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Our Team

  • Meg Hammond

    Meg Hammond

    Executive Director (she/her)

    Meg has been a leader in community arts and education in Vermont for the last 20 years.

    Meg was founder of the Langdon Street Café, the collectively run art and music venue in Montpelier that that Seven Days named “the crown jewel of the Montpelier arts community.”

    Hammond came to Generator in January 2020 from Goddard College where she was Director of Development. At Goddard she led a successful campaign for a multi-phase renovation of the historic Haybarn Theatre in 2014 and produced the Haybarn Theatre Concert Series featuring world-class performers.

    Meg was the costume designer and stage manager for the original Vermont productions of Hadestown which went on to Broadway and won 8 Tony awards in 2019. Meg holds a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts.

    She is here to empower entrepreneurs, artists, and makers of all kinds and increasing educational opportunities in STEAM pathways.

    Contact Meg here.

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  • Veronica Newton

    Veronica Newton

    Director Of Programs & Partnerships (she/her)

    Veronica is a lifelong learner with a knack for inquiry. She brings to Generator seventeen years of experience in the education sector with a focus on advancing equity of access to authentic opportunities that are relevant to the learner and serve the broader community.

    Previously, she worked for the Vermont Agency of Education to provide systems level support for the implementation of Act 77, Flexible Pathways initiative through student-centered policy and program development for statewide dual enrollment, early college, and work-based learning programs. Prior to the Agency, Veronica taught secondary English in Boston and Lawrence, MA where she co-designed multidisciplinary performance tasks with academic and CTE instructors in order to help students make the connection between academic principles and real-world applications.

    Veronica grew up in a small town in southern NH, spending summers in coastal Maine. Her inquisitive nature led her to studying abroad, traveling the USA, then eventually, settling in Vermont with her family. Veronica holds an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a BA from the University of New Hampshire.

    Contact Veronica here.

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  • Mason Merriam

    Mason Merriam

    Director Of Facility & Operations (he/him)

    A Vermont Native with a career spanning multiple art and maintenance industries over the last decade and a half, Mason is a person who has worn many hats in his life.

    After getting his B.A in Theater, he moved to NYC to work as a freelance carpenter off-Broadway. He was the technician in charge of humidity control on a traveling exhibit of The Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Foreman of a scene shop in Brooklyn where he supervised the creation of stages for product launches, helped Nike put a traveling skatepark on a barge, and oversaw the build out of multiple sets for off-broadway productions.

    Returning to Vermont in 2014, where lucrative theater work is hard to come by, Mason began his journey as a maintenance technician. Working first for the Burlington Housing Authority, and then the UVM Medical Center, he put his natural curiosity and enjoyment of taking things apart to work in a new way. At the medical center, Mason took every opportunity to learn new skills and increase his knowledge, working on large HVAC Systems, chillers and 600hp boilers in order to keep the hospital running and helping to keep people comfortable while they healed.

    Mason loves to take things apart, see how they work and then put them back together. He’s always discovering new ways to fix things and working on his family’s homes or his truck. When he’s not working or fixing things, he’s fishing, camping, seeking out delicious food, or playing Dungeons and Dragons with his brother and their friends.

    Contact Mason here.

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  • Syd Telek

    Syd Telek

    Lead Instructor & Curriculum Specialist (he/him)

    Syd’s hails from Rochester New York where he discovered a passion for technology, hands-on learning, and helping others. After graduating from SUNY Oswego in 2017 with a B.S. in Technology Education, he began teaching in public schools in the Hudson Valley region of New York. There he developed and taught a myriad of courses such as Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Civil Engineering, Computer Aided Design and more. In 2021, he furthered his understanding of the relationship between problem solving and the environment, earning his M.S. in Biomimicry from Arizona State University.

    After 6 years of professional teaching experience in New York and his family moving into the New England area, Syd has settled down into Burlington. Generator is a community, resource, and space he is excited to be a part of to further exercise his creativity, work more with the people in Vermont, and share his passion for hands-on-learning with others.

    When he is not at Generator, Syd enjoys rock climbing across New England, fly fishing and fly tying, baking, Dungeons and Dragons, and spending time with his family in Vermont, New York, and Maine.

    Contact Syd here.

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  • Greg Maino

    Greg Maino

    Membership & Communication Director (he/him)

    Greg comes to Generator after a decade of work as the Communications Director at the Catamount Trail Association, and has over 20 years experience building communities and connecting individuals in the outdoor industry.

    Greg has always been a tinkerer, a modifier, and an aspiring maker. His most recent endeavor has been learning to sew in support of his bikepacking addiction. So far he has outfitted four of his own bikes, both of his son’s bikes, and a number of friends with a variety of bags. He also started turning his fabric scraps into wallets and selling those via Etsy to help pay for this newfound habit!

    When not at Generator, Greg calls Burlington home and spends his time with his wife, his two sons, and his cat Fred. They like to be outside as much as possible, and can most often be found on their skis or bikes somewhere in the woods of Vermont.

    Have an idea for a story, event, or promotion that involves Generator… or want to go bikepacking? Get in touch with Greg!

    Contact Greg here.

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  • Alex Hahl

    Alex Hahl

    Operations & Safety Technician (he/him)

    Alex is a freelance maker and teacher who specializes in metal fabrication. He grew up in the idyllic suburbs of northern Virginia and went on to get a degree in geography from the University of Kansas. After a subsequent career as a pizza artist, he hit the road and found himself working as a commercial fisherman on the coast of Maine.

    Now in Burlington, Generator is where Alex spends most of his time. His goal in life is to learn how to do everything, or at least everything that interests him.

    Need help with something tool or workshop related?

    Contact Alex here.

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  • Jake Ducharme

    Jake Ducharme

    Program Coordinator (he/him)

    Jake is a passionate and versatile maker from Colchester, Vermont. While starting his career in software implementation, Jake honed his technical skills but always yearned for a more hands-on, innovative, and local role. He is a self described “serial hobbyist”, always jumping from one tool or medium to the next to expand the ways his ideas can be brought to life.

    When not creating, Jake can be found relaxing at the beach and playing yard games with his friends.


    Have an idea for a new workshop, event, or partnership? Reach out to Jake to explore the possibilities.

    Contact Jake here.

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  • Lucy Powell

    Lucy Powell

    Membership & Communication Coordinator (she/her)

    Growing up on the North Shore of Massachusetts, Lucy enjoys long beach days coupled with iced coffee and a sci-fi novel. She moved to Vermont to attend the University of Vermont where she studied Communications and Entrepreneurship. During this time, she ran a small business from her dorm room selling up-cycled clothing designs.

    Lucy is passionate about offsetting the global clothing waste crisis by repurposing damaged garments into wearable pieces of art. She specializes in outerwear pieces- designing jackets made from old jeans and blankets.

    As a fellow artist, Lucy is always excited to learn about the projects others are working on and seeing if she can help in any way.

    Have any torn jeans to donate or questions about the Generator community? Get in touch with Lucy!

    Contact Lucy here.

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