STARBASE VT Team

Dan Myers

About Dan

Dan “Strider” Myers was born and raised in Burlington, Vermont. He received his BA in Elementary Education from Johnson State College in 1997. Dan recently completed his 30th year with the United State Army Reserves. As a Master Sergeant in the USAR, he is the Chief Instructor with the 108th Training Command.

Before becoming the Director of STARBASE, Dan started out as an instructor with the program in 1997. As the program evolved, he became a training coordinator and he developed relationships with local schools who continue to bring their classes to STARBASE annually. The Unit Chief position brought on new challenges as he managed the staff at the South Burlington site and maintained the integrity of the program through major curriculum changes. Now that Dan has completed his director training and is guiding both the South Burlington and Rutland sites, his goal is to start an additional afterschool program called STARBASE 2.0 for middle school students and community mentors.

Paige Clark

About Paige

Paige “Ladybug” Clark joined the STARBASE Vermont team in 2009. After graduating from the University of Vermont in 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, she continued her education by earning her Master’s degree in Education at UVM in 2011. Paige loves working at STARBASE and having the opportunity to work with students around Vermont.

Paige is from a small town in the Northeast Kingdom. Growing up in Vermont, she has learned to love the outdoors. She loves skiing, hiking and yoga. She also enjoys running and has completed two marathons! Paige’s family is also very important to her. She loves going on adventures with her son and husband.

JoAnna Tebbetts

About JoAnna

JoAnna “Hiker Girl” Tebbetts was born in Alaska and has lived in several states before moving to Vermont for college. She graduated from Johnson State College in 2009 with her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and in Environmental Science. She has always felt passionate about teaching, and science is her favorite subject.

She loves working at STARBASE because as a training coordinator, she teaches students about how important and fun science, technology, engineering and math can be.

When Hiker Girl is not at STARBASE she is hiking throughout New England, spending time with her husband, her son, and their dogs, or taking on new adventure sports such as skydiving. She hopes to someday be able to backpack in Europe.

Emily Bennett

About Emily

Emily “Fern” Bennett lived in Pennsylvania before moving to Vermont. She received her Bachelor’s degree in mathematics from DeSales University and is also a licensed teacher. Emily is excited to be working at STARBASE because she enjoys providing children with a conducive environment for discovery and has the opportunity to branch out into other STEM related subjects.

When Emily is not in the classroom, she loves to be outdoors. She enjoys taking hikes and camping with her family and dog. She also enjoys exploring different towns, riding her bike, and exercising.

Emma Sherman

About Emma

Emma “Veery” Sherman joined the STARBASE team in October of 2017. She received a Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2008. Emma then continued with her schooling at SUNY Plattsburgh and 2 years later earned a Master of Science in Education: Curriculum & Instruction degree.

Before moving to Vermont full time to work at a local ski resort, Emma previously worked as an environmental educator. She is excited to be working at STARBASE because she has always been passionate about teaching.

In her free time, Emma enjoys anything that might get her outside as well as knitting, reading, and spending time with her cat and family.

Andy Anderson

Andy “Android” Anderson grew up on a ranch in Wyoming far away from most civilization. He received a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT. He spent a career at NCR, IBM, and Global Foundries working on a variety of hardware and software products ranging from self check-out terminals to chips which help drive cell phones and internet connectivity. He spent three years as a guest teacher in grades K-12, prior to coming to Starbase. He has served as judge at the Vermont STEM fairs for 7 years encouraging kids to continue their pursuit of science and engineering.

Andy loves to play recreational volleyball and is a coach at the middle and high school levels. He enjoys road bicycling as a way to enjoy Vermont at a slower pace. His interest in engineering extends to maintaining his home which included designing and installing solar panels.

Nat Paine

About Nat

Nat “Crew” Paine grew up on an island in Maine before attending the University of Vermont. After graduating in 2010, he coached soccer in Vermont, skiing in Colorado, and sailing in Maine. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Teaching- Instructional Practice from the Upper Valley Graduate School of Education in Lebanon, NH, before teaching humanities in public schools for five years.

Nat joined Rutland STARBASE in 2022, and is particularly excited about the opportunities at STARBASE for students to solve problems with a team.

When Nat isn’t teaching, he’s learning. Currently, he is learning how to be a good father, husband, skier, mountain biker, golfer, and carpenter.

Alexis Scangas

About Alexis