7 Vermont Rising Stars Named from Windham, Class of 2021 Recognized by Vermont Business Magazine
Southern Vermont– The winners of the Rising Stars recognition award were announced by Vermont Business Magazine this week. Forty winners under the age of 40 were selected by a panel of judges based on a commitment to business growth, professional excellence and community involvement. This year there were seven winners from Windham County: Juliette Carr of South Newfane, Samba Diallo of Brattleboro, Eric Durocher of Newfane, Conor Floyd of Bellows Falls, Maribeth Fonda of Brattleboro, Zach Rounds of Vernon, and Brittany Schmidt of Brattleboro. All 2021 Rising Stars from Windham County were also selected as the 2021 Emerging Leaders of Southern Vermont Award. The Emerging Leaders initiative was created in 2017 to increase regional visibility and support for young leaders, and to increase statewide recognition of southern Vermont’s young leaders. All Emerging Leaders who qualify for VBM Rising Stars are nominated. Emerging Leaders is a joint effort of Bennington’s Shires Young Professionals and Southern Vermont Young Professionals, a Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) program.
One of the Windham County winners, Samba Diallo of Brattleboro, who works for AIDS Project of Southern Vermont, says of winning both awards, “Being named one of the Emerging Leaders earlier was an honor, and now being recognized as one of the Rising Stars in Vermont is truly humbling. Although the past year and half has not been easy for many of us, it was encouraging to see people helping each other, helping neighbors, and just understanding that we all have a role to play in shaping a better community. I’m thankful that I’m able to be involved in the community through my work and also various volunteering opportunities. It feels strange to be recognized for something I enjoy doing but I’m also fortunate to be in the position that I’m in and I will continue to give my time whenever and wherever it is needed.” Windham County is incredibly lucky to have leaders like Diallo and others named as Emerging Leaders and Rising Stars.
Casey Haynes, the BDCC’s Talent Specialist and new Southern Vermont Young Professional’s Coordinator, says “Recognizing the amazing work of young professionals in our communities is critical to our long-term prosperity. Elevating our future leaders fosters an environment where creativity, innovation, and collaboration thrive, and we’re proud to have such a strong showing in our region!” Since the establishment of the Emerging Leader recognition, 105 young professionals have been recognized (visit https://www.sovermontzone.com/emerging-leaders for complete list) and the number of Rising Stars from southern Vermont has increased substantially, with an all-time high this year of 9 winners from Windham and Bennington counties.
Of the 40 honorees, there are 24 women and 16 men. There are 15 from Chittenden County, 7 from Windham County, 6 from Washington County, 4 from Rutland County, 3 from Addison County, 2 from Bennington County, 1 from Caledonia County, 1 from Orange County and 1 from Orleans County. The average age of the honorees is 33 years old. The oldest is 39 and the youngest is 24 years old.
About Southern Vermont Young Professionals
The Southern Vermont Young Professionals is a workforce initiative of Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) and the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC). Our mission is to attract, retain and support Young Professionals in Southern Vermont by providing engaging opportunities and networking through social and educational events, and volunteer opportunities. The YP initiative is increasingly important to Southern Vermont’s businesses and communities as a strategic approach to growing the size of the region’s workforce and increasing the number of younger households in the region. For more information please visit: https://brattleborodevelopment.com/sovtyps/
The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation is a private, nonprofit economic development organization that serves as a catalyst for industrial and commercial growth throughout Southeastern Vermont, including Windham County and the towns of Readsboro, Searsburg, Winhall and Weston. BDCC serves as the State of Vermont’s certified Regional Development Corporation (RDC) for the greater Windham County area. BDCC is one of 12 RDCs throughout Vermont. This BDCC activity was made possible in part by a grant from the State of Vermont through the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. For more information visit: https://brattleborodevelopment.com/
Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) is an affiliate of BDCC that grew from a 2008 grassroots effort, initiated by BDCC, to understand and create long term strategies needed to reverse the economic decline of the Windham Region and plan for the economic impacts from the closure of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. In 2014, after multiple years of regional input, education and data gathering, SeVEDS received federal approval for the Windham Region’s federally recognized S.M.A.R.T. Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). SeVEDS partnered with Bennington’s Regional Economic Development Group in 2018 to develop the 2019 Southern Vermont Zone CEDS. For more information visit: www.seveds.com
