Meet Our Keynote
Jodi Anderson Jr.
Co-Founder, Rézme
Jodi Anderson Jr. is the Co-Founder of Rézme, a technology platform designed to break down the systemic and often invisible barriers that keep justice-impacted individuals out of jobs, housing, and higher education. Rézme integrates with HR and applicant tracking systems to transform standard screening processes into legally compliant workflows, increasing individualized and holistic assessments for previously excluded and qualified talent while helping companies navigate hiring legislation with smarter technology, better data, and real financial incentives.
Jodi founded Rézme to solve a critical challenge: helping companies operationalize fair-chance hiring while driving meaningful economic opportunity. By leveraging technology and data, Rézme creates pathways for justice-impacted individuals to access meaningful employment, which empowers both companies and communities.
His vision is deeply rooted in his own life journey. After growing up in poverty and experiencing foster care and incarceration, Jodi discovered an early college program while incarcerated that ignited his academic path. That journey led him first to Cornell University and ultimately to Stanford University, where he earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees while studying how systems and technology shape access to education and employment.
Before launching Rézme, Jodi worked in early-stage and venture-backed startups including MOJO Sports, CreateSafe, and Reddit, gaining firsthand experience building and scaling technology solutions. He has also contributed to research and innovation as a researcher at Stanford’s Accelerator for Learning and as Deputy Director of Technological Innovation at Cornell University’s Criminal Justice & Employment Initiative.
Across entrepreneurship, research, and technology, Jodi is driven by a simple belief: that entrepreneurs, technologists, and educators have a responsibility to create opportunities for every citizen to obtain the knowledge and skills needed to contribute to their communities and the economy.
Meet Our Speakers
Check back in as more speakers are added weekly!
Peter Anderson, PhD PCC
Founder, Inner Citadel Consulting
Peter Anderson PhD PCC brings humor, empathy, curiosity and a love for structured processes to his work with executives and leadership teams. His human-centered approach is informed by a unique blend of non-violent communication strategies, multi-partial dialogue training, convergent facilitation training, and a deep understanding of emotional intelligence and organizational mindfulness.
Peter is certified by and works with a range of global partners, including Genos International, the Institute for Organizational Science and Mind, LINC GmbH, and the International Coaching Federation. His firm Inner Citadel Consulting offers a range of services to C-suite leaders and leadership teams, focused on team cohesion, decision-making dynamics, leadership team personality & workplace behavioral profiles, and executive coaching. ICC's clients include executive and leadership teams that are in transition; that are less effective because of conflict; that want to be more cohesive, aligned and productive; that need to have critical conversations but can’t manage them on their own; or that need to reset in order to move into complex work together.
Peter is rooted in Burlington VT and works nationally.
Sami Baqai
Founder, Autokatalyst LLC
Sami Baqai is Founder & Principal of Autokatalyst LLC, an applied AI and automation advisory firm based in New York. Autokatalyst works with organizations to build practical, revenue-generating technologies and improve operational efficiency through automation, advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI. The firm partners with companies across stages of growth, from startups and small businesses to large enterprises and PE-backed firms.
Prior to founding Autokatalyst, Sami worked at GTS Securities, a quantitative trading firm, and Steadfast Financial LP, a multi-billion dollar hedge fund. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
Tom Bazzano, REBC, GBDS
Managing Consultant, OneDigital
Tom Bazzano, REBC, GBDS is a Managing Consultant and Practice Lead at OneDigital with 13+ years of experience in the employee benefits and insurance industry. For more than a decade at OneDigital, he has advised employers across Vermont on designing benefits strategies that balance cost control with a strong employee experience. Tom leads consulting support for key client relationships, oversees the Vermont employee benefits consulting practice, and partners with new clients during onboarding to ensure a smooth transition and measurable results. He is known for a practical, data-informed approach to plan strategy and an ability to translate complex benefits decisions into clear actions for HR and finance leaders. Tom earned his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Vermont (2013), with a concentration in Management Information Systems and a minor in Computer Science.
Charity R. Clark
Vermont Attorney General
Charity R. Clark was sworn in as Attorney General of Vermont on January 5, 2023, and is the first woman to be elected to this position. Since then, she has made protecting Vermonters a trademark of her administration, suing Monsanto for PCB contamination of Vermont’s waterways and schools and bringing a case against Meta for Instagram’s harm to young users’ mental health. She also successfully advocated for the recommendations of the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Commission, housed in the Attorney General’s Office, and continues her work to bring focus on the issue of sexual and domestic violence. A passionate defender of reproductive rights, Attorney General Clark joined a challenge to a ban on the abortion drug mifepristone, allowing Vermonters to retain access to this safe and effective abortion medication.
Attorney General Clark’s career in the Attorney General’s Office began in 2014 as an Assistant Attorney General in the Public Protection Division. Later, she was appointed Chief of Staff, serving in the role from 2018 to 2022. During her tenure as Chief of Staff, and the first person to ever hold this position, she oversaw the Office’s expungement clinics, training countless attorneys to assist Vermonters seeking to expunge or seal their criminal records. She also championed the effort to achieve status as a Breastfeeding Friendly Employer and create a dedicated space for breastfeeding employees and visitors to the office, an effort that she would bring to fruition during her first few months as Attorney General.
Attorney General Clark was born and raised in southern Vermont and grew up working in her family’s grocery store in Londonderry, Clark’s IGA. She is a graduate of Burr & Burton Academy in Manchester, the University of Vermont, and Boston College Law School. Before she entered law school, Attorney General Clark was a policy analyst at the Vermont Governor’s Office under Governor Howard Dean. In 2005, she began her legal career as an associate at a law firm in Burlington, Vermont, and later in New York City. Attorney General Clark is an avid skier and hiker, completing the Long Trail in 2021. She is chair of the board of her town library and serves as a justice of the peace.
Matt Cropp
Executive Director, Vermont Employee Ownership Center
Matt Cropp is Executive Director of the Vermont Employee Ownership Center and has been with the organization since 2014, where he has developed deep expertise in employee ownership while serving in a variety of roles. He conducts initial ownership succession consultations with 20-40 Vermont business owners per year, and has supported the transition of numerous Vermont companies to employee ownership. Matt received his Master's in History from UVM in 2011, where he studied business and economic history with a focus on the origins of cooperative finance. Beyond VEOC, he has participated in the formation and operation of several co-op and social investment initiatives, including the Vermont Real Estate Cooperative. He lives in Burlington's New North End with his partner and their preschooler.
Mariah Davis
Community Impact Officer, Mascoma Bank
Mariah Davis is a Community Impact Officer at Mascoma Bank, working at the intersection of philanthropy, community engagement, and strategic partnership building. Based in Claremont, New Hampshire, she focuses on community giving and supporting nonprofit organizations to strengthen local impact.
Teresa Davis (she/her)
Owner & Founding Director, Davis Studio
Teresa Davis is the Founder of Davis Studio and the creator of Play Intention™, a facilitation method that helps individuals and teams move out of stuck, high-pressure patterns into more flexible, effective decision making.
With over three decades of experience, she has seen how quickly pressure can narrow perspective and stall progress. Her work uses a practical, embodied approach to playfulness, not as an escape from work, but as a strategic tool for navigating it.
Teresa helps professionals unlock new thinking, regulate stress, and take clear, confident action. She and her team support businesses in building the flexibility and resilience needed to adapt and lead through constant change and uncertainty.
Andy DeMeo
Creator & Host, Granite Goodness
I grew up in Londonderry, NH and have spent my life exploring every corner of New England. Granite Goodness is my love letter to New England and the people solving its hardest problems.
Ten years working in climate policy, carbon accounting, sustainable finance, and food systems taught me one thing: our biggest problem is not a lack of solutions, but stories.
When problems are framed as endless and unsolvable, cynicism is seen as rational and smart. A pessimistic worldview leaves people less likely to invest in long term thinking and collaboration.
By contrast, optimism produces its own social contagion, creating reinforcing flywheels of community, purpose, and positive outcomes. Research consistently shows that optimists tend to live longer, healthier, happier lives. I suspect they have more fun too.
Inspired by the work of globally focused solutions journalists at Fix The News and The Progress Network, I started Granite Goodness to bring optimistic, solutions-focused storytelling to a more local scale in New England— my beloved corner of the world. My work with Granite Goodness has attracted regional recognition, learn more here.
When I’m not talking to optimistic New Englanders, I can be found doing homesteading projects with my twelve chickens, two dogs, and one wife on our farm in New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington Valley.
Kristen Deshaies
Advisor to Purpose-Driven CPG Brands, KLD Strategy
Kristen Deshaies (she/her) is a seasoned marketing executive with nearly three decades of experience shaping and leading some of the most recognized purpose-driven brands in the CPG space. Her career includes foundational experience in leadership and CSR from her 8 years at Ben & Jerry’s, progressing to senior leadership roles at Seventh Generation, Stonyfield, and Orgain. Throughout her career, she has been inspired by the intersection of purpose and business, and by the power of clear strategic direction to energize and mobilize teams to achieve both success and impact. Kristen now works as an independent marketing and business advisor through her consultancy KLD Strategy, providing strategic partnership to purpose-driven CPG companies and serving on the advisory boards of several Vermont B Corp icons – Cabot Creamery, Lake Champlain Chocolates, and Lawson’s Finest Liquids – and on the corporate board of eco products company and B Corp Preserve Products. Her work focuses on purpose definition, strategic clarity, capability building, as well as leadership support and C-suite and team coaching & mentorship. She lives in Exeter NH.
Peggy Dippen, M.Ed
Educator & Mindfulness Teacher
Courage & Renewal® Facilitator
Real Dialogue™ Specialist
Peggy Dippen, M.Ed is an educator, mindfulness teacher, and Courage & Renewal® Facilitator with over twenty four years of experience in education and relational leadership. She is a Real Dialogue™ Specialist and a mindfulness-based psychedelic guide trained through the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness. Peggy’s work centers on fostering self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and authentic connection, supporting individuals and groups in engaging more skillfully with themselves and others. She lives in Hinesburg.
Isabel (Izzy) Gogarty
Small Business Advocate, Vermont Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program
Izzy Gogarty serves as the Small Business Advocate with the Vermont Consumer Assistance Program (CAP), a collaboration between the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the University of Vermont. In this role, she supports small businesses in navigating scams, consumer complaints, and marketplace challenges, while engaging with business groups statewide to identify solutions.
As a member of the Middlebury Town Selectboard, Izzy focuses on strategic and forward-thinking approaches to the efficient allocation of taxpayer resources, supporting economic development, community health, and wellness.
As Executive Director of SHAPE Vermont, Izzy draws on her deep expertise in health and physical education to create and support skills-based programs in schools while advocating for public health policy at both the state and national levels. Her teaching experience spans from International Baccalaureate classrooms to graduate-level university courses.
Izzy holds a Master’s in Education Research from Vermont State University, where her research examined sex education law compliance, adherence, and regional alignment, analyzing how schools align with state laws and regional needs in sex education programming.
Brian Hines
Vermont Comedy Arts
Brian Hines (he/him) moved to Vermont in 2021 from Hartford, CT. He has over a decade of improv & sketch comedy experience as a performer and teacher. Brian has a passion for making comedy accessible to everyone.
Allison Hooper
Cheesemaker Entrepreneur
In 1984, Allison Hooper co-founded Vermont Creamery with her business partner Bob Reese. Together, Allison and Bob introduced a line of European-style cheeses and cultured butters to the American menu. The excellence of their chevres, their pioneering soft-ripened geotrichum cheeses, creme fraiche, mascarpone, and their superior butters have earned Allison and Bob a trophy room of ribbons, statuettes, and accolades.
Allison returned from a Connecticut College year-abroad inspired by the cheeses she learned to make, and sell at farmers markets in rural France. Determined to introduce these delicacies to the American palate, Allison first had to win-over the discerning chefs who called the shots in the white tablecloth restaurants of New York and Boston.
Teaming with Reese forty-three years ago, Allison has been anointed a “Pioneer in American Artisanal Cheesemaking.” In 2015, she was named one of the “most innovative women in Food and drink” by FOOD & WINE and FORBES magazines. In 2018, Allison was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s “Who’s Who in Food and Beverage”.
A former president of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and the American Cheese Society (ACS) and the founding President of the Vermont Cheese Council, Allison “walks the talk.” She has been a voice for cheesemakers in the US, and a mentor to fellow entrepreneurs in the specialty food industry. Leaders in agricultural innovation, in 2012, Allison and Bob started the largest goat dairy in Vermont to supply goats’ milk to Vermont Creamery. Now owned and operated by Miles and Daryll Hooper, Ayers Brook Goat Dairy in Randolph, Vermont practices state-of-the-art genetics, nutrition, and goat husbandry. The farm has become an important resource for aspiring goat farmers. After the farmer-owned cooperative, Land O’ Lakes acquired Vermont Creamery, the Hoopers retained ownership of Ayers Brook Goat Dairy where they milk 600 saanan goats.
Fauna Hurley
Business Liaison, Office of Senator Peter Welch
Fauna Hurley has served as Senator Welch’s Business Liaison for over six years. She covers economic and workforce development and international trade. Fauna works closely with Vermont businesses, state agencies, trade groups, and associations, helping them navigate federal agencies and legislation. Fauna is the Chair of the annual Women’s Economic Development Conference (WEOC), a free conference held in Randolph. Prior to her work with Senator Welch, she worked in development and spent several years as the Director of Revitalizing Waterbury. An Oklahoma native, Fauna lives in Burlington and enjoys cooking, traveling and being outdoors with her family.
Jessi Jacobs
Client Executive with The Richards Group
Jessi Jacobs, is a Client Executive with The Richards Group, advising small-sized employers on employee benefits and total rewards strategies. She works with business owners and leadership teams to navigate healthcare complexity, manage costs, and design competitive benefits programs that support recruitment and retention.
Robin Junker-Boyce, M.Div
Real Dialogue™ Specialist
Pastor at First Congregational Church UCC
Robin is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ with over twenty years of leadership experience. She is a trained Real Dialogue™ Specialist who works with organizations and leaders to navigate complex conversations, build trust, and communicate with clarity across differences. She serves as Settled Pastor of Thetford Hill Church (UCC), a historic and active congregation in Vermont. Robin holds degrees from Boston College and Andover Newton Theological School, with training in psychology, religious studies, and hospital chaplaincy. Her work is grounded in emotional intelligence and a deep commitment to human connection, spiritual depth, and the intersection of science and spirituality. She believes engaging conflict well is essential for our time, and that with self-awareness and practical skills, it can open the way to understanding and hope. She lives in Thetford.
Sam Kurnit
Director of Education, Vermont Comedy Arts
Sam Kurnit is an actor, voiceover artist, improviser and educator. He has studied at The Second City in Chicago, as well as iO and The Annoyance Theatre. He has acted in films, TV and commercials, and provided voiceover for film narration, audio books, and video games.
Sam has worked with Vermont Comedy Club for over 10 years, and now serves as the Director of Education for Vermont Comedy Arts.
Ashley Laporte
Global SVP of People & Impact, Burton
Ashley Laporte is Burton’s Global SVP of People & Impact (SVP P&I) overseeing the People & Culture, Purpose & Impact, and Internal Communications teams. The newly formed People & Impact department supports Burton’s ambition to be a purpose-driven company – fostering a workplace and culture that reflects our values and empowers high-performing teams.
Ashley returned to Burton in November 2022 as Vice President of Purpose & Impact, overseeing sustainability and climate initiatives, JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion), sports advocacy, and philanthropy. (Ashley first worked at Burton back in 2015 on the Digital Marketing team.) Before rejoining, Ashley co-led RALLY’s corporate practice, helping brands build impactful advocacy strategies. Ashley brings people leadership and corporate impact experience from her time leading the Integrated Marketing team at Seventh Generation (a Unilever company) where she built a 20+ person team of Marketing experts across media and distribution, content and creative, ecommerce, and integrated planning. This team helped drive double-digit category growth for the brand, while also leading the creation of “Believe in a Seventh Generation,” which launched after the 2020 State of the Union and received coverage in the New York Times and AdAge.
In addition to her role on the leadership team at Burton, Ashley serves as an advisory board member for the Outdoor Diversity Alliance (ODA) and a board member for Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR).
Ashley grew up in Stowe and now lives in Duxbury, Vermont with her partner Luis, their son Santi, and their dog Otis. They love taking walks in the woods behind their house, riding at Bolton or Stowe, jumping in lakes and rivers, and car camping all over the state.
Julie Lineberger
Founder & President, WheelPad L3C
Julie Lineberger leads both WheelPad L3C, and LineSync Architecture LTD, in southern Vermont. Her focus is social responsibility at all levels, gaining B Corp certification for her businesses. A recent graduate of Academy for Values Based Governance, she presents and consults on various aspects of business management regularly. Julie's previous career in International Development included managing and participating in projects for the United Nations Development Program, the International Rescue Committee, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees throughout the world. Hailing originally from California, Julie is bilingual (Spanish), and holds a Bachelor of Communications & Sociology from University of California, San Diego, and Master of Education from Harvard University.
Natalie Miller
Executive Director, Vermont Comedy Arts
Co-Owner, Vermont Comedy Club
Natalie Miller (she/her) co-founded Vermont Comedy Club with her husband, Nathan, in 2011. With 20 years of experience performing and teaching comedy, music and theater, Natalie has a deep passion for bringing people together through the performing arts.
Morgan Nichols
Community Liaison and Constituent Services Representative, Office of Congresswoman Balint
Morgan Nichols is a Community Liaison and Constituent Services Representative for Congresswoman Balint. Her outreach issue areas include Economic Development, Workforce Development, Arts and Culture, Rural Issues, and Water and Wastewater infrastructure. As a caseworker, she supports constituents who are facing issues with their social security, student loans, and the SBA.
Christine Oliver
Senior Vice President, Market Leader – Vermont Benefits Practice, NFP
Christine Oliver is Senior Vice President and Market Leader for NFP’s Vermont Benefits practice, where she leads strategy, growth, and client partnerships focused on supporting
employers and their workforces through thoughtful, sustainable benefits solutions. In her role, Christine works closely with organizations across Vermont to align employee well‑being,
regulatory compliance, and long‑term business success.
With deep experience across health policy, insurance, and public service, Christine brings a pragmatic and values‑driven perspective to benefits strategy. Prior to joining NFP, she held
senior leadership roles including Deputy Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, and the Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Mental Health. She also served as
Vermont’s chief regulator of health insurance and hospital budgets.
Christine is known for building strong teams, navigating complex systems, and advancing consumer‑focused solutions. She is passionate about responsible business practices that strengthen organizations while improving outcomes for employees and communities across Vermont.
Allison Palmer
VP Marketing & Innovation, Lawson’s Finest Liquids
Allison Palmer (she/her) is a purpose driven marketing leader with over a decade of experience in the mission driven CPG space. Her experience includes leading communication strategy for outdoor industry brands before progressing to senior leadership roles at Seventh Generation over her nine years working on the brand. Allison joined Lawson’s Finest Liquids this January as VP of Marketing and Innovation. Her work specializes in building high functioning teams, driving demand generation through brand power building, and connecting a brand’s purpose to its fans and culture. She lives in Richmond VT.
Craig Ross
Founding Partner, engageCFO
Craig is the Founding Partner of engageCFO bringing over two decades of leadership in finance and operations to help domestic and global clients navigate complex financial and strategic challenges. He partners with companies at every stage — whether preparing for rapid growth, scaling operations, raising capital, pursuing acquisitions, or planning for a successful exit.
Craig’s expertise spans finance, accounting operations, budgeting, forecasting, modeling, revenue recognition, and tax compliance. He’s known for streamlining processes, implementing scalable systems, and driving sustainable growth — all with a focus on maximizing value and preparing companies for successful outcomes.
Benjamin (Ben) A. Russell, CFP®, CRPC™, APMA®, CEPA®
Private Wealth Advisor and Managing Partner of Marblestone Wealth
Ben Russell is a Private Wealth Advisor and Managing Partner of Marblestone Wealth, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC, with 26 years of experience serving families and business owners. Known for his strategic mindset and values‑driven approach, Ben helps clients navigate complexity and make confident, long‑term financial decisions.
Growing up in Saudi Arabia and spending a year in Spain shaped Ben’s global perspective and appreciation for diverse cultures and perspectives. His path eventually led him to Vermont through an internship with a human resources firm in Burlington, where he instantly felt a deep connection to the community. Vermont quickly became home for his family and remains the center of their personal and professional lives. Ben’s wife, Leah Mital, is executive director at the Vermont Youth Conservation Corp.
As Ben supported families and business owners with increasingly complex needs, he expanded his knowledge by becoming a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional and a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®)—credentials that reflect his commitment to both technical proficiency and human decision‑making.
Ben specializes in:
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Tax and wealth‑preservation strategies
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Investment management
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Estate and intergenerational planning
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Business‑owner strategy
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Cash‑flow and liquidity planning
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Charitable giving and family governance
His focus on business owners grew from years of watching clients struggle to coordinate advisors during major transitions. As a CEPA®, Ben uses a structured, multidisciplinary process to help owners build transferable value, prepare for growth or exit, and align business outcomes with personal financial goals.
Under his leadership, Marblestone Wealth has earned multiple recognitions—including:
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Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams (2024–2026)
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Ameriprise Client Experience Award (2022–2025)
Ben and the Marblestone team are deeply committed to Vermont communities, supporting and volunteering with local nonprofits each year.
Outside of work, Ben and Leah enjoy swimming, skiing, paddle boarding, gravel biking, and spending as much time as possible adventuring with their adult children.
Ameriprise Financial and its affiliates do not offer tax or legal advice. Consumers should consult with their tax advisor or attorney regarding their specific situation.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER(R) and CFP certification mark (with plaque design) in the U.S.
Forbes rankings are developed by SHOOK Research and are created using an algorithm that includes both qualitative (in-person, virtual and telephone due diligence meetings; client impact; industry experience; review of best practices and compliance records; and firm nominations) and quantitative (assets under management and revenue generated for their firms) data. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Certain awards include a demographic component to qualify. These rankings for each applicable year are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC, are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience and are based on data from the previous two calendar years. Neither Ameriprise Financial nor its financial advisors pay a fee in exchange for these rankings or their use. Ameriprise Financial and/or its financial advisors can pay Forbes/SHOOK Research for additional advertising-related materials. For more information: www.SHOOKresearch.com. SHOOK is a registered trademark of SHOOK Research, LLC.
The Ameriprise Client Experience Award is earned by a practice based on four measurable statistics that reflect the value of goal-based advice to our clients: Client Experience Rating; percentage of clients over a certain asset level in Advice Relationships; percentage of clients over a certain asset level with regular contact and, once the practice has exceeded a minimum amount of Net Flows, the percentage of Net Flows derived from Assets Under Management.
Investment products are not insured by the FDIC, NCUA or any federal agency, are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed by any financial institution, and involve investment risks including possible loss of principal and fluctuation in value.
Securities offered by Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC.
© 2026 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Akua Smith
Senior Client Advisor, Acrisure New England
Akua Smith is a Senior Client Advisor with Acrisure New England, working with nonprofits, municipalities, and mission‑driven organizations across Vermont to navigate healthcare and employee benefits with greater clarity and intention. Her career began in nonprofit and community health work, which continues to shape how she approaches benefits strategy today. With more than 15 years of experience across the healthcare system, including time on the carrier side and now as an employer advocate, Akua brings a practical, values‑driven perspective to conversations about managing healthcare costs while supporting employee well‑being. Her work focuses on transparency, accountability, and aligning benefit decisions with organizational values, making her perspective especially relevant to discussions about creating more sustainable and socially responsible healthcare solutions.
Dr. Lynda Ulrich
Founder of the Goodness Exchange, Author & TEDx Speaker and Podcaster
Dr. Lynda is an expert in possibility: what can come next and how we get there. She connects us to the astounding goodness and progress in the world and shows us exactly how to discover our role in it—especially in the context of building resilient, forward-thinking organizations and families, and meaningful working lives.
With a global positive news website, a bestselling book, 2 TEDx Talks, a popular (and practical) newsletter, and a long-running podcast, she is regularly featured in media markets reaching millions around the world. Her work equips individuals and teams at every level to see opportunities others miss and to turn optimism into a practical advantage.
Upon meeting Dr. Lynda, you quickly understand the scope and gravity of what she’s uncovered in her 20-year journey to celebrate insight and innovation. She sees possibility everywhere, and her gift lies in fitting seemingly unrelated pieces together—instincts sharpened by a life as a global traveler, an exceptional artist, a business owner, and an early adopter of technology. She is the ultimate “multiplier,” inspiring others with her warmth and exuberance to bring out the best in everyone they meet.
Dr. Lynda is the founder of the Goodness Exchange, a global positive media company launched in 2013. There, her team has written and recorded thousands of articles and interviews highlighting breakthrough ideas and innovations that often go unnoticed. (And it remains the only positive news platform with a promise of no ads and no politics.) The Goodness Exchange provides a clear, evidence-based view of a world that is still full of opportunity—and helps people tap into it in their personal and working lives.
Experience has shown her that a powerful wave of goodness and progress is already well underway, yet largely overlooked by traditional narratives. She calls this hidden momentum The Conspiracy of Goodness—and believes that those who learn to see it are better equipped to contribute, collaborate, and thrive in uncertain times.
Dr. Lynda devoted her professional life to keeping the humanity in healthcare as a relationship-centered dentist for over 35 years. Having managed a team of 12–17 people, she brings an experienced, innovative business mindset and, today, through weekly conversations with global thought leaders, she shares ideas and innovations that are reshaping industries and redefining what’s possible.
Her unique strength is synthesizing these insights into clear, actionable perspectives that help individuals, teams, and organizations move forward with confidence.
In short, Dr. Lynda helps people celebrate what’s right with the world—and translate that awareness into meaningful work, stronger relationships, and organizations built to flourish.
Becky Walsh, MA, CFP®, CAP®
Founder & Financial Planner, Oak Maple Finance, LLC
Becky is a financial planner and the founder of Oak Maple Finance, where she helps individuals and families navigate complex decisions with clarity and intention. Her work sits at the intersection of money and meaning, supporting clients through moments when every option carries tradeoffs and there is no “right” answer.
A native of Oak Park, Illinois, Becky has called Vermont home since 2006. The name Oak Maple reflects both her roots and her chosen home. She believes strength and endurance can grow alongside beauty and generosity, especially in seasons of change.
Coming from a long line of business owners whose work serves their communities, Becky continues this legacy through both her firm and her involvement with organizations like All Brains Belong and the Vermont Youth Orchestra Association.
Becky’s training as a classical musician brings a thoughtful, creative, and steady presence to her work, helping people feel more grounded, capable, and clear as they move forward.
Miro Weinberger
Executive Chair, Let’s Build Homes
Mayor of Burlington (2012-2024)
Miro Weinberger was one of the longest-serving mayors in Burlington’s history, leading the city for 12 years. Before his tenure, he was a housing developer, and as mayor, he made housing a central priority—overseeing the planning, permitting and construction of more than 2,000 homes and advancing major projects like CityPlace. Weinberger is deeply committed to addressing homelessness, viewing it primarily as a housing challenge, and has worked to create policies and partnerships to expand affordable and supportive housing. The city also completed tens of millions of dollars of public parks and infrastructure projects during his tenure. His experience navigating the complexities of development, community engagement, and public policy uniquely positions him in his current role as Executive Chair of the Let’s Build Homes coalition.