Kyle Dodson is currently the CEO/President of the Greater Burlington YMCA (GBYMCA). Prior to that he was a Fixed Income trader, a College Administrator, and the founding Principal of a Charter Early Childhood/Elementary school in Dorchester, MA   

Beyond his professional connections to the community, Dodson has been deeply engaged in several organizations, including current or past service as a Corporator and then a trustee for Northfield Savings Bank, on the Burlington School Board, the ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain Board of Directors, The Conservation Law Foundation, and in his role as Co-Chair of the City of Burlington’s Ad Hoc Committee for Diversity & Equity. 

Adding to his strong professional and community background, Dodson has earned an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Vermont, an MBA in Finance and Management from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Harvard University. 

After a decade in Telecom sales in the US and Europe, Lisa Groeneveld returned to her native Vermont in 2003. She co-founded OnLogic which specializes in industrial computer hardware design and manufacturing.   

Lisa has guided the company’s strategic growth of nearly 25% year over year through her strong international business, sales and technology background. Together with husband and co-founder Roland, she has expanded OnLogic’s international efforts to develop in-house engineering, integrating the latest and most requested industrial IoT technologies. OnLogic ensures a seamless fit into complex client solutions. Today the company provides computing power for some of the world’s most well known businesses. 

She currently serves on the Intel Channel Board of Advisors, Mascoma Bank Board of Directors, The Center for Women & Enterprise Board of Directors and the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies Board of Directors. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Northeastern University.

Richard Amore is a landscape architect, urban planner, and community builder who blends his experience in community development, landscape architecture, and placemaking to spark revitalization of Vermont’s downtowns and village centers. He serves as planning and outreach manager for the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development where he works with downtowns and villages across Vermont and helps them plan and build prosperous, walkable, and inclusive communities.

Megan Sullivan is the Vice President of Government Affairs at the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, the largest statewide business organization in Vermont. In this role Megan leads the organization’s four person advocacy team in a dedicated mission of advancing the Vermont economy.  Megan came to the Vermont Chamber from her position as Executive Director of the Vermont Economic Progress Council, overseeing the State’s business incentives and statewide tax increment financing program. Prior to that, she worked as the business liaison for U.S. Senator (then a Congressman) Peter Welch. Megan lives in Jericho with her husband and two kids. 

Charlie has over 25 years’ experience as a transportation and land use planner and organization leader. Charlie has served as the Executive Director of the CCRPC since June 2008. Under Charlie’s direction, CCRPC is working with Housing Vermont and Champlain Housing Trust in leading the Building Homes Together Campaign. CCRPC also recently updated the sustainability plan for the region (ECOS Plan) with a focus on the areas of energy, transportation, and the economy and in working with the State and member municipalities on water quality projects.

Prior to joining the CCRPC, Charlie was the General Manager for New Castle County’s Department of Land Use from 2001-2008 and NCC’s Planning Manager in 2000. Previous positions include work with two other metropolitan planning organizations (Wilmington Area Planning Council (DE/MD) and Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (PA/NJ)); Burlington County, NJ County Engineer’s Office; and, the Cross County Connection Transportation Management Association in Marlton, NJ. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Cornell University and did graduate work at both Cornell University and Rutgers University.

He currently serves on a number of boards including Housing Vermont since 2013 and was elected to the position of Assistant Treasurer for the current term, Opportunities Credit Union, Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation, Vermont Association of Planning and Development Agencies, Vermont Rail Council, Chittenden County Opioid Alliance, Chittenden County Public Safety Authority, National Association of Development Organizations, and University of Vermont Medical Center’s Community Health Investment Committee.

Michael is Champlain Housing Trust’s Chief Executive Officer having joined the leadership team in December 2007 and being appointed CEO in January, 2021. He has over 40 years of community and economic development experience both at the non-profit and municipal level. He worked at Burlington’s Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO) from its creation and was its longest serving Director. Prior to CEDO, he was employed as Executive Director for several non-profit organizations including the King Street Center.

He serves on the Board of the National NeighborWorks Association, the Grounded Solutions Network and leads the CEO forum of the Housing Partnership Network. He is the Chair of HPIex, a national insurance captive that provides workers comp, health care and property and liability insurance to members of the Housing partnership Network. Michael Is a recipient of the  Con Hogan Award for Creative, Entrepreneurial, Community Leadership and has been recognized for his  work by the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board with the Mollie Beattie award. Michael is a graduate of Achieving Excellence, a leadership program of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and NeighborWorks America. He holds a BA degree from Goddard College. 

(Pronounced: Yah-sah-Meen Gor-Den)

Yasamin Gordon (she/ her) is Director of DEI Policy & Culture for Opportunity Consulting, a Washington D.C. Based equity consulting firm where she is responsible for ensuring equitable policy within the growth, innovation, and organizational culture and is responsible for monitoring projects and client engagements in order to produce the greatest possible positive impact. She is a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and social justice policy professional with 20 years of experience leading change within organizations in the Public Education, Municipal Government, Transportation, and Non-profit private sector. She holds tertiary degrees in Social Work and Applied Social Studies and has a thorough understanding of systemic racism, institutional oppression, equitable policy development, anti-racism advocacy, community outreach & inclusion practices. Yasamin most recently worked as the Equity Director for the city of Winooski, where she developed new strategies for increased civic engagement, the inclusion of diverse voices among municipal board leadership, and improved the voting process to increased opportunity for all residents. Prior to that, for 15 years she held leadership roles as the Lead Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coach and Co-Director of Behavior Systems for one of the largest public school districts in her home state of Vermont.

Her passion is working to dismantle and redevelop systems in order to successfully improve lives and increase opportunities for marginalized communities.

Dr. Gregory Rowangould is the Director of the Transportation Research Center and an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Vermont. He specializes in modeling transportation systems, transportation policy evaluation and mobile source air quality analysis. His research focuses on understanding how the design and operation of transportation systems and transportation policy affect the sustainability of communities, public health, and equity. Since moving to Vermont, he has focused greater attention on the transportation needs of smaller cities and rural communities where there are unique challenges to sustainability and economic development. Dr. Rowangould is also a member of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies standing committee on Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation.Dr. Rowangould holds a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Davis, a MS in Resource Economics and Policy from the University of Maine, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maine.

Jessie Baker serves as the City Manager of South Burlington, Vermont. Prior to serving in South Burlington, she served as Winooski’s City Manager. She has held municipal management positions with the City of Somerville, Massachusetts and the City of Montpelier, Vermont. She holds an undergraduate degree in psychology and anthropology from Columbia University and a master’s degree in planning and policy from Tufts University. Jessie sits on the boards of Champlain Housing Trust and the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. 

Elizabeth leads the Office of Sustainability at UVM, directing the implementation of the University’s first Comprehensive Sustainability Plan, with a focus on reducing UVM’s greenhouse gas emissions. Prior to taking this role, she was a senior consultant at VEIC and worked across the country to design and implement demand side energy management programs. She also helped to launch the Energy Equity Project. She did her PhD at UVM and was a co-author on the first Vermont Climate Assessment, and sits on the Data and Science Subcommittee of the Vermont Climate Council. Her background includes time as a mountain instructor with NOLS and stints as a faculty member at a small college in New Hampshire, a graduate program in Wyoming and a law school in Vermont.  Away from work, she loves trail running, backcountry skiing and anything with her husband and daughter. 

Abby Bleything is the Sustainable Transportation Program Manager at the University of Vermont. In this role, she leads the overall strategy, administration and expansion of the Active Transportation Plan and existing Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs while overseeing implementation of new alternative transportation initiatives. Previous to this role, Abby served as the Vermont’s Clean Cities Coordinator, managing a state coalition and portfolio of activities designed to decrease the use of petroleum in the transportation sector. Abby has worked in the transportation demand management (TDM) field for 11 years, with an additional 2 years working on sustainable community development projects. She is the current President of the New England Chapter of the Association for Commute Transportation. Abby holds a Master of Science degree in Urban Policy Studies, is a Certified Planner (AICP), a TDM Certified Professional (TDM-CP), a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP), and a Certified Instructor for the Safe Routes to School National Course.

Matt Boulanger is the Planning Director for the Town of Williston, Vermont. Matt has worked for Williston since 2008 and has been the Planning Director since 2018. Matt holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Saint Lawrence University and a Master’s in Sustainable Transportation from the University of Washington.  Matt grew up in nearby Monkton and now lives in South Burlington with his wife and son. Matt is fascinated by the challenges facing Williston through its planning program, including how to meet demands for growth while achieving mobility, equity, affordability, and conservation goals.   

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewboulanger 

Twitter and Instagram: @plannermattvt  

Clayton Clark has served as the General Manager of Green Mountain Transit since January 2023.  Prior to that he served as a mission support officer in the United States Air Force, managed a variety of human services programs for the State of Vermont, and led a long term care facility during the pandemic.  He has a bachelor’s degree in English from SUNY Binghamton and a master’s degree in Government from Harvard University. 

Ross started his career in State government after 12 years of working for international manufacturing companies. In 2004 he joined the NJ Department of Environmental Protection and contributed to land-use policies and Transportation Orientated Design projects. Ross and his family moved to Vermont in 2007 where he became a Public Transit Program Coordinator and created the successful Go! Vermont program for the Vermont Agency of Transportation. In December 2019, Ross was named the Public Transit Program Manager. The combination of business, environmental and transportation experience contribute to his understanding of transportation demand management (TDM) projects and opportunities.  Ross was also named the 2018 “Rural Transit Champion” by the Transportation Research Board. 

Leslie McNeice has 28 years’ experience in the manufacturing semi-conductor industry, starting with IBM in1995 and continuing with GlobalFoundries (GF) as part of a divestiture in 2015.  She began her career as an operator and worked her way into management.

For the past 22 years she has held management roles at the Essex Junction location, including multiple years as a 2nd line manager overseeing ~150 operators and 1st line managers.  In 2018 Leslie proposed, created, and implemented a centralized manufacturing training team which supports over 500 operators and their managers. She completed her degree in business from Champlain College while working full-time, took a 1-year special assignment on a LEAN transformation team, and was the Ethics and Compliance site lead for 5 years.  In 2022, Leslie lead a cross-functional team to establish and implement the first vanpool subsidy benefit program at GF’s Vermont location.

Leslie is passionate about mentoring and has helped dozens of employees establish and achieve their career goals.  She has received Leadership awards and CEO recognition for being among the top Essex Junction site managers for effectiveness and team engagement.