Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) leaders and staff gathered Tuesday, November 1 at the Mount Anthony Country Club to honor employees for their service to the organization’s mission. One award every year is presented for each of the organization’s five core values: quality, empathy, safety, teamwork, and stewardship. The employees who received the awards are noted standard bearers and role models within the organization.

The TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, recently donated a $1,000 Non-Profit Training Resource Fund Award to the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) as part of the foundation’s commitment to giving back to the community. The funds from the TD Charitable Foundation enabled Kate Larose, Director of CVOEO’s Financial Futures Program, to join Snelling Center for Government’s nine month Vermont Leadership Institute.

The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) has launched a new initiative to assist the forest products industry in creating and retaining quality jobs and opening additional markets for locally produced wood products.

Inntopia is very pleased to announce that Jonathan Little has recently joined the Software Development team as Lead Developer. Jonathan comes to Inntopia with fifteen years of experience developing software on the Microsoft platform. Previous to Inntopia, he worked as a Lead Application Developer at Residential Mortgage Services, Inc. Jonathan earned a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the University of Southern Maine, and is based out of his home in Portland, ME.

Patricia (Trish) M. Sears of Lowell has been named Publisher of the Newport Daily Express (NDE). The announcement was made to employees Friday who were anxiously waiting to hear who would be taking over as leader of the business. As she spoke with the staff she was met with enthusiasm, relief, hope and applause. Sears has a long history of successfully leading organizations. Among many other achievements Sears was the founder and executive director of the Newport Renaissance Corporation (NCRC).

Darn Tough Vermont, the American manufacturer of the fastest growing collection of performance outdoor and lifestyle socks, welcomes John “JT” Thoubboron to the team as the new Director of Customer Service. After nearly 30 years working in the industry, JT brings extensive experience providing world-class customer service for some of the most notable brands in the outdoor space.

Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor Jennifer Pelletier has joined Gifford’s Behavioral Health team, expanding access to substance abuse disorder treatment services. This newly-created position is supported by federal funding received last spring to expand addiction medicine and substance use disorder treatment services in Vermont. As well as counseling patients, Pelletier is working closely with Gifford’s primary care practices to implement a screening and referral process that will identify patients at-risk for alcohol and substance dependence.