Schedule of Day
8:30 – 9:00
Registration and Coffee
9:00 - 9:30
Conference Welcome
Patricia Coates, Director, UVM Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships and Office of Engagement
Dr. Marlene Tromp, President, University of Vermont
9:30 – 10:30
Keynote Panel: AI and the Future Rural Economy
Panelists:
Kyla Kasharian, Senior Associate, Seigel Family Endowment
Matt Dunne, President, Center on Rural Innovation
Dr. Kate Mays, Assistant Professor, UVM Community Development and Applied Economics
Facilitator:
Kirk Dombrowski, Vice President for Research and Economic Development, University of Vermont
10:30 - 11:00
Networking Break
11:00 - 12:00
Breakout Sessions
| Track 1 | Track 2 | Track 3 |
|---|---|---|
| "Looking out/Looking In" | "Building Bridges to Community Wellbeing" | "Returns on Rural Investment" |
| Hear from practitioners, leaders, and researchers from rural communities across the United States on how we learn from each other. | Explore the lessons that take partnerships from ideas to practice in rural communities. | Dig into critical questions about all that happens when we invest in rural business and innovation, beyond shareholder value. |
| Moderator: Tony Pipa (Brookings Institution) | Moderator: Roz King (UVM Larner College of Medicine) | Moderator: Kevin Chu (Vermont Futures Project) |
Panelists: Michael Moser (UVM Center for Rural Studies) Joshua Beneš (UVM Water Resources Institute) Sarah Waring (Northern Border Regional Commission) | Panelists: Heidi Schumacher (UVM Larner College of Medicine) Stephen Teach (UVM Larner College of Medicine) Cam Lauf (Turning Point Center of Chittenden County, PREVENT) | Panelists: Wei Wei Wang (VTPOC) James Stafford (Biolabs at UVM) Annie Mclean (Do North Coworking) Melissa Merkel (Center on Rural Innovation) |
12:00 – 1:30
Lunch
Enjoy a “Vermont First” lunch prepared by our sponsor, SODEXO.
12:15 – 1:15
2026 RISE Lunch and Learns
Vermont First: A Lunch and Learn with Local Farmers and Food Producers
Moderator:
Nicole Reilly, Sustainability and Strategic Initiatives Manager, UVM Dining Services
Panelists:
Becky Castle, Owner of Sisters of Anarchy Ice Cream
Kevin Melman, Owner of FUNJ Shrooming Co.
Nurbu Sherpa, Owner of Sherpa Foods and Himalayan Delight
Data That Delivers: Using data for community impact work
Panelists:
Emma Spett, Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships and Office of Engagement
Mariya Shcheglovitova, Extension Professor of Community and Economic Development at UVM
Kendall Fortney, Vermont Open Source Program Office at UVM
Tino Rutanhira, VT Professionals of Color Network
Vermont Civic Lab
Join the creators of Game Theory to explore new tools for envisioning your community’s future
Moderator:
Marguerite Dibble, Game Theory
1:30 – 2:30
Breakout Workshops
Workshops will be held within their respective tracks, building on sessions from earlier in the day.
| Track 1 | Track 2 | Track 3 |
|---|---|---|
| America's Rural Future Commission | Moving at the Speed of Trust – Community Dialogue | The Pitch Lab: Presented by VCET |
Join a focused conversation to help inform the Brookings-American Enterprise Institute Commission on U.S. Rural Prosperity. This session will gather ideas from rural leaders on the public investments, local capacity, and civic infrastructure needed to strengthen rural communities and shape a new national rural strategy. | This session explores how storytelling and listening can transform difficult conversations into pathways for trust and collaboration. Build the skills to turn challenging conversations into opportunities for connection, helping move community-driven partnerships from intention to impact. | Dig into critical questions about all that happens when we invest in rural business and innovation, beyond shareholder value. |
| Workshop Leader: Tony Pipa (Brookings Institution) | Workshop Leader: Karen Anderson (Vermont Public) | Workshop Leader(s): Nicole Eaton, David Bradbury (VCET) |
2:30 — 2:45
Coffee and Networking
2:45 – 3:15
Performance
David Feurzeig, Professor, Music Theory and Composition, “Play Every Town” pianist
3:15 — 3:30
Leahy Institute Award for Distinguished Community Engagement
Presented by Patrick Leahy, United States Senator, (Ret.).
3:30 – 4:30
Keynote Panel: What’s Possible for Rural Prosperity?
Facilitator:
Facilitator: Dr. Linda Prokopy, Dean, UVM College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Panelists:
Beth Haskovec, Director of Wisconsin Office of Rural Prosperity
Rafael Carbonell, Executive Director of the Taubman Center for State and Local Government at Harvard University
Maura Collins, Executive Director, Vermont Housing Finance Agency