Photo: Luis Lascari (front row, far left), relocation and retention specialist in Bennington, is one of several 2025 Emerging Leaders whose work focuses on economic vitality and creating a culture of welcome. 

In downtown Wilmington, economic development often looks like people gathered in the same room—neighbors, business owners, volunteers—talking seriously about what could come next for the community. That momentum rooted in participation is what Samantha “Sam” Kondracki, Executive Director of Wilmington Works, has helped cultivate.

Alongside Luis Lascari (who lives in Wilmington and works in Bennington) and Justine Curry of Bennington, Kondracki represents a cohort whose work is bound by a shared belief that economic vitality begins with welcome.

These three leaders are just a handful of 27 young adults honored as 2025 Southern Vermont Emerging Leaders by Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation’s Southern Vermont Young Professionals and the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce’s Shires Young Professionals. Nominations for 2026 are now being accepted at sovermontzone.com/emerging-leaders.

The Shared Work of Making Room

These leaders focus on matching people to opportunity, helping newcomers feel at home, and ensuring that growth strengthens community life.

Across community events, professional networks, relocation support, and housing access, the emphasis is consistent: help people find their footing. In a region where small businesses anchor downtowns and personal connections open doors, economic development succeeds when people feel invited to participate.

Building Momentum in Wilmington

In her role at Wilmington Works, Kondracki seeks to translate possibilities into action. Her nominator credits her with “sparking renewed optimism,” motivating board and committee members to be strategic and persistent. One such strategy is a business plan competition designed to spur economic activity downtown. This nominator notes, “While the winners get funding for their businesses, the collaboration and motivation that it spurs in the community has a far greater impact.”

Kondracki has also reestablished Wilmington’s façade improvement program, unlocking $150,000 in grants for downtown buildings. 

She sees economic development as inseparable from belonging. Drawing on her background in education, Kondracki emphasizes creating environments that feel supportive and navigable, especially for families and small business owners.

“I am deeply passionate about inspiring and supporting individuals in their pursuit of entrepreneurial dreams, especially in Vermont where the challenges of starting and sustaining a business are significant,” Kondracki reflects. “Despite these hurdles, the presence of small businesses in our communities is invaluable, enriching our local economies and adding immeasurable worth.”

Helping Newcomers Stay

Luis Lascari lives in Wilmington and works as the GROW Specialist for Relocation & Retention at the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce in Bennington. His role is explicitly about welcome—helping people new to the region find community quickly.

His nominator writes that his work “not only brings people to Vermont but also makes them want to stay.” Lascari also serves as the staff contact for the Shires Young Professionals board. Through rebranding, newsletters, social events, he has brought more newcomers into community networks. And by implementing a new CRM system for SYP, Lascari has made it easier to understand who is participating—and who might be missing.

Lascari traces his leadership style to his upbringing. “I was raised in a biracial, bilingual, bi-national household, so I’m naturally disposed towards juggling worldviews,” he says. That sensibility, he adds, guides his work: “giving space to others, listening openly, and looking out for everyone, regardless where they are in life.”

“My work is part of a collective vision for a thriving economic region,” Lascari reflects, “and I’m happy I get to do it with great people.”

Housing as the Front Door to Opportunity

For Justine Curry of Bennington, economic development begins with housing—often at moments of real vulnerability. Multiple nominators emphasize her ability to guide people not just through transactions, but through transitions.

“Buying a home may be one of the most stressful experiences someone can go through, and Justine always knows what to say to put people’s minds at ease without over-promising,” writes one nominator.

Curry’s leadership leap came when she agreed to serve as president of the South Central Vermont Board of Realtors, a role she initially hesitated to take on. “I don’t think I ever saw myself in a higher leadership position,” she says. That step allowed her to organize trainings, lead Habitat for Humanity fundraisers, and strengthen collaboration across the real estate community.

Her impact extends beyond housing. As another nominator notes, Curry supports healthcare recruitment by helping out-of-state workers find homes, donates meals to nonprofit crews, and shows up consistently for community life.

“At the end of the day, we are all human beings that want the best for our state,” Curry reflects. “Together we can build a thriving and equitable community for all.”

An Economy Shaped by Welcome

Across Windham and Bennington counties, these leaders demonstrate how economic development takes shape at the human level. Whether guiding a new business, welcoming a new resident, strengthening organizational systems, or helping someone secure housing, their work makes Southern Vermont more navigable and more resilient.

By focusing on people—and the conditions that allow them to stay, participate, and lead—Kondracki, Lascari, and Curry contribute to a broader regional effort to build a strong workforce, vibrant downtowns, and communities where opportunity is accessible. Their leadership reflects the understanding that a healthy economy grows from connection, trust, and a genuine sense of welcome.

About the Southern Vermont Emerging Leaders Awards

Each year since 2018, the Southern Vermont Young Professionals (a program of Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation) and the Shires Young Professionals have sought to highlight and honor young adults in their roles as leaders and change-makers in the Southern Vermont economy and community through the Emerging Leaders awards. Over 130 local leaders have been given an Emerging Leaders award since the beginning of the program, and 40 of those have subsequently been recognized statewide through Vermont Business Magazine’s Rising Stars awards as well.

Nominations for the 2026 cohort are now open. Read more about other awardees and submit your nomination at www.sovermontzone.com/emerging-leaders.

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/