Vermont State Coordinator

Debra Heleba has been coordinating the Vermont SARE program since 2007. She has been at the University of Vermont Extension since 1990, where she has worked on several SARE projects, including one of SARE's first Research and Education apple projects (Development of a Sustainable Apple Production System for the Northeast) and three regional professional development conferences that helped hundreds of extension and other professionals learn more about sustainable agriculture. She was a founding staff member of the University of Vermont Center for Sustainable Agriculture, where she developed new and beginning farmer programming, including Land Link Vermont, as well as educational programs on family farm succession.

In 2008 she joined the staff of eOrganic, a national effort to provide online information and resources to farmers, educators, and the public. She is also a member of the University of Vermont Extension field crops and nutrition management team, which conducts on-farm research and education on small grains, cover cropping, and nutrient management planning. She has an MS degree from the University of Vermont Department of Community Development and Applied Economics.