Meet the new trustees at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science

In October, three new trustees joined the Board of Trustees at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science: Richard Ferrell, Ronald Paprocki and Thomas Weschler.

Dr Richard Ferrell is currently chair of the Board of Trustees to the American Neuropsychiatric Association: ANPA Global Health Initiative Task Force, Associate Editor of The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, and is a collaborative care psychiatric consultant in General Internal Medicine and in Gastroenterology, DHMC. Dr Ferrell works two days a week and is transitioning into retirement. For thirty-three years, he has been a teacher and coach for Girls’ Developmental Basketball in Norwich/Hanover area. In 2015, Dr Ferrell received the Hanover Parks and Recreation Board Annual Volunteer Service Award. He and his wife Melanie, a retired social worker from the Vermont Council on Aging, live in Norwich, VT.

In January of 2016, Ronald Paprocki retired as the University of Rochester’s Chief Financial and Administrative Officer. As Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Paprocki was responsible for the University’s financial operations as well as for budgeting, planning and the treasury function. He oversaw the University Office of Budgets and Planning, Finance Office (including the offices of Controller, Accounts Payable, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Payroll, and Sponsored Program Accounting), Internal Audit Office, and Treasury Management. Mr Paprocki’s career at the University spanned more than 46 years. He joined the central administration in 1986 after serving as chief administrative officer for the College of Arts and Sciences. In 2000, he became the University’s Senior Vice President, CFO and Treasurer. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Rochester and holds an MBA from the University’s William E Simon School of Business. Ron and his wife Cathy are now residing in Quechee, VT.

Tom Weschler is currently the President of Strategic Consulting, Inc, a leading knowledge resource for strategy and tactics in industrial diagnostics. Prior, Tom was President of the Food and Environmental Division at Idexx Laboratories, where he created strong and global industrial diagnostics business for Idexx based on winning products like Colilert, Lightning, SimPlate, and SNAP. Publications Tom has participated in are Food Micro, Eighth Edition: Microbiology Testing in the Global Food Industry and Food Micro, Seventh Edition: Comparison of the Food Microbiology Testing Markets in the US and EU. Tom graduated from Harvard Business School and the Villanova University with a Bachelor of Science in Economics. He and his wife, Mary Hawkins, have resided in Woodstock, VT, for twenty years. Tom has served as a Board Member of Pentangle, WUMS/HS and the Thompson Center.

The Vermont Institute of Natural Science is delighted to welcome the new Trustees, who bring diverse experience and expertise to the VINS community.

Regular admission to the VINS Nature Center is $15.00 for adults, $14.00 for seniors 62 and over, $13.00 for youth ages 4 to 17, and free for members and for children, 3 and under. For more information about VINS and the variety of exhibits, programs, and environmental education opportunities offered, please visit www.vinsweb.org.

VINS is a nonprofit, member-supported, environmental education, wild bird rehabilitation, and research organization headquartered at the VINS Nature Center in Quechee, Vermont. VINS’ mission is to motivate individuals and communities to care for the environment through education, research, and avian wildlife rehabilitation.

Open year-round, the 47-acre campus, adjacent to Quechee Gorge, features state-of-the-art raptor enclosures, exhibit spaces, classrooms, interpretive and universally accessible nature trails, and our wild bird hospital. VINS places a priority on making high-quality, compelling, and fun environmental learning opportunities accessible to more people and communities through our onsite and outreach nature education programs.