We're always at our best together- when we join together to find solutions, to plan, and to celebrate what makes our region vibrant and unique. Thanks for joining us.
NEK Together will be Thursday, November 9th, at Burke Mountain Hotel & Conference Center, from 9 AM- 4 PM.
Our theme this year is Building Community and Capacity. We hope you'll gather with other NEK changemakers and leaders on the 9th for a day of learning, collaboration, and fun!
Registration costs $50, with costs-covered options available. Sponsorship provides our generous supporters with a wide range of promotional opportunities- check it out!
Day of The Event - Agenda
9:00 AM Conference Welcome: Jennifer Carlo, Executive Director, NEK Collaborative
The NEK Collaborative is a convening organization that seeks to improve the quality of life for all residents of the NEK through coordinated economic and community development. Our vision is a strong, vibrant Northeast Kingdom where we all thrive.
Audio Greeting from Senator Peter Welch
9:20 AM Keynote Speaker: Kevin Chu, Executive Director, Vermont Futures Project
The Vermont Futures Project is developing a statewide economic action plan informed by data and aiming to set bold and attainable goals for Vermont's future. The plan is built on two fundamental components that define communities: people and places. In order to strengthen Vermont's economy, scale up impact on sustainability, and make progress on social equity, the Vermont Futures Project is setting a goal to increase our population to 802,000 people and non-seasonal housing stock to 350,000 units by 2035. Learn how these goals were calculated and share ideas about actions that can be taken at the local and state level toward achieving them.
10:30 AM Breakout Sessions
A: Legislative Forum
Senator Robert Starr (D)
Orleans District
Chair, Senate Agriculture Committee
Representative Michael Marcotte (R)
Orleans/Lamoille District
Chair, House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development
Representative Scott Campbell (D)
Caledonia/Essex District
House Committee on Transportation
Representative Terri Lynn Williams
Essex/Caledonia District
House Committee on Education
Join some of our veteran legislators from the NEK Caucus for a conversation about priorities and challenges in Montpelier in the coming session. What are the issues important to NEKers, and what can we anticipate in the coming year?
B: Housing in the NEK and Beyond
Facilitator: Sarah Waring, USDA State Director, Rural Development, VT and NH
Panelists: Kevin Chu, Executive Director, Vermont Futures Project
Shaun Gilpin, Housing Division Director, VT Department of Housing and Community Development
Seth Leonard, Managing Director of Community Development, VT Housing Finance Agency
Dan Ridlehoover, Senior Manager of Project Development, M&S Development LLC
Gus Seelig, Executive Director, VT Housing and Conservation Board
Housing continues to be one of the biggest priorities shared with the Collaborative at convenings and community meetings. Our panel will bring together several experts in the field to discuss challenges and solutions.
C: Connections, Collaboration, & Community
Facilitators: Phyllis Ershowsky, Marketing and Communications Specialist, VTSBDC
Sara Munro, Project Coordinator, VTSBDC
Learn about Vermont’s Community Navigator Pilot Program (CNPP) from several members of the network of partners who have joined together to support the growth of small businesses in Vermont to ensure that every small business owner knows about and has access to the services and support available to help you succeed. Connect with one of us to connect with all of us.
D: Facilitation 101
Jenna Koloski and Jessica Savage, Vermont Council on Rural Development
Strong facilitation skills can be a key to successful meetings and community conversations. In this workshop, we will share key facilitation skills and strategies and give participants a chance to try them out. Walk away with strategies you can put to use in your next meeting or convening!
E: NEK Community Builders
Facilitator: Loralee Tester- Building Community in Lyndonville
Emilie Begin-Giddings- Building Community in St. Johnsbury
Steven Isham- Building Community in St. Johnsbury
Andrea Otto- Building Community in St. Johnsbury
Sharon Ellingwood-White- Building Community in Lemington
F: The Future of Public Transportation in the NEK
Caleb Grant, Executive Director, Rural Community Transportation
Cynthia Stuart, Stuart Consulting
Public transportation plays a vital role in fostering livable communities in the rural landscape of Vermont by offering essential transportation solutions accessible to individuals of diverse ages, income levels, and physical capabilities. We invite you to engage in a conversation regarding the existing public transportation services provided in the Northeast Kingdom and our collective aspirations for the future of public transportation in our region.
12:00 PM Lunch/Tabling
1:15 PM Breakout Sessions
A: New Business Development in the NEK
Facilitator: Jim Kisch, President, Passumpsic Bank
Panelists: Evan Carlson, Whiteout Solution
Janis Raye, Brick Math
Eric Remick, Hardwick Yellow Barn
Alejandra Taylor, Sewn By a Taylor
B: Neighboring in the Kingdom- The NEK Working Communities Challenge and Our Neighbor-to-Neighbor Networks
Facilitator: Kari White, NEK WCC Core Team Member and Director of Community Health Equity, Northern Counties Health Care
Panelists: Juliet Emas, NEK WCC Core Team Member and Director of the St Johnsbury Community Hub
Meghan Wayland, NEK WCC Core Team Member and Lead Organizing, Northeast Kingdom Organizing (NEKO)
Neighbor-to-neighbor networks are a crucial part of the fabric of life in the NEK. They connect community members and help build social capital, and provide a way for individuals to support and help each other during times of need. There are so many ways to neighbor! Learn more about the NEK WCC and its work building and sustaining community hubs; about mutual aid and doorknocking and phone trees; and about vibrant community events to bring people together. Members of the NEK WCC Core Team, Northeast Kingdom Organizing (NEKO), and others will discuss their work and help you get involved.
C: NEK Broadband: An Update and the Plan for the Next Year
Christa Shute, Executive Director, NEK Broadband
Join NEK Broadband to learn about the past year’s progress toward the goal of bringing high-quality broadband to all residents of the NEK, and hear more about the next steps planned for the year to come.
D: Leveraging Municipal Resources
Katie Buckley, Director, Federal Funding Program, Vermont League of Cities and Towns
Annie McLean, Community and Economic Recovery Specialist, Northeastern Vermont Development Association (NVDA)
Learn about opportunities to build municipal capacity by coordinating with other Federal, State, and Local funding sources and collaborating with community and state leaders.
E: Downtown Revitalization and Community Building Through the Arts
Facilitator: Jody Fried, Executive Director, Catamount Arts
Panelists: Andy Bouchard, Cross-Border Creative Marketing, Newport/Derby
Maire Folan, UVM Extension, Newport/Derby
Gillian Sewake, Executive Director, Discover St Johnsbury
Molly Stone, Artistic Director, Catamount Arts, and NEK Zone Agent, the Vermont Creative Network, St Johnsbury
Panelist TBD, The Civic Standard, Hardwick
Several communities around the NEK have revitalized their downtowns and built community through a thriving arts scene. Come learn how they did it and why the creative economy is a powerful driver of development in the NEK and beyond.
F: Moving Stories
Sha’an Mouliert, The Root Social Justice Center
Stories have been a method of documenting and experiencing the human condition throughout the ages. In this problem-solving workshop, participants will experience a sense of agency and accomplishment through storytelling. They will have the opportunity to creatively explore their strengths, identify their challenges and develop a strategy to overcome obstacles.
2:45 PM A Call to Action
Facilitator: Meghan Wayland, Lead Organizer, and the Members of Northeast Kingdom Organizing (NEKO)
What have we heard and learned and created today? Let's generate some ideas and some plans for action in the NEK- together. We'll process what we've heard today and create some plans and recommendations. Let's take action!
Day of The Event - Speakers
Andy Bouchard created Borderline Entertainment (BLE), a small music production outfit in Holland with the goal of bringing eclectic original music to the border communities. BLE got its home at The Barrage, after Andy converted his barn/garage into the DIY venue hosting monthly music shows during the warmer months. Over the past seven years through The Barrage and a handful of other small local spaces BLE has brought over 80 musical acts to the border communities of Holland and Derby hosting artists from across the world. Other than BLE Andy works as a Special Educator at North Country Union High School, and serves on the Select Board in Holland where he lives with his family of four going on five.
Representative Scott Campbell (D), of St. Johnsbury, has lived in Vermont for more than 30 years. His background is in construction, building design, and energy performance modeling. Scott’s focus as a public servant is on the most effective leverage points to rebuild rural community viability in his hometown and throughout Vermont, both economically and socially. Vibrant arts, recreation, education, housing, health care, child care, transportation, and technology infrastructure are all vital to the success of businesses and families. Scott has served in the Vermont House of Representatives since 2019.
Jennifer Carlo has served as the executive director of the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative since 2021. Prior to that, she worked in higher education for more than 25 years, most recently as a vice president for student affairs and dean of students. Jen spent a few years as the dean of students at Goddard in the late 1990s and made the mistake of moving away from Vermont, only to spend many years trying to get back! (She’s here for good now.) To come back to Vermont, she ran off with the circus in 2017 and was the executive director at Circus Smirkus for three years. Jen also serves as an adjunct professor at Carlow University. She’s mildly obsessed with the fiber arts, and as a side gig she owns a yarn store in Waterbury and serves as the president of the Green Mountain Knitting Guild. She has an AB in sociology from Princeton, an MA in education from Goddard and an MBA from Carlow, and a PhD in leadership and change from Antioch University.
Kevin Chu grew up in Vermont and is looking forward to growing old here too. He is the son of immigrants and spent most of his early years living and learning in Burlington. Kevin is a graduate of Middlebury College, where he studied the environment and education while also competing in track and field. Prior to joining the Vermont Futures Project, Kevin worked at the University of Vermont, where he led efforts in recruiting for diversity, academic advising, communications, community engagement and economic development, and strategic planning. He is now the executive director of the Vermont Futures Project, a nonpartisan organization that is working to answer the mission question: "How can we use data to support the evolution of Vermont's economy towards a thriving future with opportunity for all?"
Juliet Emas is currently the Director of the St. Johnsbury Community Hub Project. She grew up in both Caledonia County, Vermont and Philadelphia, PA. She is thrilled to be able to give back to the NEK in her current role. With a master’s in Conflict Resolution and an undergraduate degree in Sociology and communication Studies, Juliet has lived experience as well as academic experience. Her academic studies and research involved studying global and community conflict as well as looking at social support systems, services and representation. She has worked in a variety of environments including two urban public school Systems, healthcare facilities, immigration/refugee resettlement service, victim services and more. In addition, Juliet has lived and worked overseas and has traveled to more than 48 different countries. Juliet’s work, wherever it is, seeks to explore, strengthen and support community stability. She hopes to contribute to the world's future. Community starts here, with each of us, working to shape it together.
Maire Folan is the director of UVM Extension's Community Nutrition Education program, based out of the Newport Extension office. She is on the board of Catamount Arts, Green Mountain Farm to School, and the NEK Young Professionals Network. She is committed to helping her community thrive and loves getting outside in all the seasons. She lives in Holland with her husband Andy, his two kids, and a little one on the way.
Jody Fried is both the Executive Director of Catamount Film & Arts in St. Johnsbury and Director of the Vermont Leadership Institute (VLI) and the Snelling Center for Government. His work as a volunteer in the Northeast Kingdom is extensive, including serving as a Corporator at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital, Passumpsic Savings Bank and Lyndon Institute, current member (and past President) of the Board of Directors of the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative, and as the past President of both the Burke Area Chamber of Commerce and the Northeast Kingdom Travel and Tourism Association. He has also served in various statewide leadership roles including as the current Chair of the Vermont Creative Network and as a Governor-appointed member of the Vermont Travel and Recreation Council, as well as having previously served as a founding member of the Vermont Tax Advisory Board. Jody is a graduate of the VLI Class of 2012 and a University of Vermont alum.
Shaun Gilpin
Jim Kisch joined Passumpsic Savings Bank on October 11, 2016 as Chief Executive and President. Prior to joining the Bank, he was Chief Strategy/Information Officer and Co-Founder for Continuity, a leading provider of Regulatory Technology (RegTech) solutions that automate compliance management for financial institutions of all sizes nationwide. Continuity has been a serial winner of the Marcum Tech Top 40 and Inc. 5000 growth awards, and won the 2015 fastest growing tech company in Connecticut. Jim started his career in banking 30 years ago. He held a variety of executive positions in the banking industry for over fourteen years before joining the Minnesota Bankers Association as the president of the association’s Insurance and Service Division and Consulting Group; the association’s wholly owned bank compliance and IT consultancy. Jim serves on the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum Board as Treasurer, as the Vermont Bankers Association’s Second Vice Chairperson, Chairman of the Board of Northeast Home Loan, Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital Corporator and Plymouth State University College of Business Advisory Board.
Jenna Koloski has been the Director of Community Engagement and Policy at the Vermont Council on Rural Development since 2015. In that role, she coordinates statewide policy discussions on issues that impact rural communities and facilitates community-level prioritization for the future of Vermont towns. Prior to the work at VCRD, she worked in several Vermont organizations focused on outdoor recreation, community development, and food security. Jenna studied Conservation and Biodiversity at McGill University and holds a master’s degree in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School. Jenna serves as the President of the Vermont Community Development Association. She lives with her family in Huntington Vermont.
Seth Leonard serves as the Managing Director of Community Development for the Vermont Housing Finance Agency. In his role Seth directs the Agency’s multi-family rental housing lending, tax credit allocation activities, asset management, compliance, research and community relations. Prior to joining the Agency in 2019, Seth served at the Vermont and New Hampshire USDA Office of Rural Development, where he served as Housing Program Director. Previous experience includes work in VHFA’s Single Family Housing department and Opportunities Credit Union. Seth also served as the mayor of the city of Winooski from 2015 through the beginning of 2019, which was preceded by two years as a city councilor. Seth is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He completed the National Development Council’s Rental Housing Certification Program, and the University of Notre Dame’s Leadership in a Complex Era through the Mendoza Executive Leadership Program. In 2020 Seth was recognized by Vermont Business Magazine as a Rising Star, in acknowledgment of professional and community volunteer contributions for Vermonters under the age of 40. Seth completed the Center for Community Investment’s Fulcrum Fellowship in 2023.
Representative Michael Marcotte (R), Coventry, Orleans County, was born in Newport, Vermont, and has been a resident of Coventry since 1978. He is a businessman/store owner. He was educated at Sacred Heart Graded and High Schools, Newport, Vermont. Memberships and affiliations: Joined the Economic Development Council of Northern Vermont Board of Directors in the spring of 2006; Chairman, Coventry Selectboard; Past DDGER National Elks; Past Exalted Ruler, Newport Elks; Past Chairman, St. Mary of the Sea Parish Council; Member, Gibbons Council Knights of Columbus 3rd Degree; Past Director, Coventry Town Foundation. Completed Council of State Gov. Eastern Leadership Program ELA Fellows; elected to Board of Directors of the Orleans/Essex VNA & Hospice in 2007; Elected President of the Board 2010. He has served in the Vermont House of Representatives since 2005.
Annie McLean is the Community and Economic Recovery Specialist at the Northeastern Vermont Development Association (NVDA). Annie leads NVDA’s Municipal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Assistance and Coordination Program and is responsible for assisting Northeast Kingdom businesses and local governments access COVID-19 recovery resources and other economic development funding. Annie holds a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from California Polytechnic University and has over 10 years of community development experience. She previously served as Planning Director for the Town of Lyndon from 2016 through 2020 and has held various municipal planning positions throughout Vermont in addition to getting her professional start working as a disaster recovery consultant both with FEMA and in the private sector. Annie currently serves on the board of the Vermont Community Development Association (VCDA) and the board of Four Seasons of Early Learning, a non-profit early education organization offering nature-based preschool, infant and toddler care in Greensboro Bend.
Sha’an Mouliert, M.Ed. Originally from New York City, moved to the Northeast Kingdom with her family in 1983. For over 35 years she’s been a consultant, community organizer, educator and artist. In 2015, she received Lyndon State College’s Presidential Medal of Distinction and in 2021, the Rutland NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award. Currently, Sha’an is the coordinator of the I Am Vermont Too,a project of The Root Social Justice Center, as well as, producer and host for I Am Vermont Too TV show. Recently, Sha’an has facilitated Racial Literacy a Healing Practice trainings with several Vermont communities and organizations. She lives in St. Johnsbury.
A software and computing consultant from the private sector, Eric Remick currently serves as the Chair of the Hardwick Selectboard and is a key member of the Hardwick Yellow Barn core project team. He has participated in weekly progress meetings since the core team’s formation in 2018 and has served as an anchor tenant liaison by attending regular design meetings with the project team’s architect and engineers, as well as design consultants for anchor tenants. Familiar with local, state and federal funding sources, he also regularly interfaces with project grant funders and lenders. He is also active on the Hardwick Trails Committee. He lives in Hardwick, where he has been a sugar maker since 2004.
A desire to tackle complex housing projects and improve rural economies led Dan Ridlehoover to join the M&S Development Team. Dan enjoys advocating for projects and clients and is a building operations junkie. He excels at pulling together the many pieces of a development to drive projects to completion. He holds a BA from University of California, Santa Cruz, and seven years’ experience in corporate retail project management; sourcing, developing, and operating retail stores on a national level. Other experience includes retail operations manager for Newell Brands’ technical apparel division, and the facilities manager for the Brattleboro Co-op. Dan is also a volunteer for the Dummerston Fire Department.
Jessica Savage joined the Vermont Council on Rural Development staff in 2021 after 15 years in the public sector mainly in the natural resources and recreation management fields. She previously worked for the Vermont Dept. of Forests Parks and Recreation where she led the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) and administered multiple state and federal grant programs. Her current work focuses on community-driven economic development initiatives including the Vermont Working Communities Challenge and Climate Economy programs. She has a Masters in Public Administration with a focus on water quality policy from UVM, is an avid outdoorsperson and a mom to two young children.
Christa Shute is the Executive Director of NEK Broadband. Prior to that, she served as a Staff Attorney for the NH Office of the Consumer Advocate. In that role, Christa worked electric, gas and water cases in front of the NH Public Utility Commission on behalf of residential ratepayers. Christa has two decades of experience in leadership in non-profit, and corporate entities. Her curiosity drives her to understand the complexity and nuance of situations so she can envision how to break through barriers and find win/win solutions. In addition to running her own design and manufacturing businesses, Christa has been the Vice President of Business Development for All Earth Renewables, the Director of Business Development and Financing for the Vermont Telecom Authority, and the Director of Targeted Implementation for Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (Efficiency Vermont). Christa Shute earned her JD, magna cum laude, in 2013 with certificates in Energy Law, Climate Law, and Dispute Resolution.
Senator Robert Starr (D) of Troy, Orleans County, was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on December 17, 1942, has lived in Troy since June 3, 1944. He is the president of Starr's United, Inc., d/b/a Starr's Transportation. He was educated in elementary schools in North Troy, Vermont; North Troy High School; and Vermont Technical College, Randolph, Vermont (associate degree in agriculture). Member of: Troy school board; O.E.N.S.U. school board; Troy zoning board and planning commission; Board of Civil Authority; Troy town moderator; North Country High School, moderator; Vermont State College trustee; Vermont Truck and Bus Association, director; Elks Club #2155, Newport; National Conference of State Legislatures. He has served in the Vermont Senate since 2005.
Sarah Waring is a native of Glover, Vermont, and is the USDA Rural Development State Director for Vermont and New Hampshire, appointed by President Biden in January 2022. Sarah most recently worked as Vice President for Grants and Community Investments at the Vermont Community Foundation. Previously, she worked at the Vermont Council on Rural Development, Farm and Wilderness Foundation, and the Sonoran Institute. Waring also worked as the Executive Director at the Center for an Agricultural Economy. In 2020, she served on the Governor's Task Force for Economic Mitigation and Recovery where she supported the development of a toolkit for Municipal Engagement for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Waring resides in central Vermont.
Meghan Wayland (they/them) is the Lead Organizer and Staff Director at Northeast Kingdom Organizing (NEKO). Since 2007, Meghan has worked in food and agriculture, movement building, and art, and they arrived at organizing after stints as a journalist, farmer, cook, and carpenter. They're a founding member of the Center for Grassroots Organizing and are passionate about storytelling, Land Back, and bass fishing.
Representative Terri Williams (R), was born in Concord, VT, and has lived in North Concord and Granby for most of her life. She graduated from Concord High School, with two years at the St Johnsbury Academy Vocational Program and one year at New Hampshire College studying bookkeeping and business. For ten-plus years Terri owned and operated Barnie’s Market in Concord. She has served on the boards of directors for the Lyndon Institute, Fairbanks Federal Credit Union, and Northern Counties Home Health. In her earlier years, Terri was a coach, athletic director, and 4-H leader. She has served in the Vermont House of Representatives since 2021.
