The University of Vermont has appointed Polly Ericksen as the inaugural director of the Food Systems Research Center, a collaborative partnership between UVM and the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service.
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Shelden Goodwin, political outreach director at Vermont Conservation Voters since 2019, has joined the Vermont Democratic Party as finance director, effective July 11. In her new role, Goodwin will lead the party’s strategic fundraising efforts, ensuring a well-funded, sustainable Vermont Democratic Party through this election and well beyond.
Eric Covey, chief of staff to Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos, has been appointed to the board of directors of the CCTV Center for Media & Democracy.
Encore Renewable Energy, a leading community scale solar and energy storage developer in Burlington, has hired the following new staff members since January:
Nicole LaBrecque, Carl Paschetag and Colin Reid, all of South Burlington, have been promoted to senior vice president positions at PC Construction in recognition of their contributions toward company growth and strategic goals.
Kimberley Sampson, MD, an OB/GYN at SVMC Obstetrics and Gynecology in Bennington — part of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and Southwestern Vermont Health Care — has earned a certification from the Strategic Centre for Obesity Professional Education.
Vermont Law and Graduate School has named longtime professor and administrator Shirley Jefferson as vice president for community engagement and government affairs. Jefferson, the school's former associate dean for student affairs and diversity, becomes the school’s first vice president of color.
Kelly Watson, former chief nursing officer at UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital in Colorado, has been named vice president and CNO at Rutland Regional Medical Center. In her new role, Watson will oversee a nursing workforce of more than 1,100 advanced practice registered nurses, registered nurses, licensed nursing assistants and licensed practical nurses.
Hyperbaric Vermont has welcomed Jenna Scott, ND, to the staff of its Montpelier and South Burlington treatment center, and Liz Baum and Bill Berman to its board of directors.
The Northeast Kingdom Council on Aging has hired Pam Moon as volunteer enhancement coordinator working in its St Johnsbury office. Moon joins the agency from Northern Vermont Regional Hospital, where she served as a hospital entrance screener team leader, making sure patients, employees and visitors followed COVID-19 guidelines.
Governor Phil Scott has appointed Kevin Gaffney as commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation and Emily Brown as the department’s deputy commissioner of insurance.
Rebecca Aslakson, MD, PhD, an anesthesiologist and expert in palliative care, has been appointed as the next chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, effective Sept 1.