Craig Whipple, Board Chair
Barre
Craig has spent well over four decades of his professional life helping to make sure people have access to a wide variety of high-quality parklands and facilities so we can all realize the huge benefits of playing and recreating in the outdoors. After graduating from Michigan State University “a long time ago,” Craig immediately began his career as a Director of a small county park system in rural central Michigan. He and his young family moved to Vermont in 1978, where he has been serving the people of our state ever since. Most of that time has been spent with the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation in a variety of capacities. During the last fourteen years of his work, he served as the Director of Vermont State Parks, having retired in September 2020. As Director, he was a key player in building the positive reputation and brand of Vermont State Parks, adding three new parks to the system, seeing visitation increase by 40%, and, oh yes, helping to create Vermont Parks Forever, one of the most successful state parks/private partnerships in the country. Continuing his support for his passion for the cause of outdoor recreation by serving on the board of VPF was a natural fit upon his “retirement.”