Prior to working at CHIPS, Diana has completed internships and volunteer work at several local organizations including Hunger Free Vermont, Winooski Department of Recreation and Community Wellness, and Vermont Department of Health. Diana is excited to use her public health background to increase programming and awareness around healthy eating and physical activity for the benefit of those in the Essex area.

Diana was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia along with her younger sister, Sarah. In 2006 she took a break from college life in Athens, Georgia to live and study in Newcastle, Australia for 6 months. In her free time, Diana likes to cook, hike, swim, and practice yoga. She currently lives in downtown Waterbury with her fiancé, Beck, and dog, Sadie.

Adriane Schubert  Director of Programming

Adriane has been with Essex CHIPS as the AmeriCorps *State Teen Center Program Manager since September 2009 after graduating from the University of Vermont with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies and Sociology. Adriane has always been passionate about working with and helping others, especially youth. She feels incredibly fortune to have found herself doing what she loves in such an great organization and community. Adriane has worked with youth in a variety of capacities for many years, from swim lesson instructor, coach, childcare volunteer, camp counselor, birthday party coordinator to babysitter.

Adriane grew up in Acton, Massachusetts but has been in Vermont since coming to UVM. She currently lives in Monkton with her boyfriend. In her free time she enjoys baking, reading, scrap booking, being crafty, writing letters and spending time with family and friends.

Eliane Barrett  Office Manager

Eliane grew up in Belgium, where she graduated with a degree in Photography and in Graphic Arts.

After working in the print industry and freelancing as an event photographer in Belgium, Eliane moved to Vermont. Inspired by the many wonderful summer vacations she spent in this beautiful state, she fell in love with this area. She has been an Essex resident for years and currently resides here with her husband and two sons.

Eliane has been an active volunteer in the Essex school district since her kids where of school age.  She enjoys working with kids as well as being a participating part of the community.  Eliane is very excited to be associated with the CHIPS organization looks forward to assisting their important role serving the Essex community.

Heather Vendola  VYT AmeriCorps*VISTA Volunteer/Service Learning Coordinator

Heather graduated Southern New Hampshire University in 2009 with a B.S in Hospitality with a concentration in Convention and Event Management.  She was born and raised in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  After college she decided to relocate to Chittenden County because she loves the lifestyle and beauty Vermont has to offer.

Soon after relocating she began volunteering at the United Way of Chittenden County working on volunteer management systems.  This was a wonderful opportunity because she was able to get to know the community and all the nonprofit organizations in the area.  This volunteer experience made her realize that she was passionate about working at a nonprofit organization in the community which impacted children.  She previously has experience volunteering at Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine as a camp counselor.  Camp Sunshine is a camp for children with life threatening illnesses and their families. They are able to truly experience what summer camp life is like. 

When Heather is not working she enjoys being with her friends and family.  Some of her favorite activities are kayaking, hiking, and snowboarding. She is very excited to work at Essex CHIPS.

After college, Julia became involved with the Burlington Restorative Justice Center for several years and developed a keen interest in the non-profit field. This interest in volunteering lead to her developing a community service group while working with teens to promote mental health.

Outside of work, Julia prefers to spend time on outdoor adventures in the VT wilderness, as well as developing her skills in photography, piano performance, and costume design. She is very much looking forward to this year as a VISTA, and can’t wait to become a part of CHIPS!

John Powell  VYDC  AmeriCorps *State Teen Center Coordinator

I grew up in Williston, VT and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 2009, having studied creative fiction, poetry, and screenwriting. I have been heavily involved in music since, as a booking manager, publicist, and most recently developing Angelica Music and its online music magazine. Involved with live music, I have been a stage manager and event planner for many festivals and coffeehouses. I never stopped writing, however, with a few novellas, a poetry manuscript, and several short stories under my belt.

In the summer of 2011 I was an AmeriCorps VISTA serving at Big Heavy World, a nonprofit in Burlington dedicated to preserving Vermont-made music. It’s from there, along with my love of playing pool, that I’m stoked to join the Essex CHIPS crew as an AmeriCorps State member.

Luckily, my work is my passion and hobby, so I spend a lot of time with music and writing, traveling to NYC and Boston often. I also play guitar, collect comic books, like to travel to the ocean, wherever and whenever. I do yoga every morning, and believe that however your fried eggs turn out determines how good your day is going to be.

Mischa Tourin  VYDC AmeriCorps *State Youth Program Coordinator

After seven years of wandering, Mischa has finally returned home to the Green Mountain State. Mischa grew up in Jericho, Vermont and after graduating from MMU, heheaded out West to California to study Political Science at San Diego State University. During his junior year he had the opportunity to explore the globe on a study abroad program with Semester at Sea. He visited nine different countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia on a ship for three months, returning with a refined appreciation for the interconnectedness of the world. After college, he spent a year as an English teacher in Nagoya, Japan, where he mastered the arts of rolling sushi, singing karaoke and survival non-verbal communication.

After Japan, Mischa spent several years in Washington, DC, where he administered government international development projects focusing on energy and environmental management and encouraged the adoption of energy alternatives and energy efficiency practices at a community nonprofit in East Lansing, MI. After a six week trip to Ecuador to visit eco-lodges and volunteer on an organic farm, he returned to spend the summer as a Nature Camp Counselor at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee. Mischa enjoys hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, sauntering, camping, snowboarding, white water kayaking, gardening, eating good food and jamming out on the ukulele.

Isabella Blanchard  Stomping Ground Youth Outreach Coordinator

I am currently a senior at Essex High School and loving working at the Stomping Ground.

I am planning on going to college next year, where I’d like to study history and English and hopefully do a lot of traveling!
I love books (I used to work across the street at the Brownell Library), and hope to have my name on a few some day. I am also an avid reader, traveler and writer. Every once in a while I go on a hike or do some camping, but I am of the mind that absence from such activities makes the heart grow fonder. I love running, swimming and basketball, though! I also sail and spend a lot of time walking my dog, and that’s about it.