AGENDA
Thursday May 14, 2026 | Hotel Champlain, 60 Battery St, Burlington, VT 05401
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM| Lunch
12:45 PM - 2:15 PM| Block 2
How Mission-Driven Businesses Can Navigate Ongoing Instability
From AI Curiosity to Business Impact
Getting Unstuck: Making Decisions When There’s No Perfect Option
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM| Block 3
Stories of Business Succession Planning
Optimism as a Competitive Advantage
Impact Storytelling with the Vermont B Corp Collective
Burlington Housing Tour with Miro Weinberger
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM| After Party
Don't forget to visit the Exhibitor Hall (open 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM) and the BIPOC Affinity Space (open 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM).
8:00 - 9:00 AM| Check-In & Networking
9:00 -10:15 AM| Keynote Address
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM| Block 1
Countdown to Open Enrollment: Navigating Healthcare Premiums in 2026
Emotional Intelligence in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Build Your Pro-Democracy Playbook
Real Dialogue: Moving from Reactivity to Relationship in the Workplace
For more details, click on a specific session or scroll down.
Check-In & Networking Coffee Hour
Location: 1st Floor, Exhibitor Hall in the Green Mountain Ballroom
Time: 8:00 am - 9:00 am
Wherever you enter, please find your way to the 1st floor for the VBSR check-in table in the lobby.
Please note: You must purchase your ticket ahead of time and claim your nametag upon arrival. We are not prepared to sell tickets onsite.
Bring a donation for our food drive for Feeding Champlain Valley! Learn more here.
Complimentary coffee and tea will be available in the Exhibitor Hall from 8:00 - 10:45 am! Meet new people, learn about VBSR Member businesses, and pick up some table swag along the way! Swing by to play Exhibitor Hall bingo for a chance to win a free ticket to the conference in 2027, grab a fresh coconut, snap a pic at the photo booth, test out a new workout machine from Concept2, receive a free 1:1 financial planning consultation from Mascoma Wealth Management, check out a "banned books" pop-up from Phoenix Books, and meet our 50+ incredible exhibitors! Learn more here.
Thank you to our Check-In Underwriter:
Welcome Remarks from VBSR
Location: 1st Floor, Adirondack Ballroom
Time: 9:00 am - 9:15 am
Join us as VBSR's Executive Director, Chelsea Bardot Lewis, kicks off the conference!
Keynote Address with Jodi Anderson
The Original Disruptors: Reclaiming the Soul of Purpose-Driven Business in the Age Social & Technological Transformation
Location: 1st Floor, Adirondack Ballroom
Time: 9:15 am - 10:15 am
The values baked into the world's most influential companies — the language of social responsibility, stakeholder capitalism, business as a force for good — didn't come from Silicon Valley. They came from a movement that started in Vermont with a simple but radical idea: that businesses could be built differently. OpenAI. Anthropic. The giants now shaping how billions of people live and think have wrapped themselves in that language. Sound familiar? It should — because this audience wrote that playbook.
This keynote is both an origin story and a call to action. The leaders who built that foundation have the credibility, the coalition, and the responsibility to lead the next chapter. Big Tech has adopted the framework. Now it's time to reclaim the spirit — and course correct before the window closes.
Learn more about Jodi Anderson, Co-Founder of Rézme, on our speakers page!
Thank you to our Keynote Underwriter:
BIPOC Affinity Space
Location: 2nd Floor, Lake Breeze Suite
Time: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Enjoy refreshments and a mental break in an affinity space hosted by the Vermont Professionals of Color Network for those who identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color. Follow signs from the lobby!
Networking Break
Location: 1st Floor, Exhibitor Hall in the Green Mountain Ballroom
Time: 10:15 am - 10:30 am
Visit the exhibitor hall, make new connections, catch up with colleagues, and grab a cup of coffee! Be sure to check out Exhibitor Hall bingo to have a chance to win a free ticket to the conference in 2027, grab a fresh coconut, snap a pic at the photo booth, buy a "banned books," test out a new workout machine from Concept2, receive a free 1:1 financial planning consultation from Mascoma Wealth Management, and meet our 50+ incredible exhibitors! Learn more here.
BLOCK 1 | 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Countdown to Open Enrollment: Navigating Healthcare Premiums in 2026
Location: 1st Floor, Adirondack Ballroom
Time: 10:30 am - 11:45 am
At a time when Vermont continues to face the highest commercial healthcare costs in the country, early planning for the 2026 open enrollment season is essential. This session brings together Vermont’s foremost experts in commercial healthcare plans to explain what’s driving next year’s premiums and what employers can anticipate before renewal notices arrive. After a concise overview of market and regulatory trends, participants will break into small, facilitated groups to workshop their specific questions and scenarios, exploring proactive strategies for plan design, affordability, and employee communication. Attendees will leave with clearer expectations, actionable insights, and a stronger foundation for informed, ahead‑of‑time decision‑making.
Speakers:
Tom Bazzano, REBC, GBDS, Managing Consultant, OneDigital
Jessi Jacobs, Client Executive & Team Lead, The Richards Group
Christine M. Oliver, Senior Vice President, Market Leader, Corporate Benefits, NFP, an Aon company
Akua Smith, Senior Client Advisor, Acrisure New England
Location: 1st Floor, Montpelier Ballroom
Time: 10:30 am - 11:45 am
The 2026 work environment is already being redefined by uncertainty, anxiety, geopolitical tension, national and local disruption, and especially by AI recalibration. The so-called “soft skills”, as futurist Karl Kapp says, have become “core operating skills” for organizations that rely on human intelligence capabilities like emotional intelligence. As the role of AI is refined, recalibrated, and repaired or expanded, our human intelligence capacities need to grow alongside. It has become clearer what AI is good for and good at – it is clear AI is not going to effectively replace what humans are good for and good at.
This will be a highly interactive and skills-focused workshop that introduces key emotional intelligence skills and the underpinning neural/mindfulness skills that support them. The EI skills are useful wherever you need to be a human being - at work these drive effective leadership, a culture of belonging & connection, productivity and effectiveness, and healthy conflict/friction - in other areas of life, these skills promote effective relationships, personal flourishing, and authentic living. The ability to listen, regulate emotion, communicate with empathy, navigate disagreement through dialogue, and build trust across differences … this must become the human-centered balance for businesses, and a world, that use AI.
Speaker:
Peter Anderson, Founder, Inner Citadel Consulting
Build Your Pro-Democracy Playbook
Emotional Intelligence in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Location: 2nd Floor, Lake Champlain Conference Room
Time: 10:45 am - 12:00 pm
Grounded in VBSR’s Pro‑Democracy Playbook, this session explores the essential role employers can play in strengthening democracy and civic engagement. Staffers from Vermont’s congressional delegation will offer a behind‑the‑scenes look at how Congress operates and how employers can engage effectively and appropriately on issues that impact their businesses, employees, and communities. Facilitated by Ashley LaPorte of Burton, the conversation will focus on practical strategies drawn from the Playbook: such as supporting civic participation, fostering respectful dialogue, and engaging policymakers in transparent and values‑aligned ways. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how to uphold democratic norms while bridging across cultural divides.
Speakers:
Ashley LaPorte, SVP of People & Impact, Burton Snowboards
Fauna Hurley, Business Liaison, Office of Senator Peter Welch
Morgan Nichols, Community Liaison and Constituent Services Representative, Office of Rep. Becca Balint
Kathryn Van Haste, State Director, Office of Senator Bernie Sanders
Real Dialogue: Moving from Reactivity to Relationship in the Workplace
Location: 2nd Floor, Vermont Conference Room
Time: 10:45 am - 12:00 pm
Workplace conflict is inevitable and how we engage it shapes the health of our work environment. This experiential workshop introduces Real Dialogue, a relational practice designed to help individuals and teams shift from reactive patterns toward more intentional, human-centered communication.
Through a blend of teaching and practice, participants will explore how to recognize internal reactions, communicate from lived experience, and listen in ways that build healthy workplace dynamics. Individuals and teams can move toward stronger alignment, improved communication, and more productive collaboration by staying engaged in relationship during moments of difference.
This session equips participants with practical tools to handle difficult conversations with clarity, professionalism, and relational awareness.
Speaker:
Peggy Dippen, Educator, Mindfulness Teacher, Courage & Renewal® Facilitator, & Real Dialogue™ Specialist
Robin Junker-Boyce, Pastor at First Congregational Church UCC, & Real Dialogue™ Specialist
LUNCH BREAK | 11:45 AM – 12:45 PM
Lunch is included for all attendees! For your convenience, we will have two lunch stations:
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1st floor in between the Adirondack Ballroom and the Montpelier Ballroom
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2nd floor in between the Lake Champlain Conference Room and the Vermont Conference Room
Served buffet style with build-your-own Power Bowls: mixed green, quinoa, tofu, grilled chicken, hard-boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, red onions, sweet peppers, chickpeas, roasted carrots, charred broccoli, cilantro, crunchy noodles, pumpkin seeds, cilantro and dressing. Plus a cookie for good measure!
Don't forget to visit the Exhibitor Hall on the 1st floor in the Green Mountain Ballroom to meet new people, learn about VBSR Member businesses, and pick up some table swag along the way! Be sure to check out Exhibitor Hall bingo to have a chance to win a free ticket to the conference in 2027, grab a fresh coconut, snap a pic at the photo booth, buy a "banned books," test out a new workout machine from Concept2, receive a free 1:1 financial planning consultation from Mascoma Wealth Management, and meet our 50+ incredible exhibitors! Learn more here.
Visit the BIPOC Affinity Space to enjoy refreshments and a mental break. Hosted by the Vermont Professionals of Color Network for those who identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color.
If you have inquiries about specific dietary restrictions, please contact mollyr@vbsr.org.
BLOCK 2 | 12:45 PM – 2:15 PM
How Mission-Driven Businesses Can Navigate Ongoing Instability
Location: 1st Floor, Adirondack Ballroom
Time: 12:45 pm - 2:00 pm
Mission-driven businesses are operating in an increasingly uncertain environment shaped by shifting federal policies, evolving trade dynamics, and heightened debate around issues like diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). At the same time, many businesses want to stay true to their values while supporting their employees, customers, and communities.
Join the Vermont Attorney General, Charity Clark, and her team for a practical conversation on what these changes mean for Vermont businesses and how mission-driven companies can remain resilient.
This session will provide an overview of key federal developments, including tariffs, DEIA-related policies, and ongoing litigation affecting grants and federal programs. You will also learn about resources available to businesses through the Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program and Small Business Advocate, including mediation services, scam prevention, and consumer protection support.
Participants will leave with practical guidance, policy context, and resources to help their organizations navigate uncertainty while continuing to lead with their values.
Speakers:
Attorney General Charity Clark
Isabel "Izzy" Gogarty (she/her), Small Business Advocate, Vermont Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program
From AI Curiosity to Business Impact
Location: 1st Floor, Montpelier Ballroom
Time: 12:45 pm - 2:00 pm
Applying Data and AI in Practical, Human-Centered Ways
Many organizations have started experimenting with AI tools, but far fewer have translated that curiosity into meaningful business impact. This session focuses on how companies of any size can apply data, analytics, and AI to real workflows in ways that improve decision-making, efficiency, and employee experience.
We’ll explore practical examples of how AI can be used to:
• Surface insights from existing data to support better decisions
• Streamline workflows and reduce manual effort
• Identify opportunities for revenue growth and customer engagement
The goal is to move beyond tools and hype, and instead provide a clear framework for where AI fits within your organization: both at the individual workflow level and across the business.
Speaker:
Sami Baqai, Founder, Autokatalyst
Getting Unstuck: Making Decisions When There’s No Perfect Option
Location: 2nd Floor, Lake Champlain Conference Room
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm
When everything keeps changing, even simple decisions start to feel complex and high-pressured. This session combines practical decision-making tools with a fresh, interactive approach designed to help you get unstuck and move forward. You’ll learn how to evaluate risk, clarify what matters most, and make thoughtful, aligned choices. Through a series of short, engaging activities, you’ll break patterns of stuck thinking, reduce pressure, and open up new possibilities. You’ll leave with greater clarity, and practical tools you can immediately apply to real decisions in your work.
Speakers:
Teresa Davis, Owner & Founding Director, Davis Studio
Becky Walsh, MA, CFP®, CAP®, Founder & Financial Planner, Oak Maple Finance, LLC
Vermont Comedy Arts: “Yes, And” Your Way to Big Ideas
Location: 2nd Floor, Vermont Conference Room
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm
The wheel. Cell phones. The Budweiser frogs. How the HECK did they even think of that? In this workshop, learn skills to open up your creative mind and collaborate with your colleagues to come up with new and innovative ideas. “Yes, And” is an incredible tool for innovation and problem solving.
Speakers:
Brian Hines, Vermont Comedy Arts
Sam Kurnit, Director of Education, Vermont Comedy Arts
Natalie Miller, Executive Director, Vermont Comedy Arts & Co-Owner, Vermont Comedy Club
Networking Break
Location: 1st Floor, Exhibitor Hall in the Green Mountain Ballroom
Time: 2:15 pm - 2:30 pm
Visit the exhibitor hall, make new connections, catch up with colleagues, or step outside to enjoy the beautiful view of Lake Champlain! Be sure to check out Exhibitor Hall bingo to have a chance to win a free ticket to the conference in 2027, grab a fresh coconut, snap a pic at the photo booth, buy a "banned books," test out a new workout machine from Concept2, receive a free 1:1 financial planning consultation from Mascoma Wealth Management, and meet our 50+ incredible exhibitors! Learn more here.
Visit the BIPOC Affinity Space to enjoy refreshments and a mental break. Hosted by the Vermont Professionals of Color Network for those who identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color.
BLOCK 3 | 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Stories of Business Succession Planning
Location: 1st Floor, Adirondack Ballroom
Time: 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
It is never too early to start thinking about exit planning. This session brings together a panel of seasoned experts—Matthew Cropp (VEOC), Craig Ross (EngageCFO), and Benjamin Russell (Marblestone Wealth)—to explore the financial, leadership, and governance considerations that come with planning for ownership and leadership transitions. Following the panel, a fireside chat with Allison Hooper, Co Founder of Vermont Creamery, and Julie Lineberger, Founder & President of WheelPad L3C, will offer candid reflections on real world succession journeys, lessons learned, and the human side of transition. Designed to encourage early, values aligned planning, this session will help business leaders think proactively about continuity, legacy, and long term resilience.
Speakers:
Matthew Cropp, Executive Director, VEOC
Allison Hooper, Co-Founder, Vermont Creamery
Julie Lineberger, Founder & President, WheelPad L3C
Craig Ross, Founding Partner, engageCFO
Benjamin Russell, CFP®, CRPC™, APMA™, CEPA™, Private Wealth Advisor & Managing Partner, Marblestone Wealth
Optimism as a Competitive Advantage
Location: 1st Floor, Montpelier Ballroom
Time: 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Fueling Wellbeing, Engagement, and Impact
In a world saturated with negative headlines, how can leaders harness optimism as a strategic advantage rather than a naïve outlook? Dr. Lynda Ulrich (The Goodness Exchange) and Andy DeMeo (Granite Goodness) will explore how grounded, actionable optimism can strengthen workplace culture, support employee wellbeing, and ultimately drive productivity and performance.
This session will introduce practical tools to help leaders and teams cut through the noise of daily negativity, reframe challenges, and stay focused on meaningful progress. Participants will learn how cultivating optimism not only improves morale and resilience, but also inspires greater engagement and action on the issues they care most about - both inside and outside your organization.
Walk away with a refreshed perspective and tangible practices to create an energized, solution-oriented workplace.
Speakers:
Andy DeMeo, Creator & Host, Granite Goodness
Dr. Lynda Ulrich, Founder of the Goodness Exchange, Author & TEDx Speaker and Podcaster
Impact Storytelling with the Vermont B Corp Collective
Location: 2nd Floor, Lake Champlain Conference Room
Time: 2:30 pm - 3:45 pm
Every business has a story, but the most effective organizations don’t just tell their story, they live it. This session will explore how companies can use impact storytelling to connect purpose and values to real business outcomes like brand clarity, customer relationships, and strategic focus.
Through a presentation from CPG Advisor and Consultant, Kristen Deshaies, and a discussion with B Corp business leaders, we will explore how mission-driven companies are putting their values into practice across their organizations, from internal culture to sales conversations and marketing strategies.
Attendees will leave with a better understanding of how to articulate their purpose and use it as a tool for resilience, clarity, and growth, and with impact storytelling frameworks that they can apply to their own businesses.
Speakers:
Kristen Deshaies, Advisor to Purpose-Driven CPG Brands, KLD Strategy
Mariah Davis, Community Impact Officer, Mascoma Bank
Allison Palmer, VP of Marketing & Innovation, Lawson’s Finest Liquids
Burlington Housing Tour with Miro Weinberger
Location: 2nd Floor, Vermont Conference Room
Time: 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Join Miro Weinberger and Let’s Build homes for a walking tour, starting from Hotel Champlain, highlighting recent housing investments in the surrounding neighborhood! Along the way, we will discuss the tools and programs that made these developments possible. All featured projects were permitted under the city’s form-based code, offering a real-world look at how zoning changes have contributed to meaningful increases in housing.
Let’s Build Homes works to create a Vermont of abundant housing for households of all income levels where communities thrive in harmony with our working lands. Through impactful policy change and grassroots action, we will help Vermont grow into a more affordable, vibrant, and inclusive state.
Speaker:
Miro Weinberger, Executive Chair, Let’s Build Homes & Mayor of Burlington (2012-2024)
AFTER PARTY | 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Celebrate the end of an inspiring day with a raffle drawing for a FREE ticket to the 2027 conference, connections new and old, locally sourced appetizers, a cash bar including delicious beer, wine, Maple Old Fashions, Springtime Margaritas, and non-alcoholic options! We will also be treated to an oyster bar generously donated by the Original Skiff!
Grab a drink, swing by the exhibitor hall, make new connections, catch up with colleagues, or step outside to enjoy the beautiful view of Lake Champlain! Be sure to check out Exhibitor Hall bingo to have a chance to win a free ticket to the conference in 2027, grab a fresh coconut, snap a pic at the photo booth, buy a "banned books," test out a new workout machine from Concept2, receive a free 1:1 financial planning consultation from Mascoma Wealth Management, and meet our 50+ incredible exhibitors! Learn more here.
Thank you to our After Party Underwriter:
