Meet the Board

David is an entrepreneur and engineer with three decades of experience in the renewable energy industry, seeking to help prepare humanity fo …

David is an entrepreneur and engineer with three decades of experience in the renewable energy industry, seeking to help prepare humanity for future energy constraints.

His first company, NRG Systems, became a global leader in wind measurement technology. Since 2004, he has been President/CEO of AllEarth Renewables, a company he founded to develop and manufacture grid-tied renewable energy systems, which now delivers solar trackers to a network of more than 80 dealer-installer partners across the U.S. Within the past five years, David has built two utility-scale solar farms as well as a 10 MW wind farm supplying power to Burlington, VT.

David is a member of VBSR’s Public Policy Committee. In addition to running AllEarth and serving on VBSR’s board, David volunteers his time as a board member for the Post Carbon Institute, Renewable Energy Vermont, and the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center; he also chairs the board of advisors for UVM’s Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, and is a member of the advisory board for the Union of Concerned Scientists. He lives in Charlotte in a home completely powered by renewable energy sources, with a community solar array in his backyard.

Rae Carter is a bridge builder, change maker, healing navigator, and web weaver. She is the founder of EmpowR, a healing and social justice …

Rae Carter is a bridge builder, change maker, healing navigator, and web weaver. She is the founder of EmpowR, a healing and social justice enterprise centered in co-creating personal and cultural transformation. EmpowR provides facilitation, healing navigation, culture change services, intuitive counsel, and workshops to create space for healthier lives and a more just, inclusive, and compassionate society. Rae is trained in healing modalities including meditation and embodiment practices, vocal and cultural somatics, council facilitation, and Reiki. She serves on the Vermonters Taking Action Against Cancer steering committee, Vermont Farm to Plate health cross-cutting team, Vermont Council on Rural Development’s Leadership Council, and is engaged with the Peace & Justice Center and Central Vermont Showing Up for Racial Justice.

Rae’s career background spans strategic planning, organizational communication and marketing, grassroots organizing, human behavior and trend examination, systems thinking, and root cause analysis. She served as the communications director at the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund where she was instrumental in food system, bioenergy, impact investing, and environmental technology economic development, including co-founding the Rooted in Vermont movement. She owned and operated Rachel Carter PR, a public relations, grassroots marketing, and social media agency, working with clients in most industry sectors across Vermont. Rae is a published author and former journalist, college instructor, marketing and public relations executive, Girl Scout, and Vermont Business Magazine Rising Star in its inaugural year.

She and her partner steward and regenerate land at the Forest Magic Healing Sanctuary in Plainfield, Vermont, where they hold space for healing retreats and events as well as cultivate organic and wild medicinal plant harvest and medicine making. She is also a singer and songwriter, creating downtempo music with the Hygge Den music collective.

Mark moved to Vermont in 1974 at the age of 20. In 1978 he opened a natural food store with Steve Birge called Black River Market. In 1978 t …

Mark moved to Vermont in 1974 at the age of 20. In 1978 he opened a natural food store with Steve Birge called Black River Market.

In 1978 the store morphed into a wholesale distribution company, Black River Produce, which currently has about 150 employees. After selling Black River Produce, Mark started a new business, Vermont Family Farms. He is married to Margie Straub and they have raised four sons. He has served on numerous local and state boards including “Vermont Fresh Network.”

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.

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. 

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.

Since being admitted as Partner in Davis & Hodgdon Associates CPAs in January 2005, Bret Hodgdon has had a key role in the firm’s growth …

Since being admitted as Partner in Davis & Hodgdon Associates CPAs in January 2005, Bret Hodgdon has had a key role in the firm’s growth into one of the area’s most innovative public accounting firms. His daily embrace of new technologies has resulted in efficiency improvements not only for the firm but also for many of the firm’s corporate clients. Bret is one of Vermont’s only accountants with the designations of Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), with expertise in fraud prevention, corporate investigations and forensic accounting.  Originally from Hardwick, VT, Bret is a graduate of Lyndon State College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Business Administration. Since 1998 he has worked with a variety of clients providing audit, tax and consulting services in a number of specialized areas such as non-profit organizations, the construction industry and wholesale/retail.

Sascha Mayer is the CEO and Co-Founder of Mamava, Inc. in Burlington, Vermont. Mamava designs solutions for nursing mamas on the go, and sin …

Sascha Mayer is the CEO and Co-Founder 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.

For the past 20 years, Suzanne has helped drive King Arthur Flour’s mission to maintain exemplary company practices, values, and culture by …

For the past 20 years, Suzanne has helped drive King Arthur Flour’s mission to maintain exemplary company practices, values, and culture by creating and developing benchmarks and guidelines for all of King Arthur Flour’s human resource functions. Her highly regarded leadership of the company’s people practices led to her selection as one of King Arthur Flour’s three co-CEO’s in 2014. After five years in the co-CEO role, she is thrilled to step away and begin her next important adventure for King Arthur Flour as the organization’s first VP of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, a role she assumed in December 2019. This newly created role is essential to fulfilling King Arthur Flour’s corporate mission and Suzanne has the perfect background to lead this important function, leveraging her skills to develop and drive King Arthur Flour’s programs to benefit society and support a more sustainable world.

With nearly three decades of experience in human resources management, Suzanne was integral in helping King Arthur Flour become a founding B (Beneficial) Corporation in 2004, a movement
redefining what it means to be successful in business. As a certified B Corp, King Arthur Flour adheres to higher standards of transparency, accountability, and performance to its stakeholders, community, and the environment. Since 2013, King Arthur Flour received recognition on B Lab’s Best for Workers list. And, King Arthur Flour has the distinction of being named a Best Places to Work in Vermont every year since 2006, since the award has been granted.

Prior to joining King Arthur Flour in 2000, Suzanne worked for 12 years at the world-renowned clothing company Patagonia Inc., serving in Director level positions in both human resources and retail management. Suzanne is a graduate of The University of Utah and is currently or has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Delta Dental Plan of Vermont, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, the National Center for Employee Ownership and Finding Our Stride.

In 2018, Suzanne completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training and looks forward to spending time guiding people on their journey inward by learning more about themselves.

Jacob Park is Associate Professor in the College of Business at Castleton University . He is an international sustainable business expert wh …

Jacob Park is Associate Professor in the College of Business at Castleton University . He is an international sustainable business expert who has worked on a wide range of projects in Africa, South Asia, and East Asia and served as a lead author of the United Nations Environment Program Global Environment Outlook Report. He lives in West Pawlet.

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.

Jenn has over 20 years of experience in developing customized programs championing environmental and social justice. She has deep skills in …

Jenn has over 20 years of experience in developing customized programs championing environmental and social justice. She has deep skills in communication, public policy, program management, outreach, and facilitating successful group processes. Currently Jenn is the Managing Director for the Community Engagement Lab where the transformative power of creativity, innate in all people, is harnessed to imagine and build more just and thriving communities. Previously she has held leadership positions with, among others, Green Mountain Transit and the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity. She also serves on the board of CarShare Vermont. Jenn is a graduate of the Snelling Center for Government’s VT Leadership Institute; Emerge VT alumnae; Senior Fellow of the Environmental Leadership Program; certified Building Analyst and Solar PV Installer; and a Climate Reality Leader/ Mentor trained by former Vice President Al Gore. She holds a Master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University and a dual Bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Education as well as (self-designed) Sustainability and Education from Northland College. Jenn lives in Grand Isle with her husband and rescued cat and loves spending time outside running, biking, kayaking, sailing, and skiing.