The Middlebury Inn is pleased to announce the hiring in late November of Phil Gaulin as the Executive Chef. Chef Gaulin comes from Greenville, South Carolina, where he was the Executive Sous Chef at the Westin Poinsett, a 200 room historic property in downtown Greenville. Prior to that he worked for 5 years on Kiawah Island for the Kiawah Island Golf Resort. He is a graduate of the well respected culinary program at Johnson and Wales in Charleston, South Carolina.

Rep. Peter Welch has hired Waterbury native Megan Sullivan Rodriguez to serve as his liaison to Vermont’s business community. Megan, who will begin work on Monday March 12th, will undertake a statewide tour of Vermont’s businesses in her first weeks on the job. She will work out of Welch’s Burlington office.

Tess Kennedy has joined the Vermont Grocers Association as Director of Members Services, a new position. She joined the organization from the Vermont Association of Realtors, where she served at Education Director and Professional Standards Administrator. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. In her new role with VGA, Kennedy will coordinate events and meetings for the organization’s members and help develop value added programs and services.

The National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Care Nurses (NBCHPN®) recently certified Angela DeMasi, RN in palliative care (CHPN). Ms. DeMasi is a care coordinator at Central Vermont Medical Center.

“It is rewarding to help people maximize the quality of their life when they have advanced illness,” noted Angela. “Palliative care helps patients live their life to the fullest.”

John Mitchell, former general manager of Champlain Oil (parent company of Jiffy Mart Stores) was recognized at the recent Vermont Grocers & Retailers legislative luncheon as the recipient of the National Grocers Association Spirit of America Award the Vermont Grocers Association Person of the Year. The luncheon was held in Montpelier on February 23 and attended by approximately 200 including industry members, state legislators and officials.

David Provost, Deputy Commissioner of Captive Insurance in the Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities & Health Care Administration (BISHCA) has been named among the most important captive insurance professionals in the world.

BAYADA Hospice, a specialty of BAYADA Home Health Care, is proud to announce the appointment of Jeanne T. Comouche of S. Burlington as hospice community liaison for its Burlington service office.

Comouche is responsible for educating the community about the benefits of hospice care and the comprehensive range of services BAYADA Hospice provides – not only for those at end-of-life but for the family and friends as well. BAYADA Hospice provides the highest quality end-of-life services so patients can remain at home with comfort, independence, and dignity.

Kelley Jordick, Community Banking Division Manager at Merchants Bank, announced the appointment of David Landry as Community Banking Manager in the White River Junction office.

“David is a talented bank manager and leader with a strong commitment to his local community,” Jordick said. “He brings considerable retail banking management skills and more than 20 years in retail sales and operations management to the position. We are excited to have him join our White River Junction team.”

Tricia N. Hayes has been named Public Information Officer for the Town of Manchester’s Roundabout Project effective April 1, 2012. The 18-month appointment will provide residents and travelers with up-to-date information on the construction progress at the intersection of Routes 11/30, 7A and 30.

Diantha Korzun, AIA, LEED AP, of TruexCullins Architecture and Interior Design has been elected President of the American Institute of Architects, Vermont Chapter.

Korzun, an architect with TruexCullins since 2007, is the project manager on current projects including, the King Arthur Flour Expansion Project and the Anglo-American School of Sofia, in Bulgaria. She is also currently the LEED Team Administrator for the International Community School at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. She has served on the