Meet the Board

Jed Davis is Director of Sustainability for Cabot Creamery Co-operative, a long-time VBSR member. Born and raised on a six-generation family …

Jed Davis is Director of Sustainability for Cabot Creamery Co-operative, a long-time VBSR member. Born and raised on a six-generation family dairy and fruit farm, Jed came to Vermont and joined Cabot Creamery in 1991 and has held a variety of marketing, sales and operations positions.

In 2008, Jed was named Cabot’s first Director of Sustainability and his efforts now center on helping Cabot achieve its own understanding of “Sustainability”:  Living within our means and ensuring the means to live.  Cabot Creamery is owned by the dairy farm families of the Agri-Mark cooperative, and is proud to be a certified B Corporation and a recipient of the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Award.

Tina’s passion for marketing strategy, business planning, and community relations led to her success with local, regional, and global organi …

Tina’s passion for marketing strategy, business planning, and community relations led to her success with local, regional, and global organizations. The common thread throughout her career has been a triple-bottom-line mindset. She is a systems thinker and servant leader who has received recognition for community leadership with several Vermont non-profit organizations. Having worked for VBSR member organizations – including Merchants Bank, Northfield Savings Bank, Champlain College, United Way, and Vermont Gas – Tina whole-heartedly believes in VBSR members’ collective power for positive impact.

To enhance her ability to deliver successful outcomes, she earned a Master’s degree in Managing Innovation, a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, and holds professional certifications in Project Management Professional (PMP) from PMI, Digital Marketing Strategies from Northwestern University/Kellogg, Strategic Planning from SHSMD, and Strategic Social Responsibility from Boston College’s Center for Corporate Citizenship.

Tina moved from the Midwest to the Northeast after her first visit to the area, having fallen in love with the beautiful mountains and lakes, and now resides in Burlington, VT. When not tending to her clients, she is most likely renovating her house, nurturing her perennial gardens, or biking along the lake.

Kehvon is the Managing Director of Solidarity of Unbridled Labour in Burlington, Vermont. Solidarity is a brand strategy and design studio c …

Kehvon is the Managing Director of Solidarity of Unbridled Labour in Burlington, Vermont. Solidarity is a brand strategy and design studio comprised of a collaborative team of designers, strategists, organizers and cultivators of ideas with a passion for helping meaningful ideas grow in the world, by design. The Studio’s philosophy is that the most meaningful brand ideas are living things. Solidarity of intention and action, paired with uninhibited creativity, helps new ideas spring to life and flourish in the world.

Kehvon started his career in New York City where he spent 10 years working for large advertising firms with clients such as American Express, Capital One, The Oprah Winfrey Network, Microsoft, LL Bean, Virgin and Harper Collins. While in New York he volunteered for Junior Achievement New York and taught marketing skills to children in inner-city public schools.

Kehvon lives in Burlington with his partner and their two cats, George and Holstein. He is an avid gardener and lover of all things outdoors. He is passionate about cooking and loves to share his Persian culture through food by hosting dinners for friends.

A foodie by nature and an artisan cheesemaker by trade, Adeline Druart is President of Vermont Creamery, one of the leading American special …

A foodie by nature and an artisan cheesemaker by trade, Adeline Druart is President of Vermont Creamery, one of the leading American specialty cheese and dairy makers based in Websterville, Vermont. Born and raised in the French countryside, Adeline studied dairy science at the prestigious National Dairy School of France.

Looking to learn English, Adeline left French for the United States to join Vermont Creamery as a summer cheesemaking intern in 2002. What started as a two-month internship became a 15-year journey that inspired a passion for Vermont, its taste of place and the unique products made by Vermont Creamery’s dedicated employees. Over time, Adeline scaled Vermont Creamery’s operations and infrastructure, help grow the brand to national distribution with the addition of new products and led the efforts to achieve B Corp certification status in 2014.

She has served as judge in international cheese competitions, is a member of the American Cheese Society and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR). When she’s not at the mission-driven business, Adeline is at home with her husband Marc and two young sons, hosting friends for dinner, or on the hunt for fresh vegetables and pastry at the Montpelier Farmer’s Market. 

After an indirect career path (including work as a field biologist, a journalist and a  content marketer), Abbey founded Sugarsnap in 2003 i …

After an indirect career path (including work as a field biologist, a journalist and a  content marketer), Abbey founded Sugarsnap in 2003 in Burlington as a prepared foods store with a farm in the Intervale. She has spent the last 18 years growing and adapting Sugarsnap to become the largest off-premise caterer in Chittenden County. She has focused on partnerships with other businesses and non profits. This includes creating Cookies for Good with COTS and Cabot, which has  raised over $110,000 for homeless prevention programs over 11 years and being the exclusive catering partner at 4 venues, including ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain.

You can find her gardening, playing tennis and cross country skiing.  She lives in Burlington (where she is on the Parks Commission) with her spouse and two daughters ages 11 and 13.

David is the managing principal at TruexCullins (TXC) and a long-time VBSR member. TXC has four areas of focus: Workplace, Home, Resort, Edu …

David is the managing principal at TruexCullins (TXC) and a long-time VBSR member. TXC has four areas of focus: Workplace, Home, Resort, Education and Interiors. David co-leads the Education and Workplace Studios.

David’s passion is creating engaging 21st Century learning environments. He has designed created master plans and school facilities in over 35 countries.

To learn more about David or to read his education blog Digital Crayon, visit David Epstein’s BIO.

Anore Horton leads Hunger Free Vermont, a statewide advocacy, education, and technical assistance nonprofit dedicated to ending the injustic …

Anore Horton leads Hunger Free Vermont, a statewide advocacy, education, and technical assistance nonprofit dedicated to ending the injustice of hunger and malnutrition for all Vermonters. Before becoming the Executive Director, Anore spent 7 years managing Hunger Free Vermont’s nutrition initiatives. Anore spearheads the organization’s campaign for universal school meals, key collaborations with many Vermont and national organizations to protect and expand the right to food, and new partnerships with the Abenaki nation and other groups most impacted by hunger and its health consequences in Vermont.

Before joining Hunger Free Vermont in 2011, Anore worked in higher education for over fifteen years teaching the history of social movements and public policy in the U.S. and Latin America, and as a consultant to faculty and academic programs on course and curriculum design and assessment. She has also directed volunteer literacy and ESL programs for children and immigrants in California and New York.

Anore received her Masters in Teaching from the University of San Diego and her Masters in History from Princeton University.  She lives in Williston with her spouse Felicia Kornbluh.

Outright Vermont is on a mission to build celebratory, affirming realities for young people of all gender and sexualities. Formed in 1989 by …

Outright Vermont is on a mission to build celebratory, affirming realities for young people of all gender and sexualities. Formed in 1989 by a handful of community members who had the heart, grit, and gumption to see to it that LGBTQ+ youth could always find their people, the statewide non-profit remains true to that vision today.

Dana got to know Outright as a volunteer facilitator fresh out of college in the early 2000’s, and well over a decade later, joined the staff as Director of Education. In 2017 he took the helm, and it’s been non-stop hope, equity, and power ever since!

Dana received a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, and a Masters in Mediation & Applied Conflict Studies, and that lens of question-asker, relationship-builder, and justice-seeker informs his way in the world.

He is the co-author of Trans objects: materializing queer time in US transmasculine homes, and plays in the local indie pop band, The Smittens. When not working, Dana can be found people watching, searching for the next best chocolate chip cookie recipe, and hanging out with his spouse and their two kids in and around Burlington. Born and raised in Manhattan, he’ll forever be a city kid at heart.

Over his career, John Kim has worked at community-based nonprofits, large international NGOs, and spent 10 years at The Walt Disney Company …

Over his career, John Kim has worked at community-based nonprofits, large international NGOs, and spent 10 years at The Walt Disney Company and Herman Miller driving positive social and environmental change. He has consulted with VC-backed start-ups, foundations, nonprofits, and US government agencies to scale-up purpose-driven ventures. In his move into higher education he is now supporting the next generation of change makers that the world so desperately needs.

As a person-of-color working in the world of sustainability which is woefully lacking diversity, Kim brings lived-experience, perspective, and representation to the VBSR board. HIs new role working at the intersection of higher ed and sustainable business he continues the strong relationship between VBSR and the SI-MBA program.

Kim serves on Montpelier’s Complete Streets Committee, volunteer with Pedals for Progress (collecting bikes and sewing machines for delivery to countries/individuals in need), and  volunteers for refugee resettlement in his community.

Karen had a 20-year career in Vermont state government before taking on various roles at Lawson’s Finest Liquids full time. The majority of …

Karen had a 20-year career in Vermont state government before taking on various roles at Lawson’s Finest Liquids full time. The majority of her time working in government were with the Department of Corrections as their Housing Coordinator, which provided oversight to transitional housing programs statewide. Lawson also managed the Serious and Violent Reentry grant and the annual Facts and Figures data publication. She also worked at the Secretary of State’s office for three years to independently launch the Safe at Home program which provides address confidentiality to victims of violence.

Lawson worked part time for a number of years with Lawson’s Finest Liquids before joining full time in 2017. She was initially responsible for wholesale distribution logistics, a role that transformed into Chief Creative Officer in 2018 upon the launch of the Waitsfield brewery, taproom and retail store. Lawson currently oversees the company’s values-based Social Impact Program which works to support thriving communities.

Karen Lawson is a graduate of the University of Vermont, with a Master’s degree in Public Administration. Her undergraduate degree in Sociology and Psychology was obtained at Franklin Pierce University in NH. In her spare time, Karen enjoys doing Pilates, reading, relishing the Vermont summer and enjoying adventures with her two daughters and husband.

Sascha Mayer is the Co-Founder, Chief Brand Officer and a Chairperson of Mamava, Inc. in Burlington, Vermont. Mamava designs solutions for n …

Sascha Mayer is the Co-Founder, Chief Brand Officer and a Chairperson of Mamava, Inc. in Burlington, Vermont. Mamava designs solutions for nursing mamas on the go, and since 2015 has placed over 550 lactation suites in locations as diverse as airports, sports stadiums, automobile factories, and military bases.

Mission driven, women-owned, and a Certified B-Corp, Mamava created a category and is the leading expert in lactation spaces. Mamava’s smartlock enabled lactation suites and mobile app are designed with consideration of the biological, physical, and emotional needs of nursing mamas (and babies) on the go.

Sascha started with Solidarity of Unbridled Labour (Mamava’s birthplace) in 1995. She helped to develop the Living Brand®, Solidarity’s philosophy on brands and brand creation. As Strategy Director, Sascha participated in the creation of many brands, including HP, Levi’s, Lululemon, Merrell Apparel, Nike Women. Before joining Solidarity, Sascha worked for the office of Congressman (now Senator) Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), where she served as staff assistant and assistant press secretary. In 2018 Sascha and her Mamava co-founder, Christine Dodson, were the SBA’s Small Business Persons of the Year from Vermont.

Beyond her work life, Sascha was a founding board member of Mobius Mentors, and she sits on the marketing committee for the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and loves to spend time outside with her husband, two children, nine chickens, and her rescue dog Cletus.

  Noah Miller has over a decade of ESG consulting experience, working with organizations across industries, missions, and geographies.  …

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 and Chief Strategist of Rho Impact, which combines ESG advisory with proprietary software and technology tools to address the key barriers to ESG performance.

Noah is also the Founder and CEO of Calibrate Partners, a global network of boutique ESG consulting firms dedicated to helping organizations around the world adapt and thrive in the new normal of business.

Before launching Rho Impact and Calibrate Partners, Noah held multiple leadership roles in the ESG space – including serving as the Senior Director of Summit Strategy Group’s ESG Consulting Practice and serving as an interim ESG Director for several public and private companies.  Noah has also been influential in ESG capacity-building at the industry level, leading the curriculum development for several industry-specific ESG certification programs, including collaborations with the Corporate Finance Institute, the Green Building Initiative, and Regennabis. Internationally, Noah serves as an advisor and liaison to North America for Net Zero Israel, an initiative launched by the Israeli business community in 2021.

In addition to his experiences as a corporate consultant, Noah is a former social entrepreneur in Israel and nonprofit advisor. Leading coexistence community development efforts between Israelis and Palestinians, Noah has deep experience in multi-cultural stakeholder engagement, consensus building, and program implementation.

Beyond his experience in the boardroom, Noah was an Israeli National team lacrosse player and commander in the Israeli army. In honor of Israel’s 66^th Independence Day, Noah was recognized as one of “sixty-six heroes of Israel” for his contributions to Israeli society. Noah has been a speaker and project manager for Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, the United Nations, and various international cross-sector initiatives.

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.  Read more about Noah’s background here.

Robert Miller is President and Chief Executive Officer for VSECU, a member-owned cooperative and not-for-profit credit union in Vermont. VSE …

Robert Miller is President and Chief Executive Officer for VSECU, a member-owned cooperative and not-for-profit credit union in Vermont. VSECU serves over 70,000 members with nearly $1.1 billion in assets, 200 employees, and 9 branch locations statewide. VSECU is a purpose-driven financial organization that seeks to improve the social, economic, and environmental wellbeing of its members and their communities.

Rob graduated from the University of Vermont and started a career in financial services with Citibank in New York and Chicago. He relocated back to Vermont as a public servant working for the Vermont Department of Economic Development where he ultimately served as Commissioner. Prior to joining VSECU, Rob spent over a decade in executive roles in the institutional investment management industry with Dwight Asset Management and Conning.

He serves on the Board of Directors for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, Union Mutual Insurance Company, and several non-profit organizations focusing on community development and the environment. Rob and his wife Karyn live in Shelburne and have 2 college-age daughters.

Mara is a senior human resources strategist and executive business partner with a deep passion for helping organizations build best-in-class …

Mara is a senior human resources strategist and executive business partner with a deep passion for helping organizations build best-in-class workplace cultures. Mara currently serves as Executive Vice President, Head of People & Culture at Chroma Technology Corp., a high-tech manufacturer for the scientific, biomedical, and photonics imaging industries and also an essential business in the fight against Covid-19.

Chroma is 100% employee-owned, a Certified B Corporation, awarded the 2020 Deane C. Davis Outstanding Business of the Year, 2021 Vermont Business Growth Award, and recognized over several years as a Best Places to Work in Vermont and Best for Workers by B Labs. Mara also currently serves as the Vermont State Council Director–Elect for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Prior to these roles, Mara served as Chief Administrative Officer of PC Construction, Vice President of Human Resources & Communications for Simon Pearce, Principal Consultant at Mara Rae Consulting, and Director of HR with RSG Inc. Earlier in her career, she held HR leadership positions in the cosmetics and fragrance industries for 12 years in New York City.

For nearly 30 years, Mara has held positions in a breadth of company structures ranging from multi-billion dollar global and publicly-traded enterprises to not-for-profit organizations, ESOPs, and small private firms. She has helped establish people and culture best practices in a variety of industries including luxury consumer goods, professional consulting services, biotech, general contracting, manufacturing, arts, and entertainment. She holds an MS in Human Resources Management from Milano Graduate School of Policy, Management, and Environment at the New School University and a BA in Communications from Queens College, City University of New York. She is also a graduate of Leadership Upper Valley. Mara is a Senior Certified Professional (SCP) with SHRM, and is a member of several national and local SHRM chapters.

Her volunteer experience includes serving as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with SHRM VT State Council and as part of a Pay Equity Employer Cohort with Change the Story Vermont. Mara has also served on the Industry Advisory Board of Manhattan’s Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), and locally as an Employer Champion for the Working Bridges Program of Granite United Way, and as a member of the Corporate Workforce Development Committee of Vital Communities. Mara was recently named 2020 Vermont Human Resources Professional of the Year by the Vermont State Council of SHRM.

As Head of Advocacy and Movement Building at Seventh Generation, Ogden leads the company’s advocacy work in the US and globally through part …

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 sons, Eli and Leo.  She graduated from Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and South Asian Studies.

Duane has a varied background. A social entrepreneur, he’s on his 7th career with stints as a medic, police officer, non-profit manager, pol …

Duane has a varied background. A social entrepreneur, he’s on his 7th career with stints as a medic, police officer, non-profit manager, political campaigner, justice department official, legislative director and values-led business practitioner. The common thread: organizing people to take meaningful action towards positive change. He moved to Vermont in 1996 to help Ben use Ben & Jerry’s as a force for social change. After 12 years there as Ben’s Chief of Stuff, Duane left to launch his latest venture — SunCommon — to make it easy and affordable for homeowners to help repower Vermont with clean, safe, in-state energy. A Benefit Corporation and a Certified BCorp, SunCommon is Vermont’s largest provider of residential, community and commercial solar business with over 100 employees. Duane has been a part of the VBSR community since 1996 and his wife Laura served as VBSR’s Program Manager back in the day. He’s a member of the Social Venture Network and serves on the Board of Trustees at VPIRG. He was recognized by VBSR in 2015 with the Terry Ehrich Award for Lifetime Achievement in values-led business.

Beth Rusnock is the Head of Community Relations for National Life Group. In this role, she’s President of the National Life Group Foundation …

Beth Rusnock is the Head of Community Relations for National Life Group. In this role, she’s President of the National Life Group Foundation. She also secures and manages corporate sponsorships and helps drive employee engagement by building a culture based on the company’s values of do good, be good, make good. Beth co-founded Do Good Fest, a music festival that benefits the National Life Cancer Treatment Center’s patient fund, established ending childhood hunger as National Life’s corporate cause, and created and managed the Main Street Grant program to support struggling Vermont communities. She also leads many initiatives that bring recognition and support to local nonprofits from on-site puppy adoption days to hosting exhibits of hospice caregivers.

In addition to her VBSR board membership, Beth is also on the board of the Preservation Trust of Vermont and is the previous Vice-Chair of the Vermont Foodbank’s board. She serves on the Working Communities Challenge Steering Committee led by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston as well as Vermont Community Foundation’s Covid-19 Response Fund Steering Committee.

Frank Sadowski consults on projects that will help organizations, their employees, and their communities flourish within a healthy natural e …

Frank Sadowski consults on projects that will help organizations, their employees, and their communities flourish within a healthy natural environment. His areas of expertise include compensation, recruiting, business ethics, and organization development. Current work focuses on gender pay equity, building a stronger economy in Vermont, and teaching business ethics at Champlain College.

His previous work included developing one of the first HR consulting practices in the Burlington area, then creating and leading the Human Resources Consulting Division at Gallagher, Flynn & Company for 24 years. Earlier work included serving as Human Resource Manager for Boise Cascade’s paper mill in Sheldon Springs, as Assistant to the President of the University of Vermont, and as Chief of Economic Development Planning in the Vermont State Government. Frank received his undergraduate degree in psychology from Cornell University, attended Harvard Divinity School as a Rockefeller Fellow, and earned a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Michigan. Outside the firm, Frank helped create Burlington’s Ronald McDonald House and the Lake Champlain Waldorf School. In 2014 he graduated from Episcopal Divinity School with a Master of Divinity degree, focusing on business ethics and issues related to faith and spirituality in the workplace. He also serves as a lay pastor at Christ Church, Presbyterian in Burlington.

Frank Sadowski joined Gallagher, Flynn and Company (GFC) in 1997 to establish the Human Resources Consulting Division, now Gallagher Flynn Human Resource Services, LLC, one of the largest human resources consulting and executive recruiting practices in Vermont. Prior to GFC, Frank was the Principal of Sadowski Consulting Services in South Burlington for seven years.

Sas Stewart is an entrepreneur passionate about creating products, spaces, and events that engage and activate community. She co-founded Sto …

Sas Stewart is an entrepreneur passionate about creating products, spaces, and events that engage and activate community. She co-founded Stonecutter Spirits, an award-winning craft spirits distillery in Middlebury, Vermont, and later launched the activist cocktail bar Highball Social in Burlington, Vermont. Sas is also the creator of Adventure Dinners, the sought after pop-up cocktail dinner series in secret locations around Vermont, now in its fifth year.

In 2019 Sas was named one of the top 50 entrepreneurs to watch in the US, and currently consults in brand and business strategy with a specialization in food, beverage, and hospitality.

Sas and her projects have been featured in Martha Stewart Living, Food and Wine, Outside Magazine, Sift, Bloomberg, Imbibe, Better Homes and Gardens and other publications.

She is a graduate of the SBA Emerging Leaders program, and holds a B.A in English from the University of Michigan and a M.S. in Sustainable Planning and Development from Pratt Institute.

Mickey Wiles is the CEO and Founder of Working Fields, a mission-based staffing agency focused on second chance hires, predominately people …

Mickey Wiles is the CEO and Founder of Working Fields, a mission-based staffing agency focused on second chance hires, predominately people in recovery from substance use addictions.

Mickey leads a staff of Account Managers and Recovery Coaches that provides a supportive model of employment and recovery.  This innovative employment solution meets the needs of both those in early recovery as well as Vermont Employers seeking dedicated and reliable employees.