Eva Douzinas is a part-time Woodstock Village resident, mother of three, and leader of several nonprofit organizations and foundations. She is endeavoring to protect our oceans and ensure the sustainability of our seas through science-based approaches and advocacy.
“I have a daughter and a son in college, and another son who is currently a junior in high school in Cambridge, Mass.,” Douzinas told the Standard this week. “My life is somewhat international as I split my time between Boston, Woodstock, and Poros, Greece.”
“My professional background,” Douzinas said, “is as a software entrepreneur in the commercial maritime sector. I co-founded Veson Nautical and led the company for nearly fifteen years. Today, the company employs about 500 people worldwide and develops software that helps manage the commercial operations of many of the world’s leading maritime organizations. After that chapter, I shifted toward nonprofit and philanthropic work, beginning with the creation of a nonprofit organization, Katheti, on the island of Poros — where my father is from — focused on environmental stewardship, education, and cultural initiatives.”
“My dad is Greek,” Douzinas explained. “He had a company that focused on making software for the commercial shipping industry, and I used to work for him all through high school and college. That’s where I developed my niche for software and shipping. In Greece, shipping is intrinsically tied to the sea, and so my interest in maritime and aquaculture started from a very young age,” Douzinas explained.
Douzinas spent her summers with her father and grandparents on the island of Poros. “I really consider it my home in many ways,” Douzinas said. “My cousin, who still lives in Greece, and I both wanted to bring a philanthropic philosophy to the island and become a kind of partner to the local municipality, the local schools, the local sports teams — as a way to funnel philanthropic support and outside expertise to help this very special, sacred community. From this desire, our organization ‘Katheti’ was born.”
Eva Douzinas
Courtesy of Eva Douzinas
In December of 2017, the pair began renovating an old run-down tavern in an attempt to bring life back to a part of the island that felt left behind. “We allow nonprofit groups to use our space for community theater, educational workshops, seminars, training, musical events. In the summertime, we try to feature local artists or bring in artists from other parts of Greece. Our goal is to enrich the island,” Douzinas said.
Last year, through Katheti’s nonprofit status, Douzinas found out about Greece’s national plan to expand industrial aquaculture. “They were going to take over 25% of the Poros coastline to become industrial fish farms, which is really mind-blowing, because you just picture Woodstock — a town of 3,200 — having 25% of the land taken for an industrial use. It would completely change the entire place.”
“At the time,” continued Douzinas, “I didn’t realize how devastating industrial aquaculture is to the environment. I first thought that fish farming helped stop overfishing, but the deeper I looked into it, I found out about all the devastating effects fish farming has on the environment, and how it actually takes more wild fish from the seas than it produces. This is because the fish that the farms supply are carnivorous — salmon, sea bream (branzino), sea bass — they are the wolves and tigers of the ocean. Fish farms are actually emptying the seas faster because they’re taking between 1.25 and four kilos of wild fish to produce one kilo of farmed fish.”
“We did win the battle on the island of Poros,” added Douzinas. “We blocked the plan to take over 25% of the coastline. In cooperation with the municipality, with the support of a whole team of people, and with the help of those on the island, we won.” Douzinas and her team held a 2,500-person demonstration on an island of 3,200 people in June of 2025. Douzinas then spoke at the parliament in Greece. “Now, we’re really working hard with other communities [in Greece] to try to get the law changed nationally.” Douzinas’ grass-roots movement is firmly planted in the Mediterranean, but she also partners with organizations across America to try to stop similar fish farming plans from expanding in the States.
“We support groups like Don’t Cage Our Oceans, based in New York, that recently won a case against Trump’s 2020 executive order to open federal waters to industrial fish farming, even in states where fish farming was previously banned,” Douzinas said.
“In 2023,” Douzinas continued. “I had the opportunity to take over leadership of the Rauch Foundation from my mother and relocate its headquarters to Woodstock, where I’ve been a part-time resident for over twelve years.”
The Rauch Foundation’s main areas of focus are advancing more equitable and science-based global food systems — particularly in relation to aquaculture — and improving financial literacy for young people.
“The Rauch Foundation works to advance equitable, science-based approaches that protect ocean ecosystems, respect coastal communities, and ensure the sustainable use of our seas,” she added. “A significant focus of our current work is researching, tracking, and helping curb the rapid expansion of intensive industrial fish farming — particularly the farming of carnivorous species such as sea bass, sea bream, salmon, and shrimp.
“It’s been inspiring to see a long tradition of sustainability and even ocean protection efforts being based in Woodstock,” Douzinas continued. “Having a home base for this global work right here in Vermont is very grounding for me.”
Locally, Douzinas has been involved in a few different projects, from renovating the space that now holds Farmer and the Bell to recently working to revitalize her property on 4 The Green. She explained, “I’m working on developing 4 The Green into a collaborative hub called ‘Fulcrum House,’ envisioned as a space where creatives, foundations, and nonprofits can meet, work, and collaborate. The name comes from a quote by Archimedes: ‘Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I can move the world.’ The idea is to create a thoughtful gathering place to support meaningful work being done by many in our community.”
She added, “I’m turning the ground floor of the building into a workspace/private café, complete with a beautiful greenhouse aesthetic and a cozy living room to serve as a workspace. The upstairs will be a shared conference room. It will be able to house 10 to 15 members of different creative organizations, nonprofits, or foundations to organize meetings or simply work collaboratively.”
“I think there are over 100 nonprofits and foundations in the Woodstock area,” Douzinas said. “I want to provide them with a space steeped in the historic charm of Woodstock, while also offering conference rooms complete with the latest tech and the privacy to complete the important work that they do.”
Moving forward into 2026, local residents can expect to see Douzinas partnering with Sustainable Woodstock to host speakers and educational nights, raising awareness for aquaculture and sustainable farming methods, or continuing to support foundations determined to bring financial literacy to the youth of America (a personal passion of Douzinas). Renovating and reopening her 4 The Green property is also high on her list. Douzinas said she will continue fighting the good fight, from here to the shores of Poros, Greece, until sustainability reigns true for all.
For more on this, please see our Feb. 26 edition of the Vermont Standard.
