Our Staff

Raquel brings a passion for adult experiential and cross-cultural learning as well as deep community connections to her role. Previous to joining Mercy Connections, she worked as a Community Impact Manager at United Way for almost a decade, and in international development and education.

Veronica believes that education is the key to empowering people in their lives. She has devoted over 30 years to teaching people of all ages to learn and experience languages of the world. She brings that passion into her classroom in her role of English language teacher and as ELL Tutor Coordinator. Previously, Veronica was a French teacher, ELL tutor, and bilingual program director.

Erin’s career focuses on the nonprofit arena and mission-based, community-focused work is her passion. She is a born and raised Vermonter, and her ambitions have always centered on collaboration, community, and creativity. Erin graduated from Emerson College in Boston, volunteers within the local theatre scene, and is a member of the Board for the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce.

Lisa leads the Mercy Connections team with compassion at the center of her work. She advocates for thriving, inclusive communities where all people are seen, valued and engaged. Before coming to Mercy Connections, Lisa worked for many years across sectors in higher education, government and business.

Heather brings incredible compassion and dedication to her work, which is focused on personal development programs. She has been with Mercy Connections in a number of roles since graduating from the Women’s Small Business Program at Trinity College in 2000. Heather is currently working on her Master’s at UVM in Education Leadership.

Maeve is a master juggler, and brings years of diverse job experience to her position at the center of the organization. Maeve’s warm smile greets everyone who comes to Mercy Connections. She has a Sociology degree from UVM. 

Melissa orchestrates our U.S. Citizenship Preparation and Academic Tutoring Program and teaches Pens & Pages, an adult reading and writing group. She brings 30 years of teaching experience and incredible dedication to her role. She’s especially interested in advocating for refugees, immigrants, and asylees.

Bernard brings a wealth of knowledge and a bright smile to everyone at Mercy Connections. He taught French in Congo Brazzaville for 31 years prior to moving to Vermont. He was also a 2024 National Adult Honor Society award recipient and holds a degree in Higher Management Studies. He speaks English, French, Lingala, Kikongo and Lari.

Maxine is a passionate advocate for English Language Learners and their families. She has more than 10 years of experience teaching English in the K-12 setting with specialized training at the intersections of literacy and second language acquisition. Maxine believes collaboration, empathy, creativity and tenacity are the keys to empowering English Language Learners inside our community. She has a MS in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from The University at Albany and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Literacy from NYU.

With compassion and authenticity, Kelly works with justice-involved individuals and advocates for disenfranchised communities. She has 20 years of experience working with diverse populations both locally and internationally. Kelly recently received her MSW at Simmons University.

Nicole S. Morris is embarking on her first semester as an Associate Professor of Business Administration and Accounting and LaMarche Endowed Chair, at Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont. Prior to joining the SMC faculty, Nicole spent 16 years at Champlain College in the Robert P. Stiller School of Business as Professor of Accounting and Management and Robert P. Stiller Endowed Chair of Management.

When Nicole isn’t teaching or creating systems and processes to support student success, she can be found in her favorite role as #1 cheerleader for her son Aidan, and daughters, Lauren and Madelyn.

Ruchi is a strategist, facilitator, and entrepreneur with over 12 years of experience helping startups, nonprofits, and small businesses build strong operational foundations. Ruchi teaches Start Up Operations, equipping entrepreneurs, particularly those from underestimated and underserved communities, with the tools, frameworks, and confidence to build resilient and thriving businesses. Passionate about inclusive economic empowerment, she is dedicated to ensuring that all founders, regardless of background, have access to the knowledge and strategies they need to succeed.

Joanne (known to friends as ‘Jo’) believes her greatest accomplishment is service to people living on the margins. Jo has more than two decades experience working in higher education, including positions in university advancement and student affairs/campus ministry. 

Caroline brings an enthusiasm for both people and data to her work. She started her time at Mercy Connections as an AmeriCorps VISTA member, and has a background in research and community engagement. In 2023, she officially became a staff member on the Development team and is delighted to be a part of Mercy Connections.

Ashley is the founding owner of the Vermont-based branding firm, LONDON Middlebury, which offers a wide range of branding, marketing, and research services to enterprises from entrepreneurial to international firms, non-profits and academic institutions. She loves to share her knowledge with womenpreneurs in our signature Women's Small Business Program, Start Up.

Besides her official duties, Alana wears many hats at Mercy Connections, including furniture assembler,  guitarist/accompanist for staff singing parties, and guru for all things IT-related. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with more than 30 years of experience in accounting and has spent many years as a financial statement auditor specializing in nonprofit organizations.

Having operated her own successful business for many years, and worked with Mercy Connections as an instructor for the Women's Small Business Program, Claire is uniquely well-suited to lead the entrepreneurship programming. She shares her sharp wit and excellent strategic thinking with the organization.