Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility Welcomes Seven New Board Members

Burlington, VT –  Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility is pleased to welcome seven new members to the organization’s Board of Directors: Tina de la Torre of Tina S. de la Torre, LLC, Abbey Duke of Sugarsnap, Anore Horton of Hunger Free Vermont, Dana Kaplan of Outright Vermont, Noah Miller of Calibrate Partners & Rho Impact, Rob Miller of VSECU and Mara Neufeld Rivera of Chroma Technology.

“We are thrilled to have these Vermont leaders joining our Board and look forward to weaving their perspectives into the Board’s important work,” said VBSR Executive Director Roxanne Vought. “They each bring a unique approach to VBSR’s vision 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.”

Tina de la Torre is the Marketing & Business Planning Consultant for Tina S. de la Torre, LLC. 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.

Abbey Duke is the CEO & Founder of Sugarsnap. 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.

Anore Horton is the Executive Director for Hunger Free Vermont. 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.

Dana Kaplan is the Executive Director for Outright Vermont. Outright Vermont is on a mission to build celebratory, affirming realities for young people of all gender and sexualities. 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.

Noah Miller is the Co-Founder & Partner of Calibrate Partners and Co-Founder & Chief Strategist of 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. 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.

Rob Miller is the CEO for VSECU. 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.

Mara Neufeld Rivera is the Executive Vice President, Head of People & Culture for Chroma Technology. Mara is a senior human resources strategist and executive business partner with a deep passion for helping organizations build best-in-class workplace cultures. 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.  Mara was recently named 2020 Vermont Human Resources Professional of the Year by the Vermont State Council of SHRM.