Saturday, Sept. 12 — RUTLAND — Representatives from Rutland Young Professionals (RYP), Castleton Downtown and the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET) have finalized the schedule for the first ever Young Professionals Summit of Vermont and announced the list of expected guests.
The summit will be hosted at the Paramount Theatre in Downtown Rutland on Saturday, Sept. 12 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Vermonters in their 20s, 30s or 40s, regardless of their job, is invited to attend the event.
UVM’s coordinator of design initiatives, Eugene Korsunskiy, will lead a morning workshop to identify Vermont’s unique advantages and disadvantages and brainstorm ideas to support the growth of young professionals within the state. Several distinguished guests are expected to participate in the morning session, including U.S. Representative Peter Welch, Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott, Speaker of the House Shap Smith, Google’s Matt Dunne and Joan Goldstein, the Commissioner of Vermont’s Department of Economic Development.
“The Department of Economic Development is looking forward to our participation in the summit,” said Goldstein. “We are very interested in hearing from young people and events like this one provide an opportunity to better understand how the State can attract and retain young professionals.”
During the afternoon, attendees will choose from five separate “tracks” to explore a path in which each can potentially contribute to the future of Vermont. The tracks offered will focus on the areas of entrepreneurship, community leadership, the farm & food industry, professional development and renewable energy/socially responsible business.
The summit’s chair, Matt Bloomer, is excited about the guests that are planning to participate and the number of young professionals that have already signed up.
“The high level of interest among important policymakers, business leaders, media members and young professionals has been very encouraging,” Bloomer said. “We have such a close-knit state and so many Vermonters are dedicated to making this a great place to live and work.”
The registration fee for the event is $20 and includes coffee and snacks in the morning, lunch by Roots the Restaurant and appetizers during the post-summit social at the Hop’n Moose brewery.
Those planning to attend are strongly encouraged to register online ahead of time.
The Vermont Technology Council has generously provided $20 scholarships, which can be selected and redeemed during the online registration process.
For more information about the event and registration, visit www.rutlandyoungprofessionals.org/summit.
