Meet Our Keynote Speaker
Ferene Paris (she/her)
Storyteller Ferene Paris, this year’s keynote speaker, is the founder of All Heart Inspirations where she creates heart-centered spaces through live performance, interactive workshops, and community engagements. Known for living out loud as a Black Haitian femme, she embodies courageous truth telling and vulnerable vibes as an artist.
Aspiring to make a collective difference within her local Vermont community and beyond – one story at a time – Ferene has manifested over 100 storytelling offerings. Highlights include opening up for activist/author Dr. Angela Davis and musician/actress Angélique Kidjo, heartfelt keynotes, storytelling workshops, artist residencies, and guest appearances on a variety of Vermont Public programs such as Brave Little State, Homegoings, and Vermont Edition, as well as Seven Days’ Stuck in Vermont.
Ferene's feature on Vermont Public’s Homegoings was nominated for an Emmy in the Best Interview/Discussion category. She believes we all have stories worthy of sharing and will be asking attendees “What's yours?!”
Meet Our Speakers
Emmy Allison (she/her)
Impact Consultant, LIFT Economy
Emmy Allison is motivated by a curiosity for humanity and justice. She centers her work on making everyone feel like they belong and is inspired by the heart and creativity it takes to run regenerative businesses within our larger extractive economy.
Before joining LIFT Economy, Emmy worked as a Community Success Specialist at B Lab (the non-profit behind the B Corp movement). Emmy helped drive awareness, engagement, and satisfaction for Certified B Corps in the US and Canada. As part of her role, she also supported 1,700 B Corps in the technical requirements of renewing their B Corp certification.
Dave Anderson
CFO, OnLogic
Dave Anderson has extensive experience in finance and accounting roles. Dave is currently serving as the Chief Financial Officer at OnLogic since January 2022. Prior to this, they worked at Analog Devices from 2015 to 2021, holding various positions including Senior Director of Finance - Healthcare & CTO, Director of Finance - Integration Management Office, Director of Finance - Consumer & Instrumentation, Division Controller - Healthcare & Consumer, and Controller - RF & Microwave. From 2009 to 2015, they worked at ITW as a Division Controller, Controller, and Accounting Manager. Before that, they worked as an Accountant at Beacon Power LLC from 2007 to 2009.
Dave Anderson earned their Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Northeastern University, where they studied from 2013 to 2015. Prior to that, they completed their Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Accounting at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Erika Anderson-Putman (she/her)
Community Marketing Associate, Cabot Creamery
Erika Anderson-Putman is the Community Marketing Associate at Cabot Creamery Cooperative. Erika works on the Community Marketing team, supporting Cabot’s impact work, PR, educational programming and partnerships. She also focuses on the brand’s B Corp certification and co-leads Cabot’s B Team, which provides continuous improvement recommendations to the company centered around the B Corp standards.
Andrea E. Bacchi (she/her)
Founder and CEO of Think Dynamic Digital, LLC
Andrea E. Bacchi (she/her) serves as the Founder and CEO of Think Dynamic Digital, LLC, specializing in Digital Marketing and Business Solutions for small to medium-sized companies in Vermont, New York, New England, New Jersey and beyond. In addition to her consulting roles, Andrea holds the Marketing & Business Development Manager position at Vermont Moonlight Cookies, a specialty cookie company founded by her mother, Barbara Bacchi, and located in Shaftsbury.
When Andrea is not working, she volunteers with the Vermont State Rehabilitation Council, which governs HireAbility Vermont (formerly Vocational Rehabilitation), the Shaftsbury Economic Development Committee, and the Shaftsbury Energy Committee.
Shawn Berry (he/him)
Co-founder, LIFT Economy
Shawn Berry is an organizational strategist inspired to harness the power of business to create resilient local economies as patterns to be documented, open sourced, scaled globally and adapted regionally.
Shawn left an early career path in nuclear physics research to found the Woodshanti Cooperative (1997-2011), a custom cabinet and furniture shop in San Francisco that set the standard for ethical craftsmanship in the green building movement. This hands-on experience as an entrepreneur combined with community organizing and systems theory to craft the vision for LIFT Economy to model an economy that works for all life.
Stacia Betley (she/her)
Director of Sustainability and Social Impact, Mega Food
Stacia began her sustainability journey at the University of Vermont before starting her career in the outdoor apparel industry. She used a Green MBA from the University of Oregon to pivot to the food industry and spent four years at Amy’s Kitchen, a California-based vegetarian and organic food pioneer.
She was named one of the most promising young sustainability professionals as part of Greenbiz's 30 under 30 cohort, and now leads sustainability and social impact at MegaFood, a B Corp and 1% for the Planet certified vitamin company based in New England.
Kathryn Blume (she/her)
Managing Director, Hyperbaric Vermont
Kathryn Blume is a saucy champion of climate communications. A gifted and inspiring public speaker, she's published a collection of essays and speeches called "Dancing to the Beat of the Great Green Heart," and contributed to the books “Greening Vermont: The Search of a Sustainable State,” ”Beautiful Trouble," "MoveOn.org's 50 Ways To Love Your Country," "Code Pink's Stop the Next War Now," and more.
She has had essays and articles published in the Burlington Free Press, Seven Days, Yes Magazine, and numerous blogs and websites and served as a commentator on Vermont Public Radio. Kathryn co-founded the award-winning community climate and sustainability game Vermontivate and the Lysistrata Project - the first worldwide theatrical event for peace. She founded Earth on the Air, a nationally-syndicated environmental and social justice radio program.
Kathryn has served on the boards of 350Vermont (Board Chair 2012-2016), Vermont Alliance of Conservation Voters, and more. She received her BA from Yale with a self-designed degree in environmental studies and theater and is currently pursuing her MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Vermont State University.
Adam Davidson (He/Him)
CEO, Masterful Storytelling, Inc.
Adam Davidson was a staff writer at The New Yorker, where he wrote The Financial Page column and contributes larger features and web stories. He was the “On Money” columnist and a contributing writer for the New YorkTimes Magazine.
He co-founded and co-hosted National Public Radio’s “Planet Money,” after serving as the international business and economics correspondent for NPR. He has been a frequent contributor to “This American Life,” including co-reporting the episode “The Giant Pool of Money,” which received the Peabody, DuPont-Columbia, and Polk Awards, and was named one of the top works of journalism of the decade by New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute.
His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Harper’s, GQ, Rolling Stone, and other publications. He has served as a technical consultant in Hollywood, including to Adam McKay, co-writer and director of the Academy Award-winning film “The Big Short.” His 2020 book, The Passion Economy, has been praised: “Adam Davidson is a master storyteller. . . An engaging mix of Michael Lewis-style reporting and a Shark Tank-like focus on how to succeed in business, [The Passion Economy is] an upbeat spin on what’s ahead for us in the new, gig-and-hustle environment.”
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Cheryl Eaton (she/her)
Managing Director, Guru Media Solutions
Cheryl is a seasoned marketing pro who has worked with powerhouse brands like Seventh Generation, National Grid, REBBL, Traditional Medicinals, Hormel, and Crocs. As a partner at KSV she was instrumental in building that super-regional marketing firm. Now as the Managing Director of Guru - based in San Francisco but spanning both costs and everywhere in between - she passionately uses her marketing and sustainable business experience to both support clients trying to make the world a better place and build a thriving community of amazing employees.
A business and brand strategist by trade, an MBA in Sustainable business by passion, and a former instructor at the MBA level, Cheryl loves bringing these superpowers together to help people and the planet thrive.
Dr. Lindsey Godwin (she/her)
Stiller Endowed Chair of Management & Academic Director, Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry
A professor, practitioner, and possibilitizer, Dr. Lindsey Godwin has a passion for helping individuals and organizations leverage their potential through strength-based change.
She has a master’s degree in conflict resolution from the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, and a PhD in Organizational Behavior from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, where she studied with the founding thought leaders in Appreciative Inquiry.
She holds the Robert P. Stiller Endowed Chair of Management in the Stiller School of Business at Champlain College, where she serves as the Academic Director of the Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry.
A sought-after international speaker, consultant, and facilitator, Lindsey has worked with individuals and organizations across the globe. Her article on “Earthshot OD” was recently named one of the most impactful articles of all time for the field of Organization Development and her newest book “How Do You Love a Question?” invites learners of all ages to embrace their curious spirit.
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Kate Harvey (she/her)
Founder and CEO of BirdieBlue
Proud geriatric millennial and Blue Bird Day Adventure Chaser, Kate Harvey is the founder and CEO of BirdieBlue.
Founded in Vermont, BirdieBlue is an outdoor adventure brand on a mission to save as many clothes from the landfill as possible by upcycling old, discarded ski and snowboard gear into personality filled accessories…think fanny packs, sling bags, and carry all tote bags. All of Birdie’s bags are handmade from upcycled and recycled materials right here in the USA.
When Kate isn’t working with her team to save old clothes from the landfill or designing new bags, you can find her on her on her skis or bike chasing her husband, two kids, and two dogs around the Green Mountains.
Zoraya Hightower (she/her)
US Managing Director, Nature for Justice
As an operations, policy, and management professional, Zoraya has worked on environmental and social justice issues across the globe and in her local communities for over ten years. Her experience covers diverse issues and geographies from renewable energy finance in Kosovo and water access in Tanzania to fishery sustainability in the Philippines.
In addition to her technical expertise, she supports knowledge and change management initiatives across a variety of organizations. Zoraya works as the US Managing Director for Nature for Justice and as an equity consultant with The Creative Discourse Group. She recently retired from the Burlington Vermont City Council after winning a seat as the first woman of color elected in 2020.
She serves on Vermont’s Racial Equity Advisory Board, Environmental Justice Advisory Council as well as the Vermont Environmental Justice Network Steering Committee. Her experience is augmented by a master’s degree in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Environment and bachelors’ degrees in Economics and Environmental Policy from the University of Tulsa.
Jeffrey Hollender (he/him)
Adjunct Professor, New York University
Jeffrey is an adjunct professor and an executive in residence at New York University’s Stern Business School, specializing in corporate responsibility, sustainability, strategy, and consumer products.
At VBSR we know him as one of the founding board members of our organization almost 35 years ago while he was in the early days of getting a company called Seventh Generation up and running.
Jeffrey also co-founded and was the CEO of the American Sustainable Business Network, a progressive alternative to the Chamber of Commerce. He also served on the Board of Directors of Greenpeace US and currently serves on Morgan Stanley’s Sustainability Advisory Board.
Amanda Janoo (she/her)
Economics and Policy Lead, Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll)
Amanda is an economic policy expert with over a decade of experience working with governments and international development institutions around the world. Her work aims to build just and sustainable economies through goal-oriented and participatory policy design processes.
Prior to joining WEAll, Amanda worked for the United Nations and the African Development Bank as an industrial policy and structural transformation expert. As a Fulbright researcher, she explored the relationship between international trade and informal employment.
She graduated from Cambridge University with an MPhil in Development Studies and heralds from the green mountain state of Vermont, in the USA.
Kelly Klein (she/her)
CEO, Founder, Groennfell Meadery
Kelly Klein is the founder and CEO of Groennfell Meadery and Havoc Mead, a certified B Corp located in St. Albans, Vermont. Kelly has worked since the company's founding to use the business as a force for good and to create a healthy, supportive environment for their growing team of employees.
Crystal L'Hôte (she/her)
Chair and Professor of Philosophy and Ethics, Saint Michael’s College
Crystal is a champion of higher education who enjoys bringing big ideas into small spaces. She is a faculty leader at Saint Michael’s College, where she teaches courses in the philosophy of science, philosophy of technology, environmental philosophy, and neuro-ethics.
Her research has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mind and Life Institute, and the Center for Neuroscience and Society. Currently, she’s finishing up a writing project on the limits of soft posthumanism.
Jason Lorber (he/him)
President, Aplomb Consulting
Jason's vision is that all employees are fully engaged in change, and he works with leaders to empower their employees through strategic planning, teambuilding, communications, executive coaching and, when it’s needed, and mediation.
He brings his MBA from Stanford, his four terms serving in the Vermont State Legislature, decades of working with global, national, statewide, and local organizations, and yes, acting, improvisation, and stand-up comedy.
Ornella Matta-Figueroa
Advocacy and Engagement Director, Land Access and Opportunity Board
Ornella Matta-Figueroa is a disruptor, visionary, investigator and speaker of dissonance, and scholar of resonance and connection. She serves on the Land Access and Opportunity board board as the director of advocacy and community engagement.
Her practices and approaches share a vision with EmpowR for co-creation opportunities and cross-collaboration. Ornella is a certified wellness coach and co-director of SafeArt, a Central Vermont based nonprofit of trauma-informed practitioners working closely with Vermont school systems.
Hilary Melton (she/her)
Executive Director of Pathways Vermont
Hilary has 20 plus years of experience in managing non-profit programs. She is the founding Executive Director of Pathways Vermont which is a statewide nonprofit organization committed to ending homelessness and providing innovative mental health services to Vermonters.
Christopher Miller (he/him)
Global Social Mission Director, Ben & Jerry’s
Christopher Miller is Global Social Mission Director at Ben & Jerry’s, which has a long history of running campaigns on issues as diverse as support for mandatory GMO labeling, marriage equality, money in politics, and climate change.
His partner-led approach to activism has led to working with some of the most important activists of our time, including Dr. Reverend William Barber, Bill McKibben, Desmond Meade, Heather McGhee, and Rashad Robinson.
Before joining Ben & Jerry’s, Chris led the sustainability work at Seventh Generation, the leader in natural non-toxic household and personal care products. In addition to his for-profit experience, Chris directed Greenpeace USA’s national climate change campaign and served on the staff of then-Congressman Bernie Sanders.
Noah Miller (he/him)
Co-Founder & Chief Advisory Officer, Rho Impact
Noah Miller has over a decade of ESG consulting experience, working with organizations across industries, missions, and geographies. From global companies like Bloomberg, Hyatt, and Beyond Meat, to tech start-ups like Rho AI and Lob, Noah brings a wealth of experience in ESG strategic planning, implementation, and reporting.
Noah is the Co-Founder & Chief Advisory Officer of Rho Impact, which combines ESG advisory with proprietary software and technology tools to address the key barriers to ESG performance.
Noah’s formal education includes an MBA in Sustainable Innovation and a BA in Community Development & Applied Economics and English from the University of Vermont. Noah also holds an MS in Mediation and Applied Conflict Studies from Champlain College and has received graduate certifications from The Centre for Inclusive Leadership in London and NGO Catalyst in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Jean Myung Hamilton (she/her)
Program Development Director, Land Access and Opportunity Board
Hamilton serves as director of program development on the Land Access and Opportunity Board, established by the Legislature to promote equitable access to housing, land and economic opportunities in Vermont.
She has more than 20 years of community development program management in Vermont. She also helped launch and manage community empowerment programs like Vermont Everyone Eats, Shiftmeals and the Knoll garden at Middlebury College.
Robert Miller (he/him)
President and Chief Operating Officer, New England Federal Credit Union (NEFCU)
NEFCU, a member-owned and not-for-profit financial institution, serves more than 160,000 members with assets exceeding $3 billion. Rob played a key role in NEFCU’s successful merger with VSECU on January 1, 2023, where he previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2014.
Rob graduated from the University of Vermont with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. His career in financial services began with Citibank in New York and Chicago. Returning to Vermont, he worked for the Vermont Department of Economic Development as a state employee and public servant and served as Commissioner for 3 years.
Rob actively serves on the Board of Directors for several organizations including Union Mutual Insurance Company, Energy Action Network, Vermont Council on Rural Development, and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility.
Ruchi Nadkarni (she/her)
Principal Consultant, Fringe Impact
Empowering marginalized communities all over the world, and helping organizations listen better, be better and do better to truly create equity, power, dignity and independence for the fringes – putting the last, first – this is Ruchi's work with Fringe Impact.
For over 10 years Ruchi has pursued opportunities with innovative solutions resulting in meaningful social impact. She is excited about organizational equity strategy which presents abundant opportunities to address systemic problems sustainably and creatively and has done so in the food, professional services and non-profit sectors.
She brings diverse skills in systems thinking, creating business cases, appreciative inquiry, shared value initiatives and multi-level stakeholder engagement.
Kate Ogden
Head of Advocacy and Movement Building, Seventh Generation
As Head of Advocacy and Movement Building at Seventh Generation, Ogden leads the company’s advocacy work in the US and globally through partnership with movement-leading NGOs. She leads Seventh Generation’s engagement in organizing spaces dedicated to the business community’s advocacy for climate justice, democracy, reproductive freedom, and other issues.
Prior to Seventh Generation, Ogden spent 12 years at the global environmental organization Greenpeace, most recently as Deputy Director of the Grassroots Department. She is passionate about climate and energy justice, but has also developed and implemented advocacy campaigns on toxics regulation, deforestation, protecting our oceans, and protecting the right to protest.
Ogden lives in Richmond, VT, with her husband, John, and two elementary school-aged children. She graduated from Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and South Asian Studies.
Libby Parent
President, Vermont's Original Bag Balm
Libby Parent is the President of Vermont’s Original Bag Balm, a 125-year-old, heritage Vermont brand. A ninth generation Vermonter raised in an entrepreneurial family, Libby is proud to be a part of Vermont’s small business community, and passionate about contributing to sustainable business growth in the Green Mountain State.
Libby started her career in Brand Marketing for Champion Athleticwear, managing national advertising campaign development. She then returned to Vermont where she spent over five years at Keurig Green Mountain (now Keurig Dr. Pepper). Libby held various roles in her tenure, including Global Innovation, Sales Strategy and Brand Management for two purpose driven coffee brands – Newman’s Own Organics and Hugh Jackman’s Laughing Man Coffee. Prior to Bag Balm, Libby was the Director of Marketing for Vermont Smoke & Cure.
Libby holds a BS in Marketing from Southern New Hampshire University and an MA in Global Marketing from Emerson College.
Gwen Pokalo Hart (she/her)
Director of the Vermont Women’s Business Center, Center for Women & Enterprise
Gwen is the Director of the Vermont Women’s Business Center at the Center for Women & Enterprise since 2018. She believes that there is an innate entrepreneurial spirit in everybody and that it is possible to build an economy that allows all people to flourish.
After years working in economic development and as a business owner, she is impassioned by alternative growth models. She has a pet passion for sustainable textiles and fashion, and currently working on designing a walking tour of women-owned businesses in Burlington.
Living in Winooski with her toddler son and husband, she is learning how to embrace this new identity.
Chad Simmons (he/him)
Policy & Engagement Specialist, Vermont Housing Finance Agency
Chad serves as the Policy & Engagement Specialist for the Vermont Housing Finance Agency where he carries out the housing policy and public engagement priorities of the Agency. Since joining VHFA in 2021, Chad leads the agency’s justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts and builds relationships with other housing and community partners.
Prior to VHFA, Chad spent 15 years as a community organizer and advocate in Windham County working on numerous, but inter-connected issues ranging from early childhood, environmental justice, and community health.
Chad lives in Montpelier with his partner Carrie and daughter Ember.
Lindsay Simpson (she/her)
Director of Well-being, The Richards Group
Lindsay is an all-around wellness champion - at the individual and system levels. She is responsible for the planning, implementation and evaluation of employee well-being strategies for clients and for internal staff. She works from a research-based, holistic perspective; respecting that every group and every individual has unique strengths and passions that interact with workplace, family, and community cultures.
Lindsay is a lifelong learner drawing on an M.P.H. from UNC Chapel Hill, coaching certificates from Institute of Coaching and Wellcaoches, plus a B.A. from Middlebury College. Lindsay also proudly serves as a board member for Girls on the Run Vermont.
Emiliano Void (he/him)
Founder and CEO, nuwave Equity Corporation
Emiliano Void is the founder and CEO of nuwave Equity Corporation, a DEI technology and consulting firm. He is responsible for the coordination, development, and implementation of systemic solutions that address systemic issues.
The approach that Emiliano and the nuwave team leverages has lead to transformational impact in communities, global organizations, as well as entire industries.
From the creation of mentorship programs for Black youth, to producing the flagship event for Black History Month for the state of Vermont, to founding a national non profit to tackle systemic racism, his efforts have been recognized through Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility's 2022 Young Changemaker Award as well as the Small Business Administration's Young Entrepreneur of the Year for 2024.
Weiwei Wang (she/her)
Co-Executive Director, Community and Policy / Co-Founder, VT PoC
Weiwei Wang is co-Executive Director of the Vermont Professionals of Color Network (VT PoC). Founded in 2019, VT PoC is dedicated to advancing the prosperity of all professionals of color throughout Vermont by "building from within".
In both her personal and professional life, Weiwei brings a passion for community connection and development, and redefining accessibility for historically excluded communities, through changing systems of oppression. Learn more about VT PoC at www.vtpoc.net or @vtpoc_network on social media platforms.
Auburn Watersong (she/her)
Owner/Founder, Watersong Consulting
As an Abenaki woman, a survivor of family violence, a lesbian, feminist, mother of two and an ordained Episcopal priest, Auburn brings a wealth of lived experience to her coaching. She also brings nearly 30 years, of professional experience in human services where she has worked along-side, and on-behalf-of, survivors of violence and abuse, the unhoused, the food-insecure, those living with the effects of economic injustice and racial disparities, and those who seek to end systemic oppression in its many forms.
Her expertise includes trauma prevention and intervention, diversity and inclusion for organizations, change management, reflective inquiry, effective communication, policy change and advocacy. As an advocate, consultant, and coach, she has worked with non-profits, state and federal government agencies, politicians and legislatures (state and national).
She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Women’s Studies and a Master’s in Divinity with a focus on Feminist Theology.
Claire Wheeler (she/her)
Director of Inclusive Entrepreneurship, Mercy Connections
Claire Wheeler is the Director of Inclusive Entrepreneurship for Mercy Connections, where she teaches classes and designs programs that create access to self-employment and business ownership for Vermonters who are traditionally locked out of the business world.
Before joining Mercy Connections, Claire ran a consulting RE:WORK LLC, for 7 years, working with clients to facilitate group process, develop business and strategic plans, and deliver custom business solutions. She earned her MBA from Marlboro College and serves on the Board of Directors for the Haymarket People's Fund. She finds power in prose & splendor in spreadsheets.
Claire Zhu (she/her)
CEO & Co-founder, Hootie Hoo
Claire brings 20 years of expertise in the garment and outdoor industry. With a background encompassing technical product design & development, merchandising, vendor management, and sourcing, she's well-versed in every aspect of the business.
In early 2021, she embarked on an entrepreneurial journey and founded Hootie Hoo with a vision to inspire children to embrace the great outdoors by offering high-quality, sustainably made technical apparel. Hootie Hoo's products are now available on their website www.hootiehoo.com as well as through leading outdoor retailers like REI and EVO.