Dover, VT – 24 Southern Vermont Emerging Leaders were recognized on May 12th during the 9th annual Southern Vermont Economy Summit. The recognition event, conducted by the Southern Vermont Young Professionals and the Shires Young Professionals, celebrates young people from the Bennington and Windham regions. Individuals are nominated each year based on their work as community leaders and volunteers, and for their professional accomplishments and commitment to serving the region. The celebration was sponsored by the Vermont Community Foundation and Vermont State University Road to Success.
When nominated, each Emerging Leader was asked to share their thoughts and hopes for Southern Vermont. Many spoke to the importance of community connection and the importance of showing up for one another. “I see Vermont’s future as one where innovation supports tradition and communities continue to thrive. I hope to contribute by helping create opportunities that allow people to live, work, and build meaningful connections in the state,” said Analee Patel, an architectural designer and project manager at Centerline Architects & Planners in Bennington. “I am motivated not just to be part of this community, but to plant roots and contribute to its continued renewal and resilience.”
Mary Page, the Director of Marketing at the Vermont Country Store is deeply invested in supporting workforce retention, mentoring others, and helping new residents establish roots here in Southern Vermont. “For me, Southern Vermont isn’t just a scenic backdrop; it is a community where professional ambition and a deeply rooted intentional lifestyle coexist,” she said. “This transparency and connection were a revelation, fostering a sense of belonging I hadn’t experienced elsewhere.”
Building a sustainable future through opportunity and access was also frequently noted as a vital part of our region’s future, and many of the 2026 Emerging Leaders are tackling this through their various fields including environmental, economic, and community resilience programs. “I believe Vermont’s future depends on communities that feel equipped to respond to challenges together, and I am proud to contribute to work that helps make systems more accessible, humane, and relationship-centered,” said Kaci Viado, the Director of Restorative Justice programs at Interaction: Restorative Justice and Youth Services.
Many of the 2026 Emerging Leaders have grown up here and say they have chosen to stay or return because of their fierce love for and belief in this place. An equal number are fairly new to Vermont, and have sought out opportunities to support and enhance the communities they’ve so quickly fallen in love with.
“The people and the community that they form are what makes Vermont so beautiful. When I signed my first lease in North Bennington, I did not know a single person and I wasn’t sure how long I would stay. Less than five years later, I’ve opened a bagel shop and purchased a home. This community embraced me, the neighbors supported me, and these friends feel like family. The decision was easy,” said Lauren Carifio, Owner of Bennington Bagel Company.
All of the 2026 Southern Vermont Emerging Leaders will be nominated for the Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Rising Star awards. Visit sovermontzone.com/emerging-leaders to learn about each of the 2026 Southern Vermont Emerging Leaders and see past awardees.
2026 Emerging Leaders of Southern Vermont
| Andrea Ameden, Bennington County Lauren Carifio, Bennington County Heather Davis Miller, Bennington County Steve DeTeso, Bennington County Lachlan Francis, Windham Region Krista Gay, Windham Region Morgan Gero, Windham Region Hannah Gianotti, Bennington County Maddie Grant, Windham Region Jessica Lockie, Windham Region James Mayer, Windham Region Noah Morgan, Windham Region | Dylan Moss, Bennington County Leah Murdock, Windham Region Deja O’Grady, Bennington County Mary Page, Bennington County Analee Patel, Bennington County Kegan Refalo, Windham Region Ryan Rogge, Bennington County Jack Rossiter-Munley, Bennington County Emma Spett, Windham Region Kaci Viado, Windham Region Sayed Zaki Sadat, Bennington County Julia Zema, Bennington County |
About the Southern Vermont Economy Summit
The Southern Vermont Economy Summit is a daylong learning and networking event for municipal, community and business leaders that focuses on the long-term development of Southern Vermont’s economy. The Summit is a joint effort of the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC), Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategy (SeVEDS), Bennington County Regional Commission (BCRC) and the Bennington Regional Economic Development Group (RED Group).
About Southern Vermont Young Professionals
The Southern Vermont Young Professionals is a workforce initiative of Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) and the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC). Our mission is to attract, retain and support Young Professionals in Southern Vermont by providing engaging opportunities and networking through social and educational events, and volunteer opportunities. The YP initiative is increasingly important to Southern Vermont’s businesses and communities as a strategic approach to growing the region’s workforce and increasing the number of younger households. For more information, please visit https://brattleborodevelopment.com/sovtyps/
About Shires Young Professionals
The mission of the Shires Young Professionals is to help young professionals and families create deep roots in our community that encourage them to stay and build a prosperous life in the Shires of Vermont. SYP looks to engage, emerge, and empower young professionals throughout the region. SYP events, programs and gatherings are open to all people, but the group’s programming focuses on young workers in their 20s through 40s in Bennington County. More information at www.ShiresYP.com.
About BDCC and SeVEDS
Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) is a private, nonprofit economic development organization with the mission of investing in the drivers of the regional economy so that people, businesses, and communities in Southern Vermont can thrive. In addition to its private nonprofit leadership role in regional business acceleration and expansion programs and projects, economic, workforce, and community development programming, BDCC is also contracted to carry out the work of one of the twelve the State of Vermont’s certified Regional Development Corporations (RDC) for the greater Windham County area (including Windham County and the towns of Readsboro, Searsburg, Winhall, and Weston). BDCC’s activity is made possible in part by a grant from the State of Vermont through the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. For more information, visit: https://brattleborodevelopment.com/
Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) is an affiliate of BDCC that grew from a 2008 grassroots effort, initiated by BDCC, to reverse the economic decline of the Windham Region and plan for the economic impacts from the closure of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. In 2014, after multiple years of regional input, education and data gathering, SeVEDS submitted the Windham Region’s federally recognized S.M.A.R.T. Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for federal approval. For more information, visit www.seveds.com.
