Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility welcomed three new members to the organization’s board of directors. They are John Kim, graduate programs career adviser at the University of Vermont Grossman School of Business; Karen Lawson, co-owner and chief impact officer of Lawson’s Finest Liquids; and Kate Ogden, head of advocacy and movement building at Seventh Generation.
“We are honored to have John, Karen and Kate join VBSR’s board,” said VBSR Executive Director Roxanne Vought. “They each bring such unique perspectives to our work of building a just, thriving and transformative economy while expanding the already rich tapestry of industries, geographies, business types and identities that make for a strong and effective board of directors.”
In his role at the Grossman School of Business, Kim supports the next generation of changemakers as they leave higher education to build better organizations and a better society. Over his career, Kim has worked at community-based nonprofits, large international NGOs and spent 10 years at The Walt Disney Company and Herman Miller driving positive social and environmental change.
Among her many duties at Lawson's Finest Liquids, Lawson oversees the company's values-based Social Impact Program, which works to support thriving communities. Her past, part-time roles at Lawson’s have spanned from overseeing wholesale distribution logistics to taking on chief creative officer duties when the Waitsfield brewery, taproom and retail store were launched.
At Seventh Generation, Ogden leads the company’s advocacy work in the US and globally through partnership with movement-leading NGOs. She oversees Seventh Generation’s engagement in organizing spaces dedicated to the business community’s advocacy for climate justice, democracy, reproductive freedom and other values-led issues.