Sandra C. Cano, former director of commerce for the city of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, has joined the U.S. Small Business Administration as administrator for the New England Region.

A former three-term state senator in Rhode Island, Cano has a long record of advancing economic development, championing small business growth and promoting diversity and equity.

Miroslava “Mirka” Prazak, professor of anthropology at Bennington College, has been inducted as a fellow into the Vermont Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Prazak, who will retire after the spring semester, specializes in economic development and cultural change in East Africa. Her monograph "Making the Mark: Gender, Identity and Genital Cutting," was published from Ohio University Press in 2016.

State Rep. Monique Priestley, D-Bradford, has been named one of 20 recipients of the 20 Under 40 Leadership Award by the Council of State Governments.

The 20 Under 40 awards program was launched in 2020, inspired by the vision of New Hampshire Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, a devoted public servant of more than 50 years. Awardees are selected from a competitive pool of national applicants under 40 years old, based on their bipartisan work, leadership and work within a specific policy area.

Ben Mirkin, associate professor of business administration at Vermont State University, has been named Educator of the Year by the American Mountain Guides Association.