VEDA BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTS NEW SLATE OF OFFICERS

October 28, 2008

Montpelier, VT - A new slate of officers will serve in leadership positions on the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) Board of Directors.  “VEDA is very fortunate to have a Board comprised of talented, experienced, and dedicated Vermonters, and from among their ranks, a new Board Chair, Vice-Chair, and Treasurer have been elected,” said VEDA’s Chief Executive Officer Jo Bradley.  VEDA Officers will serve terms of one year, and include:

 

• John D. Hashagen, Jr., Brattleboro  -

John D. ‘Rick’ Hashagen has been elected Chair of the VEDA Board, having served on the board since 2000.  Hashagen was President and CEO of Vermont Financial Services Corp from 1990 to 2000, and served as President and CEO of its primary subsidiary bank, Vermont National Bank, from 1987 to January, 2000.  He worked for Vermont National Bank and/or Vermont Financial Services Corporation for 33 years, having joined the organization in 1967.  Prior to joining Vermont National Bank, Hashagen was employed by First National Bank of Rochester, NY for two years as Credit Manager and before that, worked at Chase Manhattan Bank for two years as a Management Trainee and Credit Analyst.  Hashagen is a graduate of Dartmouth College (BA-1963) and the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration (MBA-1964).

Hashagen has been active in many local and statewide organizations over the years.  In addition to his work on the VEDA Board, he serves on the Board of Directors of Vermont Mutual Insurance Company, and is the Director of the Northern New England School of Banking.  He also serves on the boards of Youth Services, Girls on the Run of Vermont, and Latchis Corporation, all of Brattleboro. 

• Robert D. Britt, South Burlington -  
  
   Elected as VEDA’s Vice-Chair, Robert D. Britt is a management consultant to companies needing turnaround assistance, and to growing, entrepreneurial businesses needing assistance with strategic plan development, obtaining growth capital, and improving management reporting and profitability.  Britt formerly worked for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. in Waterbury, Vermont for nearly ten years where he served as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary.   Britt also served on the company’s Board of Directors.
  
  Britt holds a BS in Accounting from the University of Connecticut and earned his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.  He is also a Certified Public Accountant.  In addition to serving on VEDA’s Board, Britt serves on the Board of Directors of Local Motion, a greater Burlington non-profit organization promoting cycling, walking, running and inline skating.   
  
  
• Steven J. Bourgeois, Swanton –
  
  Steven Bourgeois was elected to serve as Treasurer of the VEDA Board.  During his long tenure as a VEDA Board member, Bourgeois served four previous terms as the Authority’s Board Chair.  Bourgeois is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Initiatives for Business, LLC, providing consulting services focused on planning and expansion to corporate clients.  In 2002, Bourgeois retired as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Franklin Lamoille Bank, capping a 22-year career with that institution. 
  
  Bourgeois graduated from Stonier Graduate School of Banking, the National Commercial Lending Graduate and Undergraduate Schools, and the Northern New England School of Banking.  Bourgeois serves on the Governor’s Board of Economic Advisors, the Recruitment Advisory Council for the Vermont Department of Economic Development, and is a Director of the Union Bank and holding company Union Bank Shares.  Formerly, he served on the Board of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, Inc. He also has been active in local and regional civic and community organizations, including the Northwestern Medical Center, Sterling College, and the Franklin County Industrial Development Corporation.