Leadership

Art Woolf received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1980. He was a member of the Economics Department faculty at UVM from 1980 until his retirement in 2019. In 1988 he was appointed state economist by Governor Madeleine Kunin, a position he held through the end of her term in 1991. He was the last person to hold that position in Vermont state government. He co-published The Vermont Economy Newsletter from 1991 through 2015 and wrote a weekly column on the Vermont economy for the Burlington Free Press from 2011 to 2018. In 2019 he began writing a regular column for VTDigger.org. In 1999 he founded The Vermont Council on Economic Education, an organization that helps Vermont teachers incorporate economics and personal finance into their classrooms and since 2002 he has been on the teaching faculty of the Foundation for Teaching Economics. Art enjoys life in his log house on 140 acres in Westford, where he has lived with his wife, Celeste Gaspari, since 1982. They have two grown children who, alas, do not live in Vermont.

Spencer Newman is president of Green Mountain Insight, a financial and strategic planning firm that helps mission-focused Vermont businesses grow and prosper in their communities. Several of Spencer’s clients have transformed from start-up businesses to employing hundreds of people, providing stable jobs and good wages for their employees. Spencer also serves on Governor Scott’s Strategic Planning Team and was chair of the Burlington Electric Board for five years, during which time the city became 100% powered by renewable energy. Spencer has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a BA from Tufts University. He lives in Burlington with his wife and two teenage children, and enjoys skiing, hiking, and cooking and generally living in Vermont.

Kathleen S. (Scottie) Emery-Ginn is currently a Trustee of NEFCU.  She retired from her job as an IBM Vice President in January 2011. She began at IBM in 1982 as a DRAM circuit designer and had many varied roles throughout her career, primarily in development, but also in manufacturing and business. She managed silicon technology development and systems development for nine years. She managed the PowerPC microprocessor business unit for six years, where she expanded PowerPC from IT and networking applications into gaming and consumer segments. In this role, she worked closely with clients such as Apple, Nintendo and Sony. She managed a corporate strategy team where she had the opportunity to work with the IBM CEO and his staff on technology strategy decisions.

Frank Harris is a retired professional in information technology (IT) management. During his career he served as Senior Director of IT Infrastructure for Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. (formerly Green Mountain Coffee Roasters). Prior to that he held a number of positions at Fletcher Allen Health Care (now UVM Medical Center), most recently as Vice President of Information Services. Frank was a member of the Vermont Healthcare Credit Union’s Board of Directors for seven years prior to its merger with NEFCU, including four years as Vice President of the Board. He has served as chair of the NEFCU IT Committee since 1996.

Mike Hogan recently retired from the State of Vermont, after 30 years of service. He served the last 17 years of his career as commissioner for the Department of Liquor Control. Mike has been a VSECU member for three decades and has found it easier to shoulder life’s demands with the help of the credit union’s services. Mike and his wife Mary Ellen live in rural Cabot and enjoy raising a few Black Angus cows, and biking and running the back roads of their community. Mike is currently a member of the Cabot Select Board and has served in various offices in his town. He is an avid reader of history and is active in his church.

Evan Langfeldt has served as the President and CEO of O’Brien Brothers since 2016.  A real estate development and management firm, O’Brien Brothers has been developing and managing residential and commercial properties throughout Chittenden County for over sixty years, including the company’s ongoing 140-acre mixed-use development in South Burlington known as O’Brien Farm. Prior to O’Brien Brothers, Evan spent eight years at ReArch Company, a commercial real estate development and construction company where he was Vice President of Development. Prior to that, he was the Director of Operations of Meridian Development Group developing ski resort real estate at Mammoth Mountain and Northstar-at-Tahoe in California. In addition to his role as Treasurer on the NEFCU board of directors, Evan has served on a variety of other boards and committees over the years including his current role as Vice Chair of the Vermont Futures Project, and as a past board member of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, and the South Burlington Business Association. A Vermont native and graduate of Hamilton College, Evan resides in Charlotte with his wife and daughter.

Julie Lineberger leads both Wheel Pad L3C, and LineSync Architecture LTD, in southern Vermont. Her focus is on social responsibility at all levels, gaining B Corp certification for her businesses. She presents and consults on various aspects of business management regularly. Julie’s previous career in International Development included managing and/or participating in projects for the United Nations Development Program, the International Rescue Committee, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees throughout the world. Hailing originally from California, Julie is bilingual (Spanish), and holds a Bachelor of Communications & Sociology from University of California, San Diego, and a Master of Education from Harvard University.

Stephanie Meunier is a seasoned Human Resources professional with years of experience, dedicated to creating a culture of excellence and engagement within organizations. She currently serves as the Director, Human Resources with DR Power and Mean Green Mowers, Generac Power Systems companies. She leads a team of human resource professionals responsible to collaborate strategically with leadership and oversees the implementation of policies, plans, and strategies related to people programs, including recruiting, training, succession planning, communications with employees, and company messaging. Stephanie previously volunteered with the Essex Community Justice Center, both as a panel facilitator and member of the Community Advisory Board. She is a Vermont native and graduate of the University of Vermont.

Meg H. O’Donnell is an attorney by profession, and has lived and worked in Vermont since 1988, when she moved here from New York City to clerk for Justice Ernest W. Gibson III of the Vermont Supreme Court. She practiced law in Burlington for several years after her clerkship, leaving in late 1992 to become counsel to the Vermont Health Care Authority. Meg spent the next seven years working for the Authority and its successor, the Division of Health Care Administration (part of the former Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration), helping to develop health policies and oversight programs. Meg then served as Director of Government & Community Relations and Assistant General Counsel at the UVM Medical Center until her retirement in 2018.