Preservation Trust of Vermont
The Exit 4 Open Space Committee at the installation of "Whale Dance" by Jim Sardonis in July 2019.
With Paul Bruhn's passing in September, we lost our beloved leader and North Star. He led the Preservation Trust of Vermont for close to forty years and infused the organization with his vision, optimism, humor, and determination. We miss Paul dearly and know he would want - and expect - us to continue PTV's important work to keep Vermont a special place.
 
Together with Paul, the PTV Board of Directors had prepared for the unexpected and had a transition plan ready.  Liz Gamache is settling in to serve as our Interim President while we search for a permanent leader. Liz was Mayor of St. Albans from 2012-2018 and is the former head of Efficiency Vermont. She brings both local and statewide perspective to making our communities stronger and more resilient.
 
That's not all. Despite a tumultuous couple of months, PTV's amazing staff have not missed a beat. Our fall Grand Isle Lake House retreats continued on schedule. Our field teams have been supporting projects across the state. We are administering three remarkable grants - including federal funds recently renamed the "Paul Bruhn Grants" thanks to Sen. Leahy - that will support nearly two million dollars of projects over the next several years. And we are preparing for PTV's 40th anniversary year in 2020.
 
 
PTV is totally committed to Paul's belief that preservation is at the heart of community building. It is proven out in Vermont year after year. When we preserve and revitalize our historic buildings and village centers, we breathe life into the soul of communities, and create the special gathering places where we come together in service to something greater than ourselves.
 
Vermont needs PTV's work now more than ever. Please help with your generous contribution today.
 
In gratitude,




Neale F. Lunderville
Chair
 
PS: Your generous support for PTV now will build on Paul's extraordinary work. Thank you for your support and partnership!

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2019 Map of Where We Worked &
What We Do
Click on the map for a detailed view!

Meet the PTV Staff

Liz Gamache
Interim President
Liz comes to the Preservation Trust with a background in community development and non-profit leadership. She has served multiple roles in St. Albans, most recently as mayor where she led a major downtown revitalization effort...  

Meg Campbell
Easement Program Director
Meg Campbell manages PTV's Easement Program, a job that happily takes her to every corner of Vermont every single year. Over the last decade, she has spearheaded PTV's storytelling efforts, including making nearly 50 short films for award-winning projects around the state. These efforts have led her to co-found the Vermont Story Lab...

Jenna Lapachinski
Field Service
Jenna Lapachinski is one of our Field Service Representatives. She holds a BA in History from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell and a MS in Historic Preservation from the University of Vermont. Prior to working for PTV, Jenna spent several years as the Historic Resource Specialist for New Hampshire's Land and Community Heritage Investment Program...

Eric Gilbertson
Special Projects
Eric's early years were spent living in a log house on the South shore of Lake Superior built as a bootleg tavern by a professional Swedish house builder. There was no electricity or telephone. The neighboring farms did not have electricity either so he got a good feeling of what it was like to live and farm in the 19th Century...

Linda Markin
Finance Officer
Linda Markin had a forty year career as a financial professional before Paul Bruhn asked if she would join Preservation Trust of Vermont as Chief Financial Officer. She thought she had retired but Paul persuaded her otherwise. He didn't have to twist her arm...

Lisa Ryan
Field Services
Lisa has a passion for connecting people with the resources they need in order to transform simple ideas into a dynamic reality.  She arrived in Vermont in 2000 to attend the University of Vermont Historic Preservation Program and knew that she had found home. Lisa's interest in Preservation began at a young age, when she watched the farms and rural landscape of her hometown disappear into sprawling housing developments and strip malls...

Elise Seraus
Office Manager
Elise was born in the Midwest, but came to Vermont as a very small child.  She fully considers herself a Vermonter despite the anomaly of her birth place... she blames the Army for that.
She graduated   cum laude  from Cornell University in 1989 with a BA in English and a concentration in African American Literature...
Alex Tolstoi
Interim Field Service
After being a builder for over a decade, Alex decided to combine his love of carpentry and history and start a career in historic preservation. Alex specializes in preventative conservation and maintenance planning, believing this is the best way to preserve our historic buildings...

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Preservation Trust of Vermont
104 Church Street
Burlington, VT  05401
802-658-6647