Red River announced three strategic hires immediately augmenting its presence in the Northeast enterprise market. Rick Scott, former Business Development Manager at Windstream and Jon Provost, former Account Manager at Level 3 Communications have joined the team as regional Account Executives. Sebastian Szykier formerly working with Simplex Grinnell / Tyco has also joined as a Solutions Architect focusing on designing and deploying networking and datacenter solutions.

The Vermont Specialty Food Association has elected Jack Gilbert as President. Gilbert owns and operates Gringo Jack’s, a popular restaurant in Manchester, VT and producer of tortilla chips, salsa and related products. Also elected were Laurie Callahan of Cabot Creamery as Vice President and Bob Christoffel of Creative Labels as Secretary-Treasurer.

In addition, Roger Myers of Lake Champlain Chocolates was re-elected to serve on the organization’s board of directors.

Seven Days, Vermont’s free, independent weekly newspaper, is pleased to announce its new production manager is John James.

James comes to Seven Days directly from the Burlington Free Press, where he worked as the lead graphic designer in the editorial department for four and a half years. Prior to the Free Press, James worked as a page designer at the Plattsburgh Press Republican and at the Utica Observer-Dispatch. James is a central New York native.

University of Vermont College of Medicine Dean Frederick C. Morin, III, M.D., and Fletcher Allen Health Care President and CEO John R. Brumsted, M.D., have announced that Ira Bernstein, M.D., professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences and senior associate dean for research at the College of Medicine, and a specialist in Maternal Fetal Medicine at Fletcher Allen, has been named the John Van Sicklen Maeck Chair of the UVM department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences and physician leader of the Women’s Health Care Service at Fletcher Allen.

Yestermorrow Design/Build School’s Executive Director Kate Stephenson has been selected as a 2012 Aspen Environment Forum Scholar. The Forum Scholars will attend the fifth annual Aspen Environment Forum June 22-25, 2012 in Aspen, CO, which will explore the theme Living in the New Normal. The Aspen Environment Forum Scholars Program is designed to bring diverse and accomplished leaders to the Forum who might not otherwise be able to attend.

NBT Bank Regional President Matt Durkee announced that Christopher Quintin has been promoted to vice president.

Quintin is market manager for NBT Financial Group, a division of NBT Bank, that provides services related to trust, investments, insurance and retirement. The group manages and administers assets of approximately $3.9 billion. He is based in the bank’s regional office at 150 Bank Street in Burlington, Vt.

Twenty-two of the nation's most innovative young researchers were named Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The Scholars join a prestigious community that includes Nobel Prize winners, MacArthur Fellows, and recipients of the Albert Lasker Medical Research Award.