Tony Klein, President
Tony Klein of East Montpelier was born in the Bronx, NY on March 22, 1947. He and his wife Jennifer Boyer moved to Vermont in 1972. He is retired from a marketing and business government relations career, He was educated at Columbia Grammar Prep School, NYC and earned a BA in Government and Public Administration from the American University, Washington D.C.,in 1969. He and Jennifer have two grown children and four grandsons. He served on the East Montpelier Elementary School and U-32 High School boards for a total of 17 years. He served on many boards including Vermont Humanities Council, VPIRG, Peoples Health and Wellness Clinic and was the founding director of the Vermont Diversion Program. He was a State Representative from East Montpelier from 2002-2016 and Chaired the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee from 2008-2016.
Peter Walke, Vice President
Peter Walke became the Managing Director of Efficiency Vermont in May of 2022. Prior to that Walke served as Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, after serving as the Deputy Secretary for the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. As Deputy Secretary of ANR Peter was selected to co-chair the Vermont Climate Action Commission and to represent Vermont on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Before his return to Vermont Walke served as Chief of Staff for the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
Raised in Vermont, Walke pursued higher education first in Massachusetts, receiving a Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) from Williams College, and later a Master of Arts in Applied Geography from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Following receipt of his undergraduate degree, Walke joined the Navy, serving for nine years as an intelligence officer. During his time in the armed services he was stationed in Pensacola, FL, Virginia Beach, VA, England, and Colorado Springs, CO. He deployed twice in support of counterterrorism operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
After resigning his commission, Walke was selected to join a leadership development fellowship serving the Governor of the State of New York. He quickly became one of the Governor’s primary environmental advisors and was named to the post of Chief of Staff of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. After more than two decades living in other states and abroad, Walke was excited to return to his hometown of Montpelier, Vermont to continue his pursuit of excellence in environmental leadership at the Agency of Natural Resources.
Peter Walke lives in Montpelier with his two children. In his spare time, he enjoys running, coaching softball, skiing, and reading.
Sarah Hofmann, Treasurer
Sarah Hofmann served on the Vermont Public Utility Commission from 2015 to 2021. She served on the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Board of Directors and as a member of the Executive Committee, the Telecommunications Committee and the Subcommittee on Nuclear Issues. She also served on the Executive Committee of the National Council on Electricity Policy (NCEP).
Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Hofmann was the Executive Director of the New England Conference of Public Utilities Commissioners, Inc. (NECPUC). Before becoming Executive Director of NECPUC, Ms. Hofmann was the Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Public Service. She also has served as the Director for the Public Advocacy and Consumer Affairs and Public Information for the Department and prior to that, Special Counsel.
Ms. Hofmann is a graduate of Rollins College and the University of New Hampshire School of Law. She resides in Montpelier, Vermont with her husband Ken.
Amy Shollenberger
Amy Shollenberger has more than 20 years of experience grassroots organizing, developing political strategy, influencing policy, and running political issue campaigns. She has worked on a variety of campaigns, ranging in scope from local community issues to state and national issues. She started Action Circles in 2010 and along with the Action Circles Team has served clients and offered training ever since. She loves to travel with her life partner David in “Vanny,” across the U.S. and dancing whenever and wherever possible. She also loves to cook and especially enjoys the challenge of making a delicious and nutritious meal starting with random ingredients found in the fridge or pantry. She takes fitness and nutrition seriously so that she can fully enjoy life and bring her best self to her work. She has a commitment to have fun every day and to act from hope in all aspects of her life.
Larry Lackey, Secretary
Larry serves as Chair of the Town of Stowe Electric Commission.
A resident of the Town of Stowe, Larry previously held elected or appointed positions on several municipal committees and boards, including Stowe’s Planning and Conservation Commissions (1985-88), Board of Listers (1992-97) and Selectboard (2006-14, Chair 2010-11 and 2013-14), as well as Treasurer of the Lamoille Regional Solid Waste Management District (1992-96) and of the Lamoille FiberNet Communications Union District (2020-2022). He was a Director of the Stowe Land Trust (1996-2006) and the Catamount Trail Association (1998-2001).
Between 1989 and 2001, Larry held several analyst positions at the Vermont Department of Public Service and Public Service Board between 1989 and 2001 and served as Director for Telecommunications from 2001 to 2005 at the DPS. Larry joined Vermont-based communications services provider, Sovernet Communications, in 2008 to manage all regulatory, litigation and human resources. After FirstLight Fiber acquired Sovernet, he served until 2020 as Director, Regulatory, and Director, Rights of Way.
He received degrees from Bates College (B.S., Economics) and the University of Vermont (M.B.A.).
Larry currently works seasonally with a small maple sugaring operation in Stowe, and is otherwise likely to be biking or nordic skiing in northern Vermont with his wife, Peg.
Paul Dragon
Paul Dragon is the Executive Director of the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity. Over the past 15 years, Paul has worked at the Vermont Agency of Human Services in several roles, including the Deputy Secretary for the Agency and Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity. As the Director of the Healthcare for the Homeless Program in Burlington, he led the development of the Safe Harbor Clinic and the Pearl Street Clinic. Paul is a former Peace Corps volunteer working in Mali, West Africa. Paul received his Doctorate Degree in Education from the University of Vermont where he received the Herman B. Meyers Excellence in Doctoral Policy Research Award. Paul has received awards in the field of human services and has served on several boards of directors. Paul lives with his family in Underhill, Vermont.
Jean Hamilton
Jean Hamilton is Co-Director of the Land Access and Opportunity Board which was created under Section 22 of Act 182 of 2022 to engage with Vermont organizations working on housing equity and land access “to recommend new opportunities and improve access to woodlands, farmland, and land and home ownership for Vermonters from historically marginalized or disadvantaged communities who continue to face barriers to land and home ownership.” Previously, she was the Director of Mission and Impact for Skinny Pancake, where she managed mission related programming for staff, guests, and community partners. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Jean helped launch ShiftMeals, Skinny Pancake’s local food response to COVID, and served as the Statewide Coordinator for VT Everyone Eats, a statewide program contracting VT restaurants to provide emergency meals to Vermonters experiencing food insecurity and hunger. Jean has dedicated her career to building sustainable food systems and resilient communities, with a focus on farm and food business viability, fundraising and grants management, and weaving community connections. Jean lives in central Vermont where she enjoys sharing time with her family and neighbors, eating delicious local foods, and exploring this beautiful earth.