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 previously served on the boards of Safeline, Inc., the Orange County Restorative Justice Center, and served as the volunteer Public Relations Manager for the Randolph Area Food Shelf from 2017 - 2022. 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 Westminster with her family.
Emily ("Em") R. O'Hara | Communications & Outreach Coordinator | any + all
pronouns welcome
Desk: 802-828-2841 | Cell: 802-498-8806 | Email Em
Emily joins VCW with experience across the public, private and third (nonprofit/social/impact) sectors and functional specializations in program coordination and project management, research and analysis, and strategic communications and operations. She has worked on women’s economic empowerment, youth leadership development, financial inclusion, housing, poverty alleviation, and gender-based violence issues at international development organizations and community-based organizations including BRAC, Village Capital, and the Low Income Housing Institute. Em holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Canadian Studies, a Professional Certificate in Social Enterprise Management and Impact Investing, and a Master of Arts in Gender and Development. She lives in South Burlington with her partner and their two dogs, Rooibos ("Rooi") and Rue.
Photo credits: Rob Strong for Cary Brown