Thursday evening the Vermont State Colleges (VSC) System Board of Trustees inducted its second alumni Hall of Fame class and raised over $110,000 for student scholarships. “The strong show of support for the Vermont State Colleges and our students exceeded our expectations. We are very grateful for the recognition of the critical role the VSC plays in the state’s economy and in opening doors of opportunity for Vermonters,” said VSC Chancellor Jeb Spaulding.

Twenty entrepreneurs throughout the state have been selected to participate in a free business course starting April 21 at Vermont Technical College in Williston, Vt. Emerging Leaders is a Small Business Administration training program specifically tailored for entrepreneurs looking to grow their small businesses. The program includes approximately 100 hours of classroom time, connects small business owners with a network of industry experts and peers, and assists with the creation of a three-year strategic growth action plan.

The Rutland law firm of Facey Goss & McPhee PC is proud to announce that it has added M Kate Thomas to its staff of attorneys. Kate, a native of Avon Lake, Ohio, earned her BA in Philosophy from Green Mountain College. She graduated with honors from Vermont Law School in 2013. Since obtaining her law license, Kate has served the Rutland area as a general practice attorney, most recently as a Vermont Defender General contract attorney in the Juvenile Division. Kate’s practice will focus in the areas of family law, criminal defense, bankruptcy and civil litigation.

Eva Loomis, owner of NEST Professional Organizing, wants you to know: She’s passionate about organizing and wants to help others enjoy the benefits of it, too. Based in Vermont’s Upper Valley, NEST serves both situationally and chronically disorganized clients in New Hampshire and Vermont. Project services range from downsizing and simplifying to regrouping after a loved one has passed, preparing for a new addition in the home or a lifestyle transition, and emotional attachment.

The Nate Malley Team at Keller Williams Vermont announces that Elise Polli has been awarded the 2016 Top Buyer's Agent for KW VT for the second year in a row, with a GCI of $16 million in 2016. The Nate Malley Team was ranked #2 in total closed volume in 2016. Polli currently serves on the board of the Associate Council on Leadership (ACL) and has been with KW since 2014.

Dr Christopher Lukonis has joined Gifford Health Care to lead a new Addiction Medicine section of the Behavioral Health Department. A board-certified psychiatrist also certified in addiction medicine, Lukonis brings nearly 14 years’ experience as an addiction specialist. He most recently served as the medical director of Central Vermont Addiction Medicine in Berlin, Vermont. “I like to help patients understand that addiction is a medical condition that can be treated. Bad behaviors come with the addiction, but that doesn’t mean the person is bad,” he said.

John T Broderick, Jr, former Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court and Dean of the University of New Hampshire School of Law, will join Dartmouth-Hitchcock as Senior Director for Public Affairs. Broderick has long been a prominent and effective advocate on issues of vital importance to the people of the State of New Hampshire, most recently as a tireless advocate for the Campaign to Change Direction New Hampshire, the first statewide effort to advance a national initiative to change the culture of mental health.