Current News

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Dr. Marlene Tromp officially began her tenure today as the 28th president of the University of Vermont, marking a new chapter in the university’s leadership. Middlebury College also has a new president starting today, as Ian Baucom takes over from Laurie Patton. Tromp joins UVM after six years as president of Boise State University. UVM’s Board of Trustees announced her selection as the university’s next president on March 20, 2025. Baucom was provost at UVA from 2022, prior to which he worked for eight years as Dean of its College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Middlebury announced his selection for the presidency on January 22.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State University is sponsoring this year’s Ninety-Nines International Conference, taking place in Burlington from July 9-13, 2025. The non-profit organization, made up of thousands of licensed women pilots spanning 44 countries, hosts this annual, prestigious international gathering to bring together aviators, industry professionals, and advocates for women in aviation. As part of the event, Vermont State University (VTSU) will be showcasing its Professional Pilot Technology program, which is the only one of its kind in the state. The program is designed to prepare students for careers as professional commercial pilots, offering hands-on training, expert instruction, and direct pathways into the aviation industry.

Vermont Business Magazine Northwestern Medical Center (NMC) celebrates a milestone this June as their next cohort of nursing pathway students advance after completing a year of prerequisite health courses to their Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) coursework at Vermont State University (VTSU). LPN is the first nursing credential in a stepped licensure training program, leading to Registered Nursing, one of the most critical professions in the NMC healthcare system. Each participant is an NMC employee who is sponsored through a comprehensive three-year earn and learn program designed to help earn Registered Nurse licensure (RN). 

Vermont Business Magazine The Delta Dental Institute released its 2024 Community Impact Report, highlighting more than $119 million in investments to improve oral health across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. These efforts impacted over 15 million lives nationwide, reinforcing Delta Dental's role as the nation's largest oral health philanthropist. This initiative impacts over 419,000 lives in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, including an $8.2 million investment by Northeast Delta Dental.

Vermont Business Magazine On Tuesday, June 20, Burlington School District’s food services program, Burlington School Food Project, began providing meals at no charge to kids 18 and under. Meals are offered in four different locations around the city. Children simply need to stop by the site to pick up a free meal. No fees, no registration - just show up! The program runs Monday-Friday until August 7, with the exception of July 4. In addition to offering individual meals, Burlington School Food Project is excited to announce that we will be offering FREE, 7-day meal boxes this summer.

by Vermont Auditor of Accounts Doug Hoffer The Governor recently signed Act 57 into law. The bill relates to emergency management and flood response. We were especially interested in this legislation having completed recent audits of the State’s Hazard Mitigation Plan and the Agency of Natural Resource’s Dam Safety Program. Our audit of the 2018 State Hazard Mitigation Plan found that the State completed just 33% of the mitigation actions it called for. That included less than 50% of the actions identified as “priority” actions in the plan. We made a series of recommendations to the Administration to improve this performance. Our audit of the Dam Safety Program found that a number of State-owned and privately-owned High Hazard Potential dams are in poor condition and have been so for a long time. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermonters concerned about the state’s threatened bees and other pollinators are celebrating the July 1, 2025, implementation of legislation to restrict the application of toxic neonicotinoid pesticides in the state. On June 17, 2024, Vermont legislators overrode Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of H.706 (now Act 182) that phases out the use of nearly all bee-killing neonic pesticides. New York State enacted similar legislation, known as the Birds and Bees Protection Act, in 2023. However, organizations are concerned that the Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets will miss a July 1 rulemaking deadline mandated by the Vermont Legislature to establish best management practices that would further reduce the use of neonics across all sectors, providing additional protections to pollinators and the environment.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that David Ainsworth, 44, of Lyndonville, Vermont, was sentenced in Vermont Superior Court, Caledonia Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to one felony count of Promoting a Recording of Sexual Conduct and one felony count of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. The Court, Judge Michael R. Kainen presiding, sentenced Ainsworth to two to ten years in jail, all suspended except one month, and a 10-year term of probation with conditions that require completion of sex offender programming, limit his contact with children, and restrict his access to the internet. If Ainsworth violates the terms of his probation, he faces up to ten years in jail. Ainsworth is also required to register as a sex offender for 10 years after his successful completion of probation. 

Vermont Business Magazine First Children’s Finance VT is happy to announce the latest round of Make Way for Kids Infant/Toddler Capacity Building Grants, awarding over $360,000 to 29 child care programs across Vermont. These grants are designed to help early childhood entrepreneurs open or expand programs that serve infants and toddlers, addressing one of the most pressing shortages in Vermont’s child care system. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Colleges (VSC) Chancellor Elizabeth Mauch today announced the system will conclude development of its proposed Dental Therapy Program at Vermont State University, citing findings from a comprehensive feasibility assessment commissioned by the chancellor earlier this year that determined the program is not financially or operationally sustainable at this time. VTSU, meanwhile, continues with its plans to expand its existing Dental Hygiene Program, which already plays a critical role in providing preventive oral health care across the state. With $6.2 million in newly secured federal funding, the university will double enrollment in its dental hygiene program beginning in Fall 2027 from 24 to 48 students per year. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that Christopher Poczobut, 52, formerly of Rutland, Vermont, was arraigned today on one misdemeanor count of Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult and six felony counts of Fraud or Deceit Involving a Regulated Drug. The charges brought against Poczobut are the result of an investigation conducted by the Vermont Secretary of State Office of Professional Regulation. Poczobut was employed as a licensed practical nurse at St. Joseph Kervick Residence, a residential care facility for vulnerable adults located in Rutland, Vermont. In this role, Poczobut is alleged to have fraudulently obtained or misadministered a patient’s methylphenidate (Ritalin), and to have entered false information into the patient’s medical record.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Friends of Vermont Public Education (FVPE) announced the filing of two formal ethics complaints against Senators Seth Bongartz and Scott Beck, citing serious concerns about conflicts of interest during the development and passage of H.454, Vermont’s far-reaching education reform bill. The complaints, filed with the Senate Ethics Committee by FVPE board member Geo Honigford, detail how both senators, while serving on the Committee of Conference that shaped the final bill, pushed for provisions that would directly benefit independent schools they are closely connected to.