Southern Vermont Economy Summit
May 23, 2023
Featured Speakers
Rob Riley President, Northern Forest Center
Keynote Speaker
Rob Riley joined the Northern Forest Center in 2007 to lead development of programs emerging from the Center’s Sustainable Economy Initiative. He assumed leadership of the Center in spring 2008. Rob has guided the Center to become the respected regional innovation and investment partner it is today and launched the Center’s first impact investment funds to support the Millinocket Housing Initiative and Lancaster Main Street Fund.
Rob led the creation of the Northern Forest Board Forum and the Rural Development Innovation Group, a partnership with the Aspen Institute and the US Endowment for Forestry and Communities. He is particularly proud of the Center’s team and its ability to bring expertise and resources to help Northern Forest people and communities while advocating for the region at the national level. The New Hampshire Union Leader included Rob in its 2003 list of Forty Outstanding Leaders Under 40 in New Hampshire.
Prior to joining the Center, Rob served as director of MicroCredit-NH, an award-winning statewide community economic development program. Previously, Rob founded and served as executive director of Main Street Plymouth, Inc., which received New Hampshire’s “Main Street Program of the Year Award” in 2000. Other experience includes directing Youth Programs at Sagebrush Arena in Hailey, Idaho, and farming and logging in Andover, Vermont.
Carrie Simmons
Executive Director, Stowe Area Association
Session: The Missing Link: Connecting Recreational Assets to the Local Economy
Carrie is a leader, strategist, and creative problem-solver with expertise in values-driven,integrated brand, and marketing approaches. She is the executive director of the Stowe Area Association, outwardly known as Go Stowe, serving approximately 250 business members by promoting the Stowe, Vermont brand through effective public relations, social media strategies, as well as and operating a visitor information center and central reservations service for hotels and inns. Prior to Go Stowe, Carrie was the owner and creative director of New Ground Creative, a creative firm that built brands through engaging design, dynamic campaigns, and authentic messaging. Carrie finds inspiration in travel, singing, reading, and time spent outdoors with her family. She is currently a board member of Stowe Vibrancy, an appointed official of Stowe Arts and Culture Council, an Executive Board Member of the Vermont Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, and core partner with Lamoille County’s Working Communities Challenge. Engage with Carrie @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrieawsimmons/
Richard Amore, PLA/AICP
Planning and Outreach Manager, VT DHCD
Session: ‘Steal This Idea’ Workshop: Actionable Strategies for Main Streets of All Sizes
Richard Amore is a landscape architect, urban planner, and community builder who blends his experience in community development, landscape architecture, and placemaking to spark revitalization of Vermont’s downtowns and village centers. He serves as planning and outreach manager for the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development where he works with downtowns and villages across Vermont and helps them plan and build prosperous, walkable, and inclusive communities.
Joanne Randall, MBA
Principal, Leap Year Strategies
Session: Marketing Fundamentals for Businesses and Organizations
An MBA in Strategic Leadership, Joanne Randall has spent her career working in management and business. Her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration is from the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire and her MBA is from New England College. She is a Coach, Consultant, and Marketing expert.
Her background includes management, sales, marketing, retail, human resources, and small business social media development. Joanne has over twenty-five years of experience in the marketing field. Joanne specializes in content marketing strategy consultation and marketing plan creation and execution for clients. Joanne has been a business and marketing guest lecturer at numerous New Hampshire universities, businesses, and Chambers of Commerce. Joanne frequently hosts marketing seminars and serves as a guest lecturer around New England.
She is the creator and host of previous radio shows such as NH Women in Business Radio and Marketing Mojo Radio. Joanne is the author of the popular children’s books, “The Adventures of Largo and Shelby” and “The Adventures of Largo and Jack”. She currently manages operations for her business, Leap Year Business Strategies and is an adjunct Professor of Marketing and Business.
Emma Spett
UVM Office of Engagement, Data Maven & PhD Candidate
Session: ‘Show me the numbers:’ Data-Informed Community and Economic Development
Emma Spett is a Vermont-based researcher, educator, and student exploring the theory and practice of building resilience. She is a graduate research assistant at the University of Vermont's Office of Engagement and Institute of Rural Partnerships, and her work is concerned with the governance and management of data resources for community development. She also consults on research projects related to co-creation and collaborative governance, flood management and mitigation, and transboundary water management.
Jenna Koloski
Community Engagement and Policy Director, VCRD
Session: Increasing Local Engagement: Practices to invite and encourage participation
Jenna Koloski is the Community Engagement and Policy Director at the Vermont Council on Rural Development where she works with communities around the state to support their work to bring the community together, identify key priorities for the future, and line up volunteers, leadership, and resources to move priorities forward. She also facilitated statewide policy discussions to determine key policy and programming goals for the future of the state. Jenna attended McGill University before moving to Vermont and receiving her Masters of Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School. She currently serves as the President of the Vermont Community Development Association, a member of the Vermont Creative Network Advisory Board, and a member of the board of the Remedial Herstory Project. She lives in Huntington, Vermont.
Ted Brady
Executive Director, Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT)
Sessions: Increasing Local Engagement: Practices to invite and encourage participation &"Big Money for Big Projects:” Preparing for and funding local infrastructure & energy resilience in your town
Ted Brady is the Executive Director of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT), a statewide non-profit, nonpartisan organization with the mission of serving and strengthening Vermont local government. Brady served as Deputy Secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development in the Scott Administration. Previously Brady was appointed by President Obama as the Vermont and New Hampshire State Director for USDA Rural Development, where he oversaw the administration of more than $1 billion in housing, business, and community development loans and grants. Brady spent more than a decade working as a community and economic development liaison in U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy’s office, both in Washington, D.C. and in Vermont.
Lilias Ide
Communication and Education Director, Kingdom Trails
Session: The Missing Link: Connecting recreational assets to the local economy
Lilias Ide is the Communication and Education director at Kingdom Trails, a multi-use, 100+ mile trail network and nonprofit organization in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Born and raised in the Northeast Kingdom, Lilias is very happy to be home after much exploring around the world. She enjoys doing the work of supporting outdoor recreation opportunities to encourage physical, mental, environmental, and economic wellness for her local community.
Lukas Ray
Community Collaboration Director, Kingdom Trails
Session: The Missing Link: Connecting recreational assets to the local economy
Lukas Ray is the Community Collaboration Director at Kingdom Trails, a multi-use, 100+ mile trail network and nonprofit organization in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. He holds a B.S. in Recreation Management and M.A. in Appalachian Studies, both from Appalachian State University. Lukas has been engaged in outdoor recreation and tourism development for 5 years, working in West Virginia for a National Heritage Area before coming to KT. Prior to his work in outdoor recreation, Lukas assisted in managing disaster recovery services in Tennessee and West Virginia. Lukas has experience in rural tourism development, community building, collaboration, marketing, storytelling, and nonprofit administration. A native of North Carolina, Lukas currently lives in Lyndonville, VT with his partner Mikayla and their two dogs, Alaska and Jetty.
Kevin Chu
Executive Director, Vermont Futures Project
Session: ‘Show me the numbers:’ Data-Informed Community and Economic Development
Kevin grew up in Vermont and is looking forward to growing old here too. Prior to the Vermont Futures Project, he worked at the University of Vermont for 6 years in positions focused on admissions, academic advising, communications & strategic planning, and community economic development. Kevin currently serves on the State Workforce Development Board, UVM Medical Center Board of Trustees, and the Boston Fed Working Communities Challenge Steering Committee.
Peter Twachtman
President, Lark Hotels
Session: Demystifying Visa Work Programs for Local Employers
Peter Twachtman has been a life-long hospitality professional. Having grown up in Wilmington, Vermont, Peter was exposed early to visitors from near and afar and thus began his career in hospitality. After graduating high-school Peter moved to Portland, Maine to attend the University of Southern Maine and has called Portland his home for over 30 years now. In the late 90’s he attended UMASS, Amherst and earned an MS in Hospitality Marketing. Peter later went on to found a hotel group in Maine where he served as the COO and Managing Partner for over a decade and now serves as the CEO of Lark Hotels, representing over 50 locations across 14 states. Peter believes Hospitality is a lost art-form and that there is real pride in service. He leads his company with that mind-set and strives to put the people that work for him first.
Carly Eglin
Co-Founder/COO, Seasonal Connect; COO, Pabian Law
Session: Demystifying Visa Work Programs for Local Employers
Carly Eglin is the Co-Founder/COO of Seasonal Connect, a staffing and operational solution for
seasonal organizations across the U.S., and the COO of Pabian Law, a national immigration law firm. Carly speaks often at conferences and on webinars about issues specific to seasonal employment. Her goal is to educate organizations about best practices, inform them of the latest trends in the hospitality industry, and highlight solutions to organizations’ seasonal employment challenges. As a native of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Carly has also worked in the hospitality industry as a seasonal worker herself, which provides her with a dual perspective into the challenges of the hospitality and seasonal world. Carly has been working in the seasonal employment space for fifteen years and the immigration law space for over seven years. She lives with her wife and three dogs in central Massachusetts.
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Keith Pabian
Seasonal Connect, Co-Founder/CEO
Session: Demystifying Visa Work Programs for Local Employers
Keith Pabian is the Co-Founder/CEO of Seasonal Connect, a staffing and operational solution for
seasonal organizations across the country, and Founding Partner for Pabian Law, a national
immigration law firm focused on assisting employers through the visa and immigration process. Keith has a unique specialization in working with hospitality organizations from coast to coast with H-2B visa petitions. Keith regularly presents at conferences on immigration topics affecting hospitality organizations and has received numerous awards for his success in providing solutions for employers’ most pressing staffing issues. Keith graduated from Union College and the Villanova University School of Law. He has years of experience with the hospitality industry through his work at Seasonal Connect and Pabian Law. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife and two sons.
Gary Holloway
Downtown Program Manager, Department of Housing and Community Development
Session: Session: ‘Steal This Idea’ Workshop: Actionable Strategies for Main Streets of All Sizes
Gary Holloway is the Downtown Program Manager for the Vermont Downtown Program, a Main Street State Coordinating Program. Since 2014, Gary has worked in the field extensively, assisting Vermont Main Streets with community revitalization and preservation initiatives. Gary has worked in a variety of downtown community development capacities over nearly 20 years. He co-founded and managed the Bellingham Public Market in downtown Bellingham, WA, a transformation of an underutilized building into an indoor year-round marketplace. He managed a multi-million-dollar downtown public/private revitalization project converting an old, blighted department store in Vineland, NJ into a year-round indoor marketplace. Gary worked closely with Main Street Vineland during his tenure with the Landis Marketplace and served as the Executive Director for a year helping the organization through a transition in leadership. Gary lives with his wife and two teenage sons in Montpelier, VT.
Summit Hosts
