Check-In & Networking Coffee Hour
Location: 1st Floor, Exhibitor Hall in the Green Mountain Ballroom
Time: 8:00 am - 9:00 am
Complimentary coffee and tea will be available in the Exhibitor Hall from 8:00 - 9:00 am! Meet new people, learn about VBSR Member businesses, and pick up some table swag along the way!
You will also have the opportunity to purchase food and beverages from Lily May's Cafe (open 6:30 am - 1:30 pm on the 2nd floor).
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!
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
Speakers:
Tom Bazzano, Managing Consultant, OneDigital
Jessi Jacobs, Client Executive & Team Lead, The Richards Group
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
Moderator:
Ashley LaPorte, SVP of People & Impact, Burton Snowboards
Searching for Truth Through Opposing Viewpoints
Location: 2nd Floor, Vermont Conference Room
Time: 10:45 am - 12:00 pm
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!
Visit the BIPOC Affinity Space on the 2nd floor the Lake Breeze Suite. 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: Decision Making with Creativity & Clarity
Location: 2nd Floor, Lake Champlain Conference Room
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Speakers:
Teresa Davis, Owner & Founding Director, Davis Studio
Becky Walsh, MA, CFP®, CAP®, Founder & Financial Planner, Oak Maple Finance, LLC
Vermont Comedy Arts
Location: 2nd Floor, Vermont Conference Room
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm
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!
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
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
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
Burlington Housing Tour with Miro Weinberger
Location: 2nd Floor, Vermont Conference Room
Time: 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
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 connections new and old over locally sourced appetizers, a full cash bar including delicious beer, wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic options!
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!
Thank you to our After Party Underwriter:
