Award recipients were honored during the annual Southern Vermont Economy Summit. Qualifying Emerging Leaders will also be nominated for Vermont Business Magazine's Rising Stars award. 32 southern Vermont Emerging Leaders have been named as Rising Stars since 2018!

2023 Emerging Leaders

Rory Price, Vermont Department of Health, Bennington Office of Local Health | Bennington County
Joy Auciello, New England Center for Circus Arts/JoyStar's Story | Windham Region
Ahmad Yassir, VT News & Media | Bennington County
Celine Lacroix, Brattleboro Portable Storage, MTG Holdings LLC | Windham Region
Camille Kauffman, Paran Recreations INC | Bennington County
Andie Fusco, Four Seasons Sotheby's International Realty | Windham Region
Eleni Maksakuli, The Putney Diner | Windham Region
Callie Fishburn, Bennington County Regional Commission | Bennington County
Daniel Chiaccio, First Proof Press | Windham Region
Jess Bouchard, Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School, College Advising Teacher; Director, Queer Connect | Bennington County
Megan Herrington, Vermont Department of Health, Bennington Office of Local Health | Bennington County
Daveq Anderson, Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation | Windham Region
Melanie Lopez, Self-Employed; Mel's Bookkeeping & A Shovel at a Thyme; Wilmington Works | Windham Region
Kayla Bernier-Wright, Windham & Windsor Housing Trust | Windham Region
Alexandra Mushinski, Next Stage Arts Project | Windham Region
Stephanie Muñoz Wells, Northshire Day School | Bennington County
Bethaney LaClair, Southern Vermont Deerfield Valley Chamber of Commerce | Windham Region
Bethany Connelly, WSESDVT | Windham Region

2022 Emerging Leaders

Adriana Negrón Trujillo, Brattleboro
Alana Harte, Ed.D., Bennington
Allison Wright, Warwick
Alyssa Irizarry, Pownal
Amir Mohammad Samar, Brattleboro
Anna Griffith, Marlboro
Asher Edelson, Bennington
Carissa Brewton, Brattleboro
Carolyn Gilbert, Bennington
Jennifer Luty, Dorset
Keith Marks, Putney
Laetitia LeBail, Walpole
Maggie Rubick, Manchester Center
Martha Cornwell, Shaftsbury
Natalie Philpot, Manchester Center
Nicole Koziara, East Dummerston
Nikolas Katrick, Marlboro
Samantha Pearce, Danby
Sarah Krinsky, Bennington
Stephanie Eames, North Bennington

2021 Emerging Leaders

Beth Wallace | Bennington County Head Start/Early Head Start, United Children's Services | North Bennington, VT
Brittany Schmidt | River Bend Chiropractic | Brattleboro, VT
Conor Floyd | Food Connects | Bellows Falls, VT
Dane Whitman | Vermont State Legislature, Grey Oak (LLC) | North Bennington
Danielle Salway | Mount Snow Academy | West Dover, VT
Eric Durocher | Town of Dover, VT | East Dover, VT
Frances Huntley | Downtown Brattleboro Alliance | Brattleboro, VT
Ian Goodnow | Costello, Valente & Gentry P.C., Brattleboro Selectboard| Brattleboro, VT
Ian Hefele | School for International Training Vernon, VT
Jake Stone | Mission City Church | Bennington, VT
Juliette Carr | Old Ways Herbal & Riversong Farm | South Newfane, VT
Lani DePonte-Disorda | Pangaea Restaurant | North Bennington, VT
Maribeth Fonda | Windham Southeast Supervisory Union | Brattleboro, VT
Mikaela Lewis | Southwestern VT Chamber of Commerce Shaftsbury, VT
S. Luella Strattner | Mount Snow Academy | Newfane, VT
Samba A. Diallo | AIDS Project of Southern Vermont | Brattleboro, VT
Sarah Wiggins | SIT Study Abroad | Northfield, MA
Shannon Wheeler | Town of Dover, VT | West Dover, VT
Tai Morse | Vernon Elementary School | Keene, NH
Zach Rounds | Rescue Inc | Vernon, VT

2020 Emerging Leaders

Aaron Dickie | Vermont Department of Labor | Bennington, VT
Ain Thompson | Out in the Open | Brattleboro, VT
Alex Figueroa | Southwestern Vermont Medical Center | Bennington, VT
Alyssa Pelow | Adaptiva HR | Brattleboro, VT
Alyssa Todd | National Children's Alliance | Brattleboro, VT
Amanda McCullock | Flatter Me Hair Salon & Self | East Dummerston, VT
Austin Bevin | Brunswick Dental Associates | North Bennington, VT
Charles Soucy | Hermit Thrush Brewery | Brattleboro, VT
Christopher Lukasik| Windham County State’s Attorney’s Office | Bratttleboro,VT
Christine Abdelnour | Christine Abdelnour: Allstate Insurance | Westmoreland, NH
Danielle Lacroix | Green Mountain Gardening | Dummerston, VT
Elizah Temple | Grace Cottage Hospital | Putney, VT
Eva Westheimer | Out in the Open | East Dummerston, VT
Hannah Cofiell | Butter Mountain Bakery | Woodford, VT
Henry Rosario | Outpatch and Dartmouth - Tuck Business School | Brattleboro, VT
Jared Newell | CDM Smith and Bennington Area Trail System | Old Bennington, VT
Jay DeGregorio | The Nature Museum | Brattleboro, VT
Jedediah Popp | Health Care and Rehabilitation Services | Brattleboro, VT
Jenifer Prouty Hoffman | Hoffman Real Estate | North Bennington, VT
Jennie Rozycki | John G. McCullough Free Library | North Bennington, VT
John Kim | Grace Cottage Hospital | Brattleboro, VT
John Pritchard | Costello, Valente & Gentry, P.C. | Brattleboro, VT
Jordan Leonard | Vernon Elementary School | Greenfield, MA
Justin Thompson | Wantastiquet Hall | Hinsdale, NH
Kim Kunkle | Vernon Elementary School | Vernon, VT
Lauren Mabie | Vermont Law School and 22 Mile March | Brattleboro, VT
Lauren Wilcox | Project Against Violent Encounters | Manchester, VT
Matthew Schibley | Health Care and Rehabilitation Services | Brattleboro, VT
Melissa Walker | Grace Cottage Hospital | Stratton, VT
Rebecca LaPointe | Grace Cottage Hospital | Townshend, VT
Sarah Perrin | Green Mountain Concessions and Bennington Select Board | Bennington, VT

2019 Emerging Leaders

Alex Beck, Workforce & Education Program Manager, Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation, Brattleboro, VT
Ashley Havreluk, EB-5 Manger, Mount Snow, West Dover, VT
Avery Schwenk, Co-founder, Hermit Thrush Brewery, Brattleboro, VT
Becky Gilbert, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Clinician (LCMHC), HCRS Clinician II/EFS Clinician/Brattleboro Primary Care (BPC) Consultant & Clinician/Per Diem Crisis Screener, and Entera Catering, Brattleboro, VT
Beq Lendvay, Field Production Coordinator, Catamount Access Television, Bennington, VT
Brian Maggiotto, General Manager, The Inn at Manchester, Manchester, VT
Carson Thurber, Fundraising/Development Director, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, Bennington, VT
Cat Bryars, Regional Planner – Community Planning Program Manager, Bennington County Regional Commission, Bennington, VT
Christopher Parker, Food Service Director for WCSU, West River Education District (WRED), Vernon, VT
Diane Michalczuk, Psychologist-Doctorate Geriatric Neuropsychology, The Memory Clinic, Bennington, VT
Emma Stewart, Housing Support Coordinator, Windham & Windsor Housing Trust, Brattleboro, VT
HB Lozito, Executive Director, Green Mountain Crossroads, Brattleboro, VT
Jonathan Cooper, Community & Economic Development Specialist, Bennington County Regional Commission, Bennington, VT
Joshua Unruh, Digital Marketing Specialist, New England Newspapers, Inc., Brattleboro, VT
Kelly Clarke, Architect, Centerline Architects, Bennington, VT
Leeanne Hadsel, Behavior Interventionist, Vernon Elementary School, Vernon, VT
Lori Langevin, Assistant Business Manager/ HR Support, Windham Central Supervisory Union, Townshend, VT
Marissa Hutton, Executive Director, Dorset Theatre Festival, Dorset, VT
McKenna Hayes, Food Hub Operations Manager, Food Connects, Putney, VT
Mel Motel, Executive Director, Brattleboro Community Justice Center, Brattleboro, VT
Peter Paggi, Director of Real Estate Development, Windham & Windsor Housing Trust, Brattleboro, VT
Sarah Kovach, Brattleboro Literary Festival, Brattleboro, VT
Steffen Gillom, President of the Windham County NAACP, VPR Commentator, and Disability Services Associate at SIT Graduate Institute, Brattleboro, VT

2018 Emerging Leaders

Michelle Marrocco, Bennington County Industrial Corporation (Summit Award Winner)
Katherine Partington, Mondo Mediaworks (Summit Award Winner)
Forest Weyen, Bennington Rescue Squad
Taylor Knoop, United Way of Windham County
Betsy Dunham, Southern Vermont College
Silvia Cassano, Bennington Area Trails System
Bridget Struthers, Brattleboro School of Dance
Gregory Boshart, Maple Valley Design Build
Josh Roberts, Edward Jones
Kayla Becker, United Way of Vermont, Bennington County
Ken Lorenz, Spirits of Old Bennington
Laura Kamyk, Big Picture Farm
Michelle Demers, Vermont Department of Labor
Phoebe Connolly, Leland and Gray Union High School
Ricky Davidson, Boys and Girls Club- Brattleboro
Sarah Lang, Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation
Serenity Wolf, P.E., Stevens and Associates
Stacey Woods, Meadowbrook Gypsies LLC
Kayla Davis, Battenkill Valley Health Center
James Salerno, Hale Mountain Research
Jason Dolmetsch, MSK Engineering and Design
Rob Terry, Merck Forest
Michael Root, United States Post Office
Duncan Hilton, Community College of Vermont and St. Michael's Episcopal Church

2017 Emerging Leaders

Daniel Strohl, Hemmings Motor News
Dimitri Garder, Global-Z International
Richard Berkfield, Food Connects
Alyssa Sabetto, Windham Regional Commission
Sean Ashcraft, Camp Waubanong
Michele Mazur, Trinity Botanicals
Laura Schairbaum, Greater Falls Connections
Melissa Hessney Masters, Tanglebloom