Kate Nugent, Executive Director
Kate Nugent joined the Winooski Partnership for Prevention in 2008. She is focused on strengthening and increasing the organization’s impact in the community and beyond, and she is inspired by the opportunity to be part of reimaging and redesigning the many interdependent sectors in ways that better strengthen health and support thriving communities. Kate is passionate about helping build and maintain an equitable framework upon which youth are able to create the future they seek. Prior to leading the Winooski Partnership for Prevention, Kate worked in development and education. She earned a BA degree from Colgate University in international Relations and French and an MA from the University of South Carolina in English Literature. Kate also currently teaches English writing and literature at the Community College of Vermont, holds a certificate in nonprofit management from Marlboro College, and when not at the office or meeting with her wonderful colleagues, enjoys being in the outdoors with her family.
Marielle Matthews, Policy and Grants Manager
Marielle started with WPP in 2022 as Policy and Grants Manager. Marielle believes strongly in the common goals of substance use prevention and policies that increase economic stability and political power within communities. Marielle received her BA in biology from Hamilton College and her MPH in health behavior from UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. She's been working at the intersection of substance use policy and racial and economic justice for the past several years and is excited to work with public health champions in Winooski. Marielle spends her spare time dreaming up home carpentry projects, playing with her family, and practicing being a better human companion to her reactive, yet perfect, dog.
Heather Win, Youth and Data Coordinator
Heather (she/her) joined WPP in January of 2023. A life-long educator and proud former WSD teacher, Heather believes strongly in the need for authentic youth leadership, family engagement and empowerment, and the need for radical inclusion in community-based work. Heather received her BA in Theatre and 7-12 ELA teaching certification from CSU, Fullerton, and her MA in Public Administration from Baruch College in NYC. In addition to teaching roles, she has worked as a school-culture consultant and curriculum writer for SEL programs. Her role at WPP focuses on providing students with leadership opportunities to work on community-based substance-use prevention as well as bringing in essential family and youth perspectives to inform WPP’s ongoing work in the community. In her free time, Heather enjoys her improv comedy team, the great outdoors, and spending time with her partner and two awesome sons.
Board of Trustees
Diana Buchanan, Board President
Diana (she/her) currently works as a clinical social worker based in Winooski. Diana Buchanan earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Vermont and specializes in working collaboratively with transgender and gender diverse people and other members of the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as adults and teens diagnosed with ADHD, people with disabilities, and survivors of violence and sexual abuse. Diana is inspired by the Winooski Partnership for Prevention's focus on building strength within the community and the potential to reduce the impacts of substance use, especially on populations historically targeted by substance industries.
Chandra Duba
Chandra Duba is a volunteer with the Winooski Recreation and Parks Department, assisting with youth program development and instruction. Living in recovery for 11 years now, Chandra wants to help others with their recovery, especially youth. She said being homeless off and on for a number of years while being a mother of three children was difficult, but in the end, brought them closer together as a family. Chandra now wants to provide support to families going through similar struggles. In her free time, she enjoys writing poetry.
Sarah Reed
Sarah is a staff attorney and Chittenden County public defender whose work intersects often with impacts from substance use disorders. Sarah is excited to help create a healthier community that provides healthier opportunities for youth and a future in which there are fewer substance use disorders. In her spare time, Sarah likes to hike, paddleboard, snowshoe, and bake. Sarah has also worked with a key group of stakeholders to form a small nonprofit that supports the mission of Vermont treatment courts.
Netalya Hill, Youth Board Member
Netalya Hill is a first-year student at Winooski School District. Netalya has participated in Winooski Partnership for Prevention programs and leadership opportunities since she was in fifth grade. Netalya has been interviewed in media stories about substance use and impacts on youth, as well as provided the voice for a Chittenden County student-led public service announcement that played in Essex Theaters for many months in the 2021 summer, as well as received over 40,000 views on YouTube at last count.
Lukas Zweres, Youth Board Member
Lukas is a senior in high school and resident of Winoosk. Lukas joined the Board of Trustees in the fall of 2018, and has been participating and advocating on behalf of prevention efforts in Winooski since he was in middle school. Lukas has attended numerous city council meetings and important events and spoken on behalf of this work and his passion for it. Lukas attended the national Youth to Youth conference in Rhode Island in July of 2018 and Dover Youth to Youth in New Hampshire in July of 2019.
Interested in becoming a board member? Please contact Kate Nugent, Executive Director at katenugent@winooskiprevention.org for more information. We are always looking for strong ambassadors to assist the organization in achieving our mission and strengthening capacity.