We are a nontraditional board because this is a nontraditional mission. Our board members have been selected based on their ability to clearly understand and apply the mission and vision of Social Tinkering. They come from a variety of backgrounds bringing their learned wisdom from their lives, educations, and work experiences to help make our work successful. As we grow our organization, we plan to add more Board Members and create an additional advisory group of partners and experts to help us accomplish our goals.
Our Persistent Founder and Director
Jeanette Langston, Organizer and Connector
Jeanette Langston has been learning about social isolation, connection, belonging, and happiness her entire life. In 2018, she began forming the concept of Social Tinkering as she became aware of her natural ability to connect people in meaningful ways. In 2020, she started Social Tinkering and in 2021, she invited the founding members of our Board of Directors to join her in her mission to empower connections and grow happiness.
In 2000, Jeanette graduated with a degree in Recreation Management from the School of Forestry at the University of Montana. After 11 years of working in Grand Teton National Park and several National Forests, she left her career to find a new path. She is currently working on a Social Innovation diploma from the University of Peace in Costa Rica.
Jeanette is a proud mother of 2 lovely small humans and 2 delightful fur-kids. She is a strong and loving partner to her incredibly supportive husband of over 2 decades. She grew up in western Montana, has lived in 6 different states, has traveled all over the U.S. and a bit internationally. She is an artist in her free time and loves to sing, hike, play, and have adventures exploring new places with her family and friends. She greatly values her friendships and enjoys meeting up with friends to listen to their stories, to laugh and cry, and to simply enjoy life together.
Our Rockstar Board President
Monika Ganguly-Kiefner
Monika Ganguly-Kiefner works for the Vermont Department of Health in Rutland as a Chronic Disease Prevention Specialist with a health equity focus for structurally underserved populations including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities. She holds a Master of Sustainable Peacebuilding degree from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a BA in both Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Studies from Green Mountain College. Monika has focused her entire career on building healthier and happier communities whether it be through urban planning, supporting local food systems, advocacy for survivors of domestic violence, or public health.
Monika is an advocate for building justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion into all aspects of living. She believes that through centering and honoring the voices of those community members who are least represented and underserved, we can co-create spaces that are more just and equitable for all people. She believes that everyone deserves to feel safe, valued, and loved within the communities that they choose to build their lives.
Monika is thrilled to be on the board for Social Tinkering to help co-create these safe and inclusive spaces for people to experience belonging in a way that they may have never experienced before. She believes that growing social inclusion and support are vital to building vibrant and healthy communities for all residents.
Our Steadfast VP & Board Secretary
Andrew Richardson
Andrew Richardson is the Vice President and Board Treasurer for Social Tinkering. Having graduated from Castleton University back in 2018, he continues to study along the path of mental health and community building with the hope of achieving clinical licensure in the future. It is because of this passion for understanding our minds and human connection patterns that he remains involved with Social Tinkering.
"I am passionate about the greater Rutland County community and its abilities to strengthen friendship and belonging. In a world where many young people hope to leave home in the dust for a new, exciting something else, I hope to help Social Tinkering give everyone in Rutland County a new reason to stay. The mission of Social Tinkering is a lasting support for human connection and belonging in our community."
Our Star Board Treasurer
Arwen Turner
Arwen Turner is the Executive Director of Come Alive Outside. She has over 15 years experience in non-profit leadership and fund-development in the United States and abroad.
Arwen is an advocate for body positivity and increasing representation of marginalized and disenfranchised populations in the outdoors. She believes we all deserve to be happy and to take up space in the places we want to see ourselves in.
Arwen was drawn the to mission and work of Social Tinkering because she believes that social inclusion and healthy support systems are key to personal growth, identifying one’s own unique value, and empowerment. She is thrilled to be on the founding board of directors of this dynamic and innovative non-profit.
Our Imaginative Board Member
Sam Davis-Boyd
Sam Davis-Boyd is an Assistant Professor of Media & Communication at Vermont State University - Castleton, where she teaches students how to tell stories through filmmaking. She looks to empower students to tell their own stories and teaches them the tools to do so.
Sam is a documentary filmmaker whose work looks at feminist, women, body positivity, and LGBTQ+ issues, with a focus on body politics. She’s interested in exploring how we find home within our own bodies and the spaces that we inhabit.
Sam is excited to be part of Social Tinkering because she believes in their mission of creating safer spaces for people to make connections with one another in order to uplift, support our community, and create social change.
Our Resourceful Board Member
Victoria Covarrubias
Victoria Covarrubias is originally from Southern California and moved to the Rutland area in late 2017.
Victoria soon established a catering business out of her home in West Rutland. Specializing in authentic Mexican food, she soon joined the Vermont Farmers Market as a vendor. This led her to become a member of the Board of Directors for the Vermont Farmers Market.
Victoria is a member of committees that work to increase awareness within the community of the Vermont Farmers Market, celebrate our community’s children, and raise money to promote the farmers market.
Victoria is involved in helping give back to her neighbors and community. She is involved in providing up to 100 meals per week for Vermont’s Everybody Eats program that works to provide locally sourced handmade meals to those in need.
As a supporter of networking and Social Tinkering, Victoria makes it her goal to find a meaningful roll within the community. She brings a diverse background of experience and a dedication to help others find a sense of community, make connections, and feel a sense of belonging.