The Northeast Kingdom Council on Aging recently welcomed Jessica Bussiere, former personal care assistant at Aris Solutions in White River Junction, as case manager for the southern Caledonia County area. In her new role, Bussiere will support older and disabled adults who seek to live independently and age well.

Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas has tapped Kevin Rushing for director of the state Office of Professional Regulation, which provides public protection by regulating 51 professions with approximately 85,000 licensees. He succeeds Lauren Hibbert, who now serves as deputy secretary of state.

“Kevin has extensive leadership and organizational knowledge, and we are confident that he will be a strong leader within the secretary of state’s office,” Copeland Hanzas said.

Matthew Senter, former senior vice president of commercial lending for the Middlebury branch of Yankee Farm Credit, has joined Agri-Access, a leading provider of secondary market financing for agriculture, forest products and rural real estate across the nation, as vice president of lender relations for the Vermont and New England market.

Jennifer R LaChance, former physician assistant at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, MA, has joined Southwestern Vermont Medical Center Orthopedics and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Putnam Physicians. LaChance will practice out of SVMC’s Williamstown, MA, location, Northern Berkshire Orthopedics.

LaChance is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University and holds a master’s in health sciences and a physician assistant certificate from Duke University.