throughout the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountains. Ted’s passion is in the conservation and recovery of watersheds for both human use and natural flora and fauna through restoration of ecosystem functions, especially in aquatic and riparian environments.  As such, his interests include developing relationships and collaborative problem solving among stakeholders; finding sustainable solutions for the community, aquatic organisms, and riverine systems; evaluating and designing restoration of ecosystem processes to promote clean water and sustainable habitats; and building resilient a landscape for future generations. As is in common with most Vermonters, he and his family enjoy everything that involves being outdoors whether it’s in the woods or on the water and exploring the world at large.

Born and raised in the Orleans County of Vermont with strong family ties to the area, Kathi has a great appreciation of and a vested interest in the natural resources of our surrounding areas. She has over 20 years of experience working for the Internal Revenue Service, primarily related to federal employment tax matters, has worked in the private sector, and in public education for seven years. Kathi holds Associate Degrees in Accounting and Small Business Management and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. Kathi lives in Troy with her family on 70 acres of land that was once farmed by her husband’s family, and which has a beautiful view of Jay Peak and the surrounding Green Mountains. She enjoys being outside, working on their land, walking with their dogs in the woods, gardening, and cooking. Kathi is excited to use her diverse background of education and work experience to help serve and support the District in this newly created position.

Born in New Orleans and raised in East Tennessee, Jason spent his childhood immersed in the southern Appalachian Mountains and its culture. He graduated with a degree in geography from the University of Tennessee. He then spent time working in watershed restoration and management with the Tennessee Valley Authority, until breaking off to explore a myriad of different interests including guiding in the Grand Canyon, building high-performance homes in the hills of Northern California, and mixing it up with travel in Europe and South America. After much adventure, Jason and his family have landed in the NEK and have been busy restoring an old farmhouse and starting a small biodiverse farm, the Nordic Roots Farm, in East Charleston. Inspired to learn more and lend a hand in the effort to preserve our beautiful area, he is excited to dive into his role with the Conservation District to both aid farmers and conserve our natural resources.

Alyssa is a geographer and resident of Coventry, with experience in non-profit administration and community outreach. Before settling in Vermont, she worked with the Coastal Prairie Conservancy and is a certified Texas Master Naturalist. She became passionate about conservation while volunteering with the Colorado River Alliance teaching elementary students about watershed quality protection, and has since volunteered with the Houston Audubon, Texas A&M University’s Aquatic Plant Database, the Botanical Research Institute of Texas’s Armchair Botanist program, and Arnold’s Rescue Center in Brownington, VT.

She has worked closely with the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Zoology curator as a collaborator on the Texas Invasive Bird Project and has contributed to several published papers.

She is a Vermont Coverts Cooperator under the mentorship of the NorthWoods Stewardship Center's Director of Forest Stewardship, and during amphibian migration she serves as an Amphibian Crossing Guard and citizen scientist for the North Branch Nature Center. Alyssa is excited to connect with current and future land stewards and to contribute to water and soil conservation efforts in her community.

Emily Dehoff is the Animal and Environmental Systems Science instructor and FFA advisor at North Country Career Center in Newport, Vermont. In 2020 Emily was given the task to create and implement the first ever Career and Technical Education program based on animal and environmental systems.  Her goal is to create academically engaging learning experiences through an environment that fosters curiosity, creativity, logical reasoning, and joy.  In her free time, Emily likes to explore the outdoors, milk cows, and create science curriculum.  

David is a Geographer with The Nature Conservancy's Appalachian Program. In this role, he manages geographic data and spatial analysis supporting TNC's conservation mission, working with state chapters and partners from Maine to Georgia. Previously he worked for the State of Vermont, helping build the publically available statewide parcel data layer. Before moving to Vermont, David worked for TNC in Virginia, managing that chapter's extensive conservation easement program -working directly with landowners across the state on land management and water quality issues.  He and his partner Jennifer are lifelong outdoor enthusiasts and birdwatchers who enjoy exploring the woods and waters of Vermont and beyond.  They are also both crafters who can be found selling wooden ware and pottery at the Craftsbury Farmers Market.

Joanna Lidback is a dairy farmer, business consultant, and lifelong farmer advocate. She and her husband Adam own and operate the Farm at Wheeler Mountain, a diversified dairy farm located in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The farm consists of 80 registered Jerseys and Holsteins and a direct farm sales business for beef and composted cow manure.

Off the farm, Joanna is CFO for Adirondack Farms, LLC and the principal consultant for Adirondack Management Services, LLC. Previously, she was a business consultant with Yankee Farm Credit and has also held various positions with Farm Credit East including loan officer, director of Knowledge Exchange, and lead author of the Northeast Dairy Farm Summary.

She was inducted into Vermont’s Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2019 as an Emerging Leader and recognized with the Young Jersey Breeder national award in 2016. She volunteers as a board member for the Global Farmer Network, she is first vice president of Orleans County Farm Bureau, and can be found judging youth dairy cattle shows throughout the summer and early fall.

Joanna has a bachelor’s degree in applied economics and management from Cornell University and an MBA from Babson College. She and Adam are raising three children on the farm: Thomas, Eli, and Audrey. You can find Joanna at Facebook.com/TheFarmatWheelerMountain and @JoannaLidback on Instagram and Twitter. You can read her blog at farmlifelove.com.

Chris is a resident of Greensboro, VT where he Chairs the Greensboro Conservation Commission, is a Watershed Steward for Greensboro and the Upper Lamoille, an Advisor to the Greensboro Land Trust and a Trustee of the Greensboro Association. Previously Chris worked as a Management Consultant focused on Healthcare and Information Technology and before that he worked for the Environmental Research Systems Institute (ESRI) designing and deploying Geographical Information Systems such as ArcView. His undergraduate degree is in Geography with a focus on fluvial geomorphology, he also holds a Masters Degree in Land Survey and Geodetic Engineering and a Masters Degree in Business Administration.

He is committed to land and water stewardship in the NEK and in particular supporting efforts to mitigate the impact of flooding and improve the water quality of both the Lamoille and Memphremagog watersheds.