Thom Anderson is an assistant professor at Lyndon State College. He teaches courses related to recreation management, program delivery and evaluation, leisure and society, leadership theory and practice, and research design and analysis.

Student Focused
Thom is committed to providing students with high quality instruction and hands-on learning opportunities. His courses emphasize community service, teamwork, and leadership. Thom prepares students for professional positions in the recreation field.

Experienced - Tested
Thom has extensive experience in the areas of community development, volunteer training and support, and recreation management. He served in the Peace Corps from 1991-1995 and performed park development work in the Eastern High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. From 1997-1999, he worked as the Center Director for the United Seamen's Service in Casablanca, Morocco, a non-profit organization concerned with the health, welfare, and recreation of international transport workers. From 1999-2005, Thom managed the Western Illinois Peace Corps Fellows Program (an internship program for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers) located at the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA). He also created and managed the Volunteer Training and Support program (VOLTS) for the IIRA and was an interim board member of the Macomb Area Volunteer Center during its inception. In addition, Thom serves on the advisory board of the High Atlas Foundation (an international community development organization).

Research & Professional Activities
Thom’s research interests include the leisure behavior of transnational workers, leisure and quality of life, leisure constraints, and environmental preferences. Thom is currently organizing a community development outreach program with a service learning component.

Publications and conference presentations:

Papers under Review and in Preparation

• Anderson, T.K. (under second review). Leisure constraints of transnational seafarers with propositions for the development of a critical leisure constraints theory. Journal of Leisure Research.
• Anderson, T.K. (in preparation). The erosion of seafarers’ leisure: Implications for safety, morale, and quality of life. To be submitted to Marine Policy.
• Stodolska, M, Anderson, T. K., & Shinew. K. J. (in preparation). Differences in perceived access to and utilization of natural environments for recreation among Latino residents of two urban communities. To be submitted to the Journal of Park and Recreation Administration.

Technical Reports

• Anderson, T. K., Stodolska, M., Shinew, K. J., & Gobster, P. (2006). Environmental preferences and the use of natural areas for physical activity among Hispanic residents. Prepared for the United States Department of Agriculture – Forest Service; North Central Research Station – Unit 4902.
• Anderson, T.K. (2004). Community-Based Volunteer Management: A quick reference guide for rural community and economic development leaders. Macomb, IL: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs

Conference Presentations

• Stodolska, M., Anderson, T. K., & Shinew, K. J. (2008, May). Differences in access to and utilization of natural environments for recreation among Latino residents of two urban communities. Canadian Congress on Leisure Research, Montreal, Canada.
• Anderson, T.K. (2008, May). Toward a critical leisure constraints theory of seafarers’ leisure. Canadian Congress on Leisure Research, Montreal, Canada
• Stodolska, M., Shinew, K. J., Anderson, T. K., & Gobster P. H. (2007, September). Recreation participation in urban natural environments among Latinos: Determinants and post-immigration changes. Paper presented at the 2007 NRPA Leisure Research Symposium, Indianapolis, IN.
• Anderson, T.K. (2007, April). Containerization and the quality of life of merchant seafarers. Paper presented at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, San Francisco, CA.
• Stodolska, M., Shinew, K. J., & Anderson, T. K. (2007, April). The effect of acculturation and residential location on environmental attitudes and behaviors among Latino residents of two urban communities. Paper presented at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, San Francisco, CA.
• Anderson, T. K., & Pawelko, K. (2005, May). Correctional recreation, weightlifting in prison, and rehabilitation: A comparison of attitudes. Paper presented at the 11th Canadian Congress on Leisure Research. Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada 

Professor Cathy DeLeo is Chair of the Mountain Recreation Management program and teaches theory and field-based courses from first year intro classes to senior management internship. Over the years she has taught nearly every core course from freshmen leisure and leadership to upperclass recreation management, public relations, research and internship. She coordinates the Ski Resort and Snowsport Management concentration. Professor DeLeo especially enjoys experiential teaching, service-based learning, and working with private and public-sector partners in connecting classroom content to real-world skills.

Student focused
Most of Cathy’s classroom time is spent connecting her students with professionals who work in the mountains. As a practicum instructor and intern coordinator, she has experienced every position in resort operations and services that her students are expected to fill. She teaches core courses, such as Leisure & Society, Recreation Management, Public Relations and Program Planning. She works her students into many local service projects in the area, exposing them to new opportunities and potential career paths.

Experience-tested
Averaging two days per week ‘in the field’ throughout the year, Cathy listens to worksite managers identify needs; and then helps students understand and meet those needs. Her recreation career began working in youth centers, swimming pools, and community recreation in Hawaii and Massachusetts. After working at a cross-country inn in Waitsfield (VT), she got hooked on outdoor recreation, hospitality and tourism and aimed to create opportunities to raise awareness of the power of the recreation experience. As a result she participates in numerous boards and committees at the local, state and international levels, focusing on building capacity through leadership and learning.

Professional Activities and presentations

• Board of Advisors and International Youth Leadership Retreat, Miracle Corners of the World.
• St Johnsbury (VT) Recreation Department Board member
• Volunteer, Lyndon Rescue, Inc
• MASS Lift Maintenance Seminars 2000-present. Butternut Basin, MA
• DeLeo, C. (in pub). Vermont Recreation & Park Association Newsletter (2009). Collaborative Leadership.
• DeLeo, C. (2005). Book Review ANZALS Volunteering as Leisure/Leisure as Volunteering: An International Assessment, by R. Stebbins and M. Graham. (Australia/New Zealand Associaiton for Leisure Sciences.
• Roundtable discussion. Board Challenges. Vermont Recreation & Park Association. March 31, 2009.
• VRPA Governor’s Conference Presentation. (October 2008). Fairlee, VT. Internship Tips for Supervisors.
• VRPA Quarterly Meeting Presentation. (March 9, 2006). Vermont Technical College. The Power of the Recreation Experience: Through Project Kili, Reaching Higher Ground
• VRPA Quarterly Meeting Presentation. (March 7, 2004). Vermont Technical College.Decisions, Decisions.
• Vermont Travel Industry Conference. (Nov 2007). Burlington, VT.Hosting International Guests and Staff: Cultural Opportunities and Challenges.

Curriculum Materials:

• LSC Internship manual for employers & students (1989 -2000)
• Ski Resort majors’ competency manual (1999)
• Project Kili, Planner’s Guide for expeditionary-learning
• The Research Journey (1979)

Professor John DeLeo teaches courses related to mapping recreation resources and natural resources, which are integral to the outdoor recreation experience in Northeast Kingdom mountain environment and the neighboring White Mountains. His courses include Introduction to Geographic Information Systems and Recreation Resource Management courses. He also provides a host of field trip opportunities for collecting real world data such as a longstanding collaborative with Costa Rica.

Student Focused
John is committed to providing students a plethora of real world experiences to apply field data collection methodology. Students practice their skills using a host of peripheral technological tools, such as Trimble and Garmin GPS receivers, data loggers and field-grade lap tops.

Experienced - Tested
John is currently involved in directed community service related projects that provide a platform for students to learn by doing. Some of these projects include:

• Current use mapping of parcels for the Caledonia and Essex Counties of Vermont, working closely with the county forester
• Mapping trails and boundaries of local and state forests for the Department of Forest Parks and Recreation
• Working with the School of Field Studies and the Costa Rican National Park Service. The Costa Rica project involves mapping trails and study plots in local and national rain forest environments that are used for recreation by local residents and international tourists.
• John is also a member of the American Alpine Club and has served as the director for the Appalachian Mountain Club Winter Mountaineering School.
• Commitment to Professional Growth and Community
• John currently serves on the board of directors for the Vermont Center of Geographic Information and has established a number of memos of understanding with such agencies and organizations as the Vermont All Terrain Sportsman’s Association, the Agency of Natural Resources, the School of Field Studies and Stone Environmental Engineering Inc.
• A few of John's projects with Lyndon students include:
• Updating the Appalachian Trail Guide by ground-truthing many trails in the Kinsmans Notch area;
• Working with the Randolph Mountain Club to develop a trail map for the club’s maintained trails;
• Creating a trail map and facilities inventory for many state forests in the Northeast Kingdom in collaboration with the Vermont Department of Forest Parks and Recreation;
• Pursuing a joint partnership with the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management for thematic accuracy assessment project of vegetation in Canyonlands National Park, Utah;
• Training scientists and students on GIS and GPS field data collection techniques in Costa Rica, a collaborative project involving the School of Field Studies and the Costa Rican National Park Service;
• Providing spatial reference information for E911 Critical Facilities in Northern Vermont, a joint project with the Northeast Regional Development Authority;
• Collecting bridge and culvert geomorphic assessment data on impacts to fish and wildlife passage for the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation;
• Providing the Vermont All Terrain Sportsman Association with trail map and planning data;
• Creating digital maps of current use parcel data for the county foresters of Caledonia and Essex counties;
• Building all spatial data layers for the town of Danville planning board to help with rezoning – this project created the first natural community map layer for the town;
• Coordinating scientific spatial data, working with 11 different teams on 144,000 acres of the former Champion Land, as collaborative project involving the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and the Nature Conservancy;
• Creating a spatial tree inventory for the city of Montpelier, Vermont, digitizing over 1900 trees;
• Working with the Northeast Kingdom Development Authority to collect bridge and culvert information for the 55 towns in the Northeast Kingdom;
• Parcel mapping for the towns of Jay and Troy, a collaborative project with Northeast Kingdom Regional Development Authority;
• Coordinating the Act 250 permitting process between Jay Peak Ski area and the State Environmental Board, by delineating bear habitat boundaries for a new golf course;
• Facilitating the permitting process for the Highland Downhill Mountain Biking Center in Tilton, New Hampshire, by ground-truthing their trails;
• Ground-truthing Green Bank Hollow historical site for the Danville Historical Society – data will be used to mark the site of an old woolen mill and future land acquisition;
• Completing a striped bass and herring study in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts and the Division of Marine Fisheries to set up a tracking system for recording fish movement in and around Ipswich and Plumb Island;
• Geocoding a survey of respondents on water quality issues for residents in the Nashua river watershed, a collaborative project with the Nashua River Watershed Council, the University of Massachusetts and Lyndon State College;
• Coordinating ground-truthing efforts to collect mountain bike trails for the Kingdom Trails Association;
• Providing geocoding data for several area businesses to help with marketing plans and wireless communication systems;
• Working with Stone Environmental Engineering Inc., to create interactive mapping platforms for private nonprofits, using our own interactive web based mapping server.