Leadership Champlain

💥 🚀 🎓 Congratulations to the Class of 2026! 💥 🚀 🎓 You did it! We look forward to seeing the impact you'll continue to make in your organizations, communities, and across Vermont. Round of applause for:

David Qian, 802 Group
Gabriella Stevens, Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD)
Elise Genereux, Common Good Vermont
Sue Verro, Community Bank N.A.
Anne Rosenblum, Dinse P.C.
Nick Erly, Dinse P.C.
Beth Dailey, EastRise Credit Union
Ibby Wilson, EastRise Credit Union
Colleen Perron, Freeman French Freeman
Michael Shapiro, Gallagher Flynn & Company. LLP
Michael Coster, GlobalFoundries
Chris Bohórquez, Gravel & Shea PC
Eleanor Moody, Gravel & Shea PC
Karisa Thompson, Lund
Garrett Allen, M&T Bank/Wilmington Trust
Emilie Tetu, SHRM-CP, Mack Molding
Ben Gilbert, Milton Family Community Center
Rachel Conner, NBT Bank
Sasha Kauert, PC Construction Company
Madison Prokott, Primmer Piper Eggleston & Cramer
Francis DiMora, Sheehey Furlong & Behm
Kim Geyer, Stewart Construction
Lisa Grefe, United Way of Northwest Vermont
Miriam Mukurazita, University of Vermont
Summer Colley, UVM Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships
Shelby McGarry, UVM Medical Center
Julia Spelman, Vermont Energy Investment Corporation
Katie French, Vermont Mechanical
Jane Wolforth, Wake Robin
Emily Hayes, Westport Hospitality

Appreciation goes to all the graduation speakers who helped us mark the occasion yesterday – Matt Plasse, Jessica Lukas, Catherine Davis – and special thank you to our commencement speaker, Ben Traverse, class of 2017, for the delightfully entertaining and insightful speech.

Thank you to our presenting sponsor, Community Bank, N.A., for their ongoing support of the program and future leaders in Vermont. Appreciation also goes to our community sponsors, Leonardo's Pizza, Davis & Hodgdon Associates CPAs, and Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center!

Class of 2027, here we come! 🚀

⏰ Today is the final day to apply for the Leadership Champlain Class of 2027.

This is a real, nine-month experience built to stretch perspective, grow confidence, and connect you with people shaping this region from every angle.
You’ll meet leaders, wrestle with real issues, build lasting relationships, and likely surprise yourself somewhere along the way.

Financial assistance is available and the registration fee can be waived. We want this program available to as many as are willing to step up. 🪜

Leadership Champlain - Lake Champlain Chamber Leadership Champlain is a professional development and community engagement program with a mission to foster growth and leadership in professionals.

From riding backward bikes to better understand how our brains work, to building chocolate models of Taft’s Corners to visualize future housing dynamics, to engaging regional experts on energy challenges – this year’s Energy and Environment Day was full of creative, hands-on learning.

Photo credit goes to our talented Advisory Board member, Sandra Lucia, of Vermont Gas Systems (VGS)!

Applications for the Class of 2027 are open. Learn more and apply at leadershipchamplain.org.

Spring is here and Leadership Champlain alumni are invited to join the Class of 2026 for a meaningful day of service in our community.

On May 1, we’ll gather at the Ethan Allen Homestead for a volunteer planting event in partnership with the Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District and Winooski Valley Park District. Details and sign up in the link below!

We'll meet at 8:30 a.m. sharp and will plant as many of the 700 native trees and shrubs as we can before noon. Stay longer if you're able!

We hope you’ll join us – both to give back and to engage with the next generation of leaders shaping our region.

https://web.vermont.org/events/Leadership-Champlain-Intervale-Day-and-Alumni-Gathering-5401/details

First day of spring here in Vermont. 🌷 (Ignore that snow piling up.) It's a good time to start something new!

Leadership Champlain applications are open for the Class of 2027. If you’ve been thinking about growing your network, sharpening your leadership skills, or getting more connected to what’s happening across our region – this is a solid next step.

Know someone who should be at the table? Send them this.

Deadline is April 21.

Apply: leadershipchamplain.org

On Tuesday, our 2026 Leadership Champlain cohort came together for Healthcare Day, hosted at UVM Health - UVM Medical Center. This year’s leadership theme – Evolution – is evident in all corners of our state, and in all conversations about the needed of Vermont’s health care delivery system, to best serve Vermonters today and into the future.

We began with an open conversation with Stephen Leffler, President & COO of UVM Medical Center and CEO of UVM Health. We dove into the current state of healthcare in Vermont – our population, our surroundings, and issues that are all inextricably linked – pressures on property taxes, education funding, housing availability, and healthcare cost and access challenges. Steve spoke about UVM Health’s ongoing focus to partner with other hospitals and healthcare providers across the state to address affordability and access.

In a panel discussion with Kathy Benoit (NOTCH (Northern Tier Center for Health)), Cara Krebs (Howard Center) and Sena Meilleur (OneDigital), the group discussed the many social determinants of health. Safe housing, reliable transportation, access to healthy food, economic security, social – they all influence our health outcomes, and these organizations are doing incredible work to keep our community healthy!

During the leader interview with Owen Foster, Chair of the Green Mountain Care Board, we reflected on the healthcare challenges Vermont faces and the role of the regulatory board in addressing healthcare . The cohort learned about Chair Foster’s professional background as a prosecutor, the professional experiences of his fellow Board members, and the different lens each member brings to the Green Mountain Care Board when making consequential rate and hospital budget decisions.

In the afternoon, we team got behind-the-scenes, hands-on practice in the UVM Clinical Simulation Laboratory, the central hub for healthcare education which provides high-quality, educational experiences to improve learner competency and patient safety. The ‘sim lab’ is a partnership between the University of Vermont, the Larner College of Medicine, and UVM Medical Center. We saw great medical skills in our group!

Thank you to the 2026 Leadership Champlain cohort and all of the day’s presenters and collaborators for their partnership and engagement. We know that Vermont’s healthcare system is at a critical inflection point – and it impacts the economic stability of our state, is affected by the demographic changes we are experiencing, and will depend on the work of so many to chart an affordable, sustainable path forward.

Huge thanks to our intrepid Advisory Board Planning Committee for helping put together such a dynamic day – Jennifer Kaulius, Kim Anderson and Tim Vartanian. Rock stars, the lot of ya.

If this sounds like something you'd like to dig into, applications for the Class of 2027 are open. More info at: LeadershipChamplain.org

Applications are now open for the Class of 2027 of Leadership Champlain. 🎉

– If you care deeply about the future of the Lake Champlain region…
– If you want to expand your network beyond your industry silo…
– If you’re ready to explore the systems, challenges, and opportunities shaping Northwest Vermont…

This program is built for you.

Leadership Champlain brings together a diverse cohort of leaders from across sectors to learn, connect, and stretch. Over the course of the program, participants engage with regional issues, build lasting relationships, and grow the kind of leadership that strengthens our entire community. 🌱

The Class of 2027 starts this fall, and we are looking for individuals who are curious, committed, and ready to lead with purpose. 🚀

Apply here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LeadershipChamplainApplication

Tag someone below who should be in the room. 👇

Leadership Champlain Application Thanks for your interest in Leadership Champlain!

Leadership Champlain’s Business & Economy Day!

On December 9, 2025, we came together under the theme of “Resiliency” for an incredible day of learning and connection. From touring Vermont’s manufacturing leaders—Birnn Chocolates of Vermont, Rhino Foods, Inc., Vermont Smoke & Cure, and Hazelett Corporation—to engaging in deep discussions about our state’s economic trends, the day showcased the strength and adaptability of Vermont’s business community.

Highlights included an economic overview from Matt Barewicz Labor Market Information Director, an inspiring conversation with Lucia Campriello, CEO of Hula and a dynamic panel on Vermont’s economic landscape and the craft beverage industry, with Ryan Chaffin Director of Operations at Farrell Distributing, Ryan Christiansen President and Head Distiller of Barr Hill by Caledonia Spirits and Eleanor Leger Founder of Eden Specialty Ciders.

Specials thanks to Catherine Davis and Matt Plasse for the insights they shared with the cohort and Michelle Buswell, Tim Vartanian, Matthew Sjoblom, Alex Bunten for making it all possible.

This day reinforced why leadership and collaboration matter in shaping Vermont’s future.

Interested in learning more? Get involved with the Lake Champlain Chamber—whether through Leadership Champlain, advocacy, LaunchVT supporting local businesses, or staying informed on policy developments. Together, we can drive economic growth and opportunity in Vermont!
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