Heather Buckner, Operations Director
hebuckner@gmail.com
Heather Buckner is the co-founder and Operations Director of Smoky Mountain Corps, Sugar Mountain Center, and New Moon Botanicals. She was raised in Minnesota and spent much of her youth hiking and exploring the great north woods. She received her degree in Environmental Science from Tufts University and began her career as an environmental activist and educator. She began her work in conservation as a member of the Student Conservation Conservation’s New Hampshire Corps, and has since been hooked. She has since worked for other corps programs, outdoor education centers, and non-profit organizations focused on sustainability, community, food access, and health. She moved to the Southeast in 2014 with her partner Sean to build and run Smoky Mountain Corps, and is excited about continuing to develop new projects at her new home in Royalton, Vermont since 2017.
Heather is a certified permaculture designer and avid gardener, writer, and organizer. She spends most of the time playing with her family out in the garden, otherwise you may find her hiking and exploring the mountains and enjoying the beautiful Northeast!
Sean Ogle, Conservation Director
seanthomasogle@gmail.com
Sean is the co-founder and Conservation Director of Smoky Mountain Corps and Sugar Mountain Center. He has worked his way up the ladder of conservation programs; from a crew member in Florida, to a crew leader in New Hampshire, to a field coordinator with the Forest Service, to a project leader in Arizona. Sean served as the Trail Resources Manager for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, overseeing trail programs within Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, and currently works for the Upper Valley Trails Alliance in Norwich VT as the Trails Programs Director. When not building trails around Vermont or engaged in projects around the homestead Sean loves to write, travel, search for wildlife.