4 Rising Stars Named from Southern Vermont
Class of 2024 Recognized by Vermont Business Magazine
Southern Vermont – The winners of the Rising Stars recognition award were just announced by Vermont Business Magazine. 40 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 four winners from Bennington and Windham Counties: Kate Barry of Brattleboro, Lee Halpern of Brattleboro, Kora Skeele of Putney, and Courtnay Wilson of Bennington.
Three of the Southern Vermont winners were nominated through the Southern Vermont “Emerging Leaders” initiative, created 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 submitted to that panel.
Courtnay Wilson, a neuropsychologist at the Memory Clinic in Bennington, originally came to Southern Vermont for her doctoral internship. “I soon discovered that the draw to live here is much bigger than the scenery,” she says. “It really comes from the sense of community I have here, filled with wonderful people and activities, which I have not been able to find anywhere else.”
“What sets Southern Vermont apart is its low entry barriers, allowing aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams with ease,” reflects Kate Barry, leader of a local real estate agency who has also recently re-opened a new night spot, the Tower Bar and Lounge, and taken over ownership of Mocha Joe’s Cafe, both in Brattleboro. “In Southern Vermont, emerging leaders find not just a place, but a mindset—a belief in possibility and the courage to pursue one’s passions.”
Kora Skeele grew up in Westminster West and, “even as an avid traveler and general adventurer,” she says, “I’ve never considered living anywhere else.” Skeele recently started her own marketing consulting firm and volunteers with many Putney community initiatives, such as the Putney Community Supper committee. “I love Southern Vermont, and I have faith in her. I believe that these hard-working, industrious, community-minded people will reinvent their towns, reinvest in the land & water, & continue to forge ahead, blazing the trail for others.”
Since 2017, when the Emerging Leaders recognition was established, 167 young professionals in Southern Vermont have been recognized (visit www.sovermontzone.com/emerging-leaders for the complete list). Emerging Leaders is a joint effort of Bennington’s Shires Young Professionals and Southern Vermont Young Professionals, a Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) program.
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/
About Shires Young Professionals
The mission of the Shires Young Professional group is to help young professionals and families create deep roots in our community that encourage them to stay and build a prosperous life in the Shires of Vermont. The SYP looks to engage, emerge, and empower young professionals throughout the region. Our young professional’s events, programs and gatherings are open to all people, but we do focus on the 21 to 40-year old age range. More information at www.ShiresYP.com
About BDCC
The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) is a private, nonprofit economic development organization with the mission of investing in the drivers of the regional economy so that people, businesses, and communities in Southern Vermont can thrive. BDCC serves as the State of Vermont’s certified Regional Development Corporation (RDC) for the greater Windham County area (including Windham County and the towns of Readsboro, Searsburg, Winhall and Weston). BDCC is one of 12 RDCs throughout Vermont. BDCC activity is 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.
