On November 18, 2009 students, parents, friends and staff gathered to participate in the induction of new members to the Stafford Technical Center Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) chapter. DECA supports skill development in marketing, entrepreneurship, sales, customer service, leadership and a host of additional business and managerial techniques which provide a direct pathway for students who intend to pursue post-secondary study or immediate employment in the world of business.

Outright Vermont announced this week that current Executive Director Christopher Neff will be leaving his position on January 1st to pursue a doctoral program in public policy at the University of Sydney in Australia.

Outright Board Chair Claire Giroux-Williams stated "While I (and all of the Board) will hate to see Chris go, we are excited for him to have these amazing opportunities, and know he will always be an important member of the Outright Family."

Chow! Bella was the setting as Northwestern Counseling & Support Services (NCSS) celebrated four staff members that have served the organization for twenty years or more. Three of the staff members work in the Developmental Services division while the fourth member is from the Behavioral Health Services division.

Robert Hofmann, Pamela Mackenzie and Scott Milne have been elected to the board of directors of Vermont Public Television, Vermont's statewide public television network.

Hofmann, of Waterbury Center, Vt., has been Vermont’s secretary of human services since 2008. Before that, he was the state’s commissioner of finance and management, then commissioner of corrections.

Best Lawyers, a respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, has named Paul H. Ode Jr. as the “Burlington Best Lawyers Corporate Lawyer of the Year” for 2010. Ode is the managing partner at Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC, where he also practices as a member and former chair of the Business Law Practice Group.

Shelburne Museum Senior Curator Jean Burks has been recognized for her book Shaker Design: Out of this World. Historic New England awarded the book its Honor Book prize. The annual award recognizes books or catalogues that advance the understanding of the architecture, landscape and material culture of New England and the United States from the 17th century to the present.

The Vermont and the New Hampshire Valley Region of the American Red Cross announces the appointment of Michael Sullivan to the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer. Sullivan will be responsible for supporting Red Cross chapter operations and volunteer engagement at each of the three chapters across the 12,000 square mile region that covers all of Vermont and the upper valley of New Hampshire.

Natalie Hubbs, of Stowe, and Harriet Grenier, of Waterbury, were recently elected Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, of the Central Vermont Friends of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. The appointments are effective January 1, 2010.