Amy Miller, 4-H Assistant Director, UVM Extension
Amy Miller is the new assistant director of 4-H. She spent the past 13-plus years working at Vermont State University’s Castleton campus serving in a victim advocacy role and teaching adjunct courses in trauma studies, health promotion and women and gender studies.
Miller holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a master’s degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She also spent a semester in Edinburgh, Scotland interning for the BBC. In Minnesota, she worked for the Girl Scouts in recruitment, volunteer management, programming and fundraising. In Wisconsin, she worked with nonprofits and the state addressing at-risk youth regarding substance use prevention, child abuse, domestic violence, LGBTQ+ inclusivity, and conducted street outreach with runaway or homeless teens. She has an extensive background working with underserved populations. Miller has a passion for addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and is a trained provider of the trauma healing practice known as brainspotting.
Miller comes to her new role with a childhood history in 4-H where she was a member of traditional club programming. She participated in sewing, home furnishings, cake decorating, sheep and poultry. Amy was active in the Racine County Fair as a junior leader and other volunteer leadership roles, as well as being a fair queen and driving in a demolition derby. She was born and raised in Wisconsin, so it’s safe to say she’s a cheesehead Packer fan.
Miller has three adult children (one is a recent UVM graduate), two dogs and a cat in her wee home in Pawlet, VT where she can be found sipping freshly brewed ground coffee, gardening, doing home improvement projects, crocheting or laughing with her close-knit group of friends.
Elizabeth Schumacher, Nutrition Educator, Community Nutrition Education, UVM Extension
A native of Albany, Schumacher moved to Vermont in 2015 to study community entrepreneurship at UVM. Falling in love with the mountains of Vermont, she decided to stay in the state, moving to Bennington with her partner.
To gain a deeper understanding of food systems from the ground up, she began working at a local farm as a community supported agriculture (CSA) manager. Later, Schumacher focused on ensuring food security for all, teaching gardening and nutrition classes, and supporting Meals on Wheels in North Bennington. More recently, she took on roles addressing community health in North Bennington and supporting the Bennington Fair Food Initiative.
Currently wrapping up her master’s studies at Vermont Law and Graduate School in food law agriculture and policy, with a focus on environmental nutrition, she is eager to apply her knowledge to Rutland’s nutrition education program.
More New Hires
- Amber Macia, Dairy Research Specialist, UVM Extension
- Elizabeth Seyler, Outreach & Communication Specialist, UVM Extension
- Elisa Ziglar, Grant & Graduate Administrator, CALS Dean’s Office
- Tessa Lawler, Sustainability Metrics Project Coordinator, Food Systems Research Center
- Faerin Dick, Field and Farmyard Specialist, Paul R. Miller Research and Educational Center