Pathways to Stay: Creating Meaningful Early-Career Opportunities in Vermont
Vermont’s future workforce is already here, and many young people want to build their lives and careers in the state. The question is how employers and educators can create visible pathways that make staying in Vermont a viable and exciting choice.
Hosted by Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) and the University of Vermont’s Sustainable Innovation MBA Program, this panel discussion will explore how high-quality, paid early-career and work-based learning experiences, such as internships, apprenticeships, and first jobs, can support program completion, career clarity, and long-term connection to Vermont.
Meet the panel:
- Alex Halpern, President, Freeman French Freeman Architects
- Stephanie Meunier, Cooperative Education Director, UVM Grossman School of Business
- Jason Reed (he/him), Director, Burlington Technical Center
- Drake Turner (she/her), Deputy Director, Office of Workforce Strategy and Development
- Meghan VanStry (she/her), People & Culture Generalist, Lund
- Carolyn Weir, Executive Director, J. Warren & Lois McClure Foundation
This discussion will include practical insights on:
- What quality first work experiences look like in practice
- How employers can participate in and scale work-based learning
- Supporting multiple pathways, including non–four-year degree careers
- Why messaging, mentorship, and culture matter as much as compensation
This conversation is designed for employers and students interested in strengthening Vermont’s workforce through investments in early-career opportunities.
Come for the discussion and stay for the delicious drinks, networking, and shared learning!
All Vermont business leaders and students are welcome. This is a great opportunity to meet and network with UVM SI-MBA students and alumni! We will have plenty of time for networking and connecting with one another before and after the panel in the beautiful atrium of Kalkin Hall.
Food & Drinks
There will be complimentary drinks including hot tea and coffee, in addition to delicious appetizers and desserts, including gluten free and vegan options! Courtesy of the University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business.
Thank you to our host!
The Sustainable Innovation MBA (SI-MBA) at the University of Vermont Grossman School of Business is the leading program for emerging change-makers who believe business can, and must, become a force for good. Our accelerated, one-year program integrates sustainable business practices across disciplines, focusing on the essential toolkit needed to manage — and transform — business.
SI-MBA graduates jump back into the world making an impact in half the time and with half the cost of a traditional MBA. They become change agents in fields as diverse as impact investing, sustainable development, mission-driven marketing, supply chain management, nonprofit management, and other socially responsible business functions.
During the full-time, on-campus program, SI-MBA students gain unique access to Vermont’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Students learn from sustainable business leaders working to transform business into a force for good. We continually revise our curriculum and extracurricular activities with input from leading sustainability thought leaders. The SI-MBA experience is capped off with a practicum project, where students work on consulting engagements within sustainable businesses across Vermont, the US, and beyond.
Our program is currently recognized as the #1 Better World MBA in the United States and #2 globally, by Corporate Knights. Additionally, our program has been and continues to be the U.S.’s highest ranked green MBA program accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the most prestigious accrediting body for business programs. Only 5% of programs worldwide earn this honor. AACSB accreditation means that our curriculum, faculty, and program governance regularly pass an in-depth review by academic business experts.
Businesses of the future need to work for people and the planet. For that to happen, we need to evolve how business is taught. That’s what we’re here to do. Change is our business.
Thank you to our panelists!
Alex Halpern, President, Freeman French Freeman Architects
Over the past twenty-five years Alex has led many of the firm’s largest projects, such as UVM’s new STEM Complex and the Dion Family Student Center at Saint Michael’s College. But Alex enjoys the challenges that come with the firm’s smaller projects, too—like Trader Joe’s or UVM Rescue—that require the same level of attention and care. A Burlington native, Alex is our office Francophile and enjoys frequent trips to Quebec and France with his family.
Stephanie Meunier, Cooperative Education Director, UVM Grossman School of Business
Stephanie joined the Grossman School of Business (GSB) in September 2024 after holding various leadership roles with notable organizations such as PwC (Boston), TD Bank, Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, IBM, Cox Automotive, Champlain College, and Generac.
Her experience gives her a deep understanding of organizational talent management dynamics and the ability to build strategic partnerships. Her prior clients and peers note her drive to get things done with a blend of strategic vision, operational expertise, and interpersonal skills to adapt quickly in varied organizational settings. She is passionate about student success and long-term career outcomes.
She focuses on developing and implementing strategies to ensure GSB students have broad exposure to potential Co-op opportunities within and outside Vermont.
Stephanie is an alum of the UVM School of Business and lives with her husband in the Burlington area. She has two grown sons: a GSB ‘21 alum and a ‘24 graduate from the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business. Stephanie enjoys exploring the outdoors in her free time and is a runner and fitness enthusiast.
Jason Reed (he/him), Director, Burlington Technical Center
Jason Reed is the Director of the Burlington Technical Center (BTC) for the Burlington School District. A longtime BSD educator, he has worked in the district since 2005, working primarily in alternative high school education where he served as a humanities teacher, academic advisor, and lead teacher. Throughout his tenure, Jason has been deeply committed to student-centered, relationship-driven education, helping students prepare for career and college pathways.
As Director of BTC, Jason focuses on expanding access to high-quality, career-connected learning experiences that provide students with connections and skills to prepare them for post-secondary opportunities. He is actively involved in shaping the future of career and technical education in the region, including contributing to the design and visioning of the BHS/BTC 2025 and Aviation and Career and Technical Education Center projects to support deep learning.
Prior to his work with BSD, Jason held teaching and leadership roles in career and technical education at the New England Culinary Institute. He also oversaw the academic department at the Northlands Job Corps Center, where students complete their high school diplomas or GEDs while co-enrolled in various vocational training pathways.
Drake Turner (she/her), Deputy Director, Office of Workforce Strategy and Development
Drake Turner is deputy director of the Office of Workforce Strategy and Development, a new state office charged with advising the Governor and developing comprehensive strategies to strengthen Vermont's current and future workforce. She has experience in government relations and external affairs in the public and nonprofit sectors, including as director of external and governmental affairs at the Vermont State Colleges System and government relations director at Let's Grow Kids. She holds a masters degree in public administration from the University of Vermont.
Meghan VanStry (she/her), People & Culture Generalist, Lund
Meghan is a people-centered human resources professional dedicated to building values-driven culture at organizations that care about people, community, and the planet. In her current role at Lund, she supports the full employee life cycle as a People & Culture Generalist. She received her MBA from the University of Vermont’s top-ranked Sustainable Innovation MBA program and her BS from Saint Michael’s College. She has wide experience working with for profits, non-profits, and benefit corporations in Vermont including National Life Group, YWCA Vermont, and Working Fields.
In her spare time, you can often find Meghan practicing acro yoga or at a local coffee shop with a book.
Carolyn Weir, Executive Director, J. Warren & Lois McClure Foundation
Carolyn is in her fifteenth year of service to the McClure Foundation. She became executive director six years ago after supporting the Foundation’s philanthropy since 2011 through her roles at the Vermont Community Foundation. She leads McClure’s work to advance philanthropic best practices and alignment that strengthen Vermont’s education and workforce systems and outcomes. Before joining the Foundations, she worked for community development and antipoverty organizations in Vermont and upstate New York. Weir holds a Nonprofit Management Certificate from Marlboro College and a B.A. from Middlebury College. She lives in Weybridge with her husband and son.
Thank you to our sponsor!
The Curtis Fund partners with Vermont employers and community organizations to strengthen the state’s workforce by investing in education and training that leads directly to good jobs. Through need-based scholarships, we help Vermonters earn degrees and industry-recognized credentials in high-demand fields like healthcare, the trades, early childhood education, and other critical sectors. Our Credentials of Value (COV) scholarship program removes financial barriers to short-term, job-aligned training, helping businesses build a more reliable, skilled, and diverse talent pipeline. By connecting education to real workforce needs, The Curtis Fund helps Vermont businesses grow while creating economic opportunity for the people and communities they depend on.
Parking
Free parking is available on site in the parking lot highlighted in orange on the map below, the Faculty/Staff lot behind Votey Hall (includes spots for accessible parking).
From highway:
Take Exit 14W off 1-89 on us Rte 2W /Main Street Williston Road. Travel 0.6 miles and take right onto University Place. When the road ends, take a right onto Colchester Avenue and take the first right into the Votey Parking Lot (indicated with yellow star).
From downtown Burlington:
Travel uphill on US Route 2E/Main street, turn left onto South Williams
Street. Take a right onto Pearl street/Colchester Ave. After passing
University Place, take the first night into the Votey Parking Lot (indicated with yellow star).
Questions? Contact mollyr@vbsr.org.