Meet Our VISTAs!
Ecolibrium3 places AmeriCorps VISTA members at local organizations to advance anti-poverty, community resiliency, sustainability, and equity initiatives. Meet our volunteers!
Meet the AmeriCorps VISTA members placed at Ecolibrium3
Chrissy Bensen, VISTA Leader
Chrissy is serving as one of Ecolibrium3’s VISTA Leaders. Chrissy holds a M.A. in clinical Marriage and Family Therapy and an undergraduate degree in English/Writing with a minor in Philosophy. Chrissy served as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Southwest Minnesota State University in 2003, helping to build what is now the Center for Civic and Community Engagement. After her first year of service, Chrissy worked in higher education, non-profit, and mental healthcare environments. She earned, and currently holds, professional Licensed Family and Marriage Therapist licensure in two states and previously built and owned a busy group private practice in Colorado Springs, CO. When she is not supporting this year’s VISTA cohort team, you can find her in dirty overalls developing a 10-acre orchard and berry farm in rural Duluth along with her family, a pack of Aussies, and a flock of sassy chickens.
Ana McCabe, Climate Communications and Environmental Sustainability VISTA
Ana is serving as Ecolibrium3’s Climate Communications and Environmental Sustainability VISTA. She will be working to build communications capacity to address environmental justice, climate, and long-term economic and environmental sustainability within the Duluth community. She is excited to serve at an organization focused on community sustainability, resiliency, and revitalization. Ana graduated from Augustana University in South Dakota with degrees in Journalism and Environmental Studies. She hopes to further her writing and communication skills before pursuing further education in food sustainability. In her free time, Ana enjoys trail running, cooking, reading, and spending time with friends.
Annika Frazer, Energy Training Corps Developer VISTA
Annika is serving as Ecolibrium3’s Energy Training Corps Developer VISTA. Annika grew up in Minnesota and moved to Duluth to study business and environmental sustainability. After graduating, Annika worked as a VISTA for the City of Duluth’s Love Your Block program, providing funding to residents to reduce neighborhood blight. In this role, she worked as a project manager, volunteer recruiter, social media coordinator, data analyst, and more. Annika seeks to apply these skills to her current role as the VISTA developing the Energy Training Corps, in addition to making connections and learning new skills. Annika enjoys staying active with local volunteer organizations, attending local music, and enjoying the beautiful outdoors.
Maximilian Kever, Urban Agriculture VISTA
Maximilian is serving as the Urban Agriculture VISTA with Ecolibrium3’s Urban Farm. Max moved to Duluth from Atlantic City, NJ. He is an environmentalist with a lifelong interest in community development and horticulture. Max has spent nearly half his life in Pittsburgh, PA, and graduated from Chatham University with a B.S. in Sustainability, with a minor in Economics. While Max enjoys nature immensely, he prefers city living with a horticulturalist lifestyle. He intends to dedicate his career to promoting indoor agriculture in urban and suburban areas to stimulate community economies, recognizing it as a viable path to sustainability and prosperity. At his leisure, he enjoys biking, dancing, horticulture, socializing, and cooking.
Phyllistine McCrary, Community and Economic Development VISTA
Phyllistine is serving as Ecolibrium3’s Community Development and Communications VISTA. Originally from western Georgia, Phyllistine graduated from Georgia State University with a B.S. in Computer Science and worked as a software developer in the finance and transportation industries for several years. At Eco3, Phyllistine helps promote the economic vitality of the Lincoln Park Craft District in preparation for West Superior Streets redesign in the near future. During her service, she hopes to learn more about urban and community development and sustainability before eventually going further in her academic or private career. In her free time, Phyllistine enjoys kayaking, art exhibits, and learning mythology and various cultural studies.
Simon Giese, Community Climate and Economics VISTA
Simon is serving as Ecolibrium3’s Community Climate and Economics VISTA. This is Simon’s second year of VISTA service. His first year was spent at Mentor North as the Community Partnership Coordinator VISTA. Simon graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2023. Originally from Eau Claire, WI, Simon has now lived in Duluth for six years. Simon hopes to form connections with community partners and work to decarbonize local industries. In his free time, Simon enjoys biking, running, camping, and fishing.
Sonali Bhikha, Environmental Justice and Special Projects VISTA
Sonali is serving as Ecolibrium3’s Environmental Justice and Special Projects VISTA. Sonali recently graduated from The University of Texas in Austin with a degree in Sustainability Studies. She looks forward to form connections with community partners and help grow the capacity of Eco3’s Environmental Justice work. Sonali is excited be in Duluth, exploring the city and the North Shore.
Meet the other amazing VISTA members we have placed in the community
Ben Pluska, Fond Du Lac Band Reservation Food Sovereignty AmeriCorps VISTA
Ben Pluska is serving as the Reservation Food Sovereignty AmeriCorps VISTA with the Fond Du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Growing up in the Piedmont of North Carolina, Ben cultivated a deep appreciation for the natural world. They went on to graduate from Appalachian State University, earning a B.S. in Sustainable Development and concentrating in Community, Regional and Global Development and specializing in political ecology and visual anthropology. During their studies, Ben conducted research with the Environmental Justice Community Action Network and the Environmental Justice Collaborative (EJ Co-Lab). Ben looks forward to working with the Fond du Lac Band to further their pursuit of working together to build a culturally relevant, healthy, and sovereign food system.
Conor Portu, Fond Du Lac Band Planning VISTA
Conor is serving as the Planning VISTA with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. In this role, he works with the planning division to address planning, geographic information systems (GIS), and economic development opportunities for the Fond du Lac Reservation. Conor holds a B.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is originally from Ann Arbor, MI. Through his year of service, he aims to gain work experience in the planning field before pursuing further education or career opportunities. In his free time, he enjoys surfing, running, and photography.
Elinor Rosenberg, City of Duluth Transportation and Sustainability VISTA
Elinor is serving as the Transportation and Sustainability VISTA with the City of Duluth. She will work on implementing equitable, safe, and sustainable transportation options within Duluth. Originally from Chicago, Elinor graduated from McGill University in Montreal in 2023 with a B.A. in Geography, where she spent the past year working as a research assistant studying natural climate solutions and traditional knowledge. She is eager to work in the field of urban planning and explore Duluth! In her free time, Elinor loves running, cross country skiing, and cooking.
Isabelle Cervantes, City of Duluth Energy and Sustainability VISTA
Isabelle is serving as the Energy and Sustainability VISTA with the City of Duluth. She graduated from Michigan Technological University with a degree in Sustainability Science and Society with a focus on sustainable agriculture and transportation. In her service, Isabelle will support implementation of the Climate Action Work Plan and the Imagine Duluth 2035 Comprehensive Plan, energy use and greenhouse gas inventory analysis, and conduct outreach and engagement activities that aim to reduce resident’s energy burden and increase climate resilience. In her free time, Isabelle enjoys exploring town on foot, live shows, crafting, and spending time by Lake Superior. Isabelle looks forward to better understanding the energy needs of the City and community through her service term and building that needed capacity.
Jennifer Blight, CHUM Community Leadership VISTA
Jennifer is serving as the Community Leadership VISTA with CHUM. Jennifer moved from the heart of Minnesota ten years ago with her small family to Lake Superior, where she enjoys spending time by the shore. Jennifer has always been justice driven and is working to make an impact in the fight against poverty. Jennifer is currently working on a Sociology degree at Lake Superior College. The opportunity to be an AmeriCorps VISTA came at a pivotal time in her life where she will be able to utilize her communication and work skills by working with underserved communities in the Duluth area.
Lydia Sakowski, Mentor North Volunteer Program Specialist VISTA
Lydia is serving as the Volunteer Program Specialist VISTA with Mentor North. Lydia grew up in rural Pennsylvania and holds a B.S. in Nutrition and a Master’s in Public Health. She moved to Montana in 2017 to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the 6th Ward Garden Park in Helena. After finishing her first AmeriCorps service term, she stayed in Montana to work for W.I.C. and the Montana State University Extension Nutrition Education Program, before pivoting toward youth development. Lydia enrolled as a volunteer mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Big Sky Country and later began working as a program manager for the same organization after witnessing the positive impacts of mentorship firsthand. She looks forward to exploring Duluth and sharing her passion for youth development. In her spare time, Lydia enjoys photography, baking, cross country skiing, and hiking with her husband and daughter.
Molly Williams, Food Forward Healthy Food and Community Resilience Builder VISTA
Molly is serving as the Healthy Food and Community Resilience Builder VISTA with Food Forward, a social enterprise of the Duluth Center for Women and Children. Her passion for travel, human service professions, and overcoming language barriers led her to study Spanish, International Studies, and Political Science at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where she graduated in 2024. Molly is also the owner of Molly Suzanne Photography, LLC, where she specializes in non-profit branding. Molly’s mission is to create people-centered imagery that shares the story of an organization’s impact, all while ensuring day-to-day operations don’t go unnoticed. She is eager to use her entrepreneurial experience to help make Food Forward a financially sustainable social enterprise. In her free time, Molly enjoys hiking the North Shore, planning road trips, and getting lost in books about international development.
Oliver Yehik, University of Minnesota Duluth Community Engagement Specialist VISTA
Oliver is serving as the Community Engagement Specialist VISTA with the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD). He will be working to strengthen campus and community relationships and build the University’s capacity to serve Northern Minnesota as an anchor institution. Oliver graduated from UMD with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, where he focused on restorative justice and interdisciplinary research methods as tools for social-ecological problem solving. In his time at UMD, Oliver fell in love with the city of Duluth and enjoys live music, sipping tea at local coffee shops, rock climbing, and swimming in Lake Superior.
Patrick Davis, Duluth Folk School Community Education and Sustainability VISTA
Patrick is serving as the Community Education and Sustainability VISTA with Duluth Folk School. He graduated from College of the Atlantic with a B.A. in Human Ecology in 2013 and has since pursued a career in music, worked extensively in hospitality, taught English in northern and southern Spain, and volunteered with Adult ELL programs in the Twin Cities. Having served as a Summer Reads VISTA with Minnesota Literary Council, Patrick is excited to be in service once again, employing his passion for education and sharpening organizational capacities in a non-profit setting. When he’s not doing that, he’s probably jogging, riding his bike, or staring at Lake Superior.
Pia Hanson, Community Action Duluth Ecological Justice VISTA
Pia is serving as the Ecological Justice VISTA with Community Action Duluth (CAD). She will be working with CAD’s Seeds of Success and Stream Corps programs to improve food access in underserved neighborhoods and support employment training in forestry and conservation skills. Pia has roots in both Minnesota and Germany. She graduated from the University of Frankfurt with a B.A. in American Studies and went on to attain a B.S. in Forestry from the University of Freiburg and an M.S. in Sustainable Development from Utrecht University. While studying, she worked at the Forest Research Institute in Freiburg and for the German Development Corporation. Over the course of her studies and job experiences she developed an enthusiasm for work that contributes to social and environmental justice. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, cooking, and spending time in nature.
Tyler Anderson, Carlton County Community and Family Initiatives Resilience VISTA
Tyler is serving as the Carlton County Community Resilience VISTA with the Community and Family Initiatives Department. Tyler is a father of three, living in the Cloquet area. He is currently attending the University of Minnesota Duluth. Tyler’s service year will involve working in areas of homelessness, restorative justice, and children affected by incarceration and truancy. On his free time, he enjoys coaching and playing football, fishing, working out, gaming, and four wheeling.
Want to join a cohort of passionate individuals serving the community? Check out our open positions!