Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility Welcomes New Board Members

Burlington, VT – Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility is pleased to welcome three new members to the organization’s Board of Directors: Kehvon Didehbani of Solidarity of Unbridled Labor, Beth Rusnock of National Life Group, and Suzanne McDowell of King Arthur Baking Company.

“We are honored to have Kehvon, Beth, and Suzanne join VBSR’s Board,” said VBSR Executive Director Roxanne Vought. They each bring a unique perspective to the work of building a just, thriving, and transformative economy, and add to the rich tapestry of industries, geographies, business types, and identities that make for a strong and effective Board of Directors.”

Kehvon Didehbani is the Managing Director of Solidarity of Unbridled Labour, a brand strategy and design studio based in Burlington, Vermont. The Studio is 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. 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.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the board of VBSR and to have the opportunity to help shape and support the many initiatives that serve businesses in our great state of Vermont” says Kehvon Didehbani. “I’m excited to be a part of a movement that promotes and champions diversity, equality, and inclusion, and I look forward to my work on the board very much.”

Suzanne McDowell is Vice President of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability for King Arthur Baking Company. For the past 20 years, Suzanne has helped drive King Arthur Baking’s mission to maintain exemplary company practices, values, and culture by creating and developing benchmarks and guidelines for all of King Arthur Baking’s human resource functions. Her highly regarded leadership of the company’s people practices led to her selection as one of King Arthur Baking’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 Baking 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 Baking’s corporate mission and leverages McDowell’s skills and experiences to develop and drive King Arthur Baking’s programs to benefit society and support a more sustainable world.

“I am honored to join the Board of VBSR. Vermont is one of the most progressive states in the nation, and I look forward to helping businesses promote their innovative initiatives.” says Suzanne McDowell. “At King Arthur Baking Company, we believe in using our business as a force for good. I’m confident, collectively, the VBSR community can do the same, advocating for effective social and environmental programs aimed at strong business stewardship of our communities.”

Beth Rusnock is the Head of Community Relations for National Life Group. In this role, she is 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.

”It’s an honor to have been selected to join the VBSR board. Never has the work of this organization been more relevant, providing thought leadership and action in key areas including justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion, universal childcare, and more” says Beth Rusnock.