Staff:
Cary Brown | Executive Director | she/her
Desk: 802-828-2840 | Cell: 802-498-8871 | Email Cary
Cary served two terms as a VCW commissioner before joining the staff in 2012. She has worked as the Director of Girls’ Programs for Vermont Works for Women, a non-profit organization supporting education, training and careers in non-traditional fields for women and girls, and directed the Women in Technology Project, a national award–winning summer technology camp for girls at Vermont Technical College. She has served on the boards of Northern New England Tradeswomen, Turtle Island Children's Center, the New England Association for Cooperative Education and Field Experience, and the Norwich University Alumni Association. Cary received her bachelor’s degree from Haverford College, and a Masters of Public Administration degree from Norwich University. She lives in Montpelier with her family, where she is a Justice of the Peace and also serves on the Montpelier City Council.
Ellie Lane | Policy Research Analyst & Business Manager | she/they
Desk: 802-828-2852 | Cell: 802-522-7155 | Email Ellie
Ellie joined VCW in 2015 after spending several years as Staff Attorney serving clients in the Northeast Kingdom for Have Justice – Will Travel (HJWT), a Vermont non-profit providing holistic pro-bono representation to low-income victims of domestic and sexual violence. She provided direct free legal services to hundreds of Vermont women and families for matters such as obtaining Relief from Abuse Orders (RFA’s), divorce, child custody, and child support by providing both full representation as well as legal guidance and direction for pro-se clients, as part of HJWT’s Legal Empowerment Assistance Program. Ellie served on the Board of Directors of Safeline, Inc. where she continues to volunteer and served as the volunteer Public Relations Manager for the Randolph Area Food Shelf from 2017 - 2022. She currently serves on the board of the Orange County Restorative Justice Center. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of New Mexico and a Juris Doctor from Vermont Law School. She lives in Braintree.
Karen Cygnarowicz | Communications, Outreach & Project Coordinator | she/her 
Desk: 802-828-2841 | Cell: 802-498-8806 | Email Karen
Karen joined VCW in early 2023, after working for Vermont College of Fine Arts in various capacities for the last 10 years. In 2012, she founded Wild Light Design which serves as a business focused on her personal artwork, interview-based features of women and women-identifying artists, and a full-house marketing agency offering support to women entrepreneurs. She holds a B.S. in Sociology & Anthropology from Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland, an M.F.A. in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and is currently pursuing her Yoga Teacher Certification. She lives in Montpelier with her dog, Luck.
Photo credits: Rob Strong for Cary Brown