Board of Directors

Noelle is the former Chief Operating Officer for the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP), overseeing efforts to support and enhance the organization. Before joining RAP, she worked at the City of Burlington as the Director of the Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO) where she moved major projects forward. Before CEDO, she served over five years as the Commissioner of Housing and Community Development for the State of Vermont under Governor Peter Shumlin. During her time with the Department, she led community and economic development recovery efforts after Tropical Storm Irene hit Vermont; collaborated with policy and funding partners to increase program impact; and directed efforts to update state regulation in order to support development in our downtowns and villages. She lives in Shelburne.

Aditi Datta is a Brand Lead at Breef, a tech startup connecting brands with marketing agencies around the world. She works remotely from Winooski with her husband, Scott, and dog, Cleo. Before joining Breef, Aditi was an account manager at various boutique agencies with clients including Nalgene, Gatorade, Omni Foods and Pepsi. She spent a year with the Vermont Small Business Development Center as a Special Programs Manager helping business owners. Aditi was recognized as a “Rising Star” by Vermont Business Magazine in 2020 and also serves on the board of BTV Ignite. She holds an MBA in Sustainable Innovation from the University of Vermont and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Skidmore College.

Maureen Hebert is the current Interim Director of Strategic Initiatives and Employer Partnerships for PACE at UVM. Prior to joining PACE, she was the former Associate Dean of Continuing Education & Workforce Development Division of Vermont Tech. Maureen has worked in higher education, focusing on workforce and professional development, for over 27 years to support business and industry in realizing strategic and organizational goals through well-planned and implemented training programs. Before joining Vermont Tech, Maureen worked with the University of Vermont Division of Continuing Education as the Regional Director of the UVM Center in Montpelier where she coordinated both credit and non-credit programming utilizing, in part, distance learning technologies. Maureen has a B.A. and an M.P.A. from UVM. She received a certificate in Workforce Development from the University of Virginia and is a DDI certified trainer. She is a board member of CVHHH,CVEDC, and was appointed by the Governor to the GWEDC board. Maureen has been a long-time member of UPCEA and former Commissioner and a member of NERHRT, EAN, ASTD and Rotary. In 2019, Maureen received the Above and Beyond award from the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. The Above and Beyond Awards is given to individuals who have taken that extra step in their profession, industry, or community work, thus contributing to a more vibrant state for Vermonters to live, work and play.

Since graduating from Hamilton College and landing in Vermont in the late 90’s, Ken has lived and worked in Addison, Washington, Orange, and Chittenden Counties. Currently, Ken lives in South Burlington with his wife and two daughters. In his role as Loan Officer at the Vermont Bond Bank, he helps municipalities and school districts across the state access capital for projects large and small.

Diane Abruzzini Riggs is the COO and co-founder of Rigorous Technology, an industrial robotics company based in Williston, VT. Rigorous was founded with a mission to increase access to automation for small to medium-sized manufacturers. Before founding Rigorous, Diane worked in sustainable agriculture and ran small food and farm businesses including a wood fired bakery. Diane volunteers on the finance committee of NAMI-VT and serves on the advisory board of VCET’s Vermont Seed Capital Fund. Diane holds an MBA in Sustainable Innovation from UVM and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Skidmore College. She lives on the foothills of Mount Mansfield with her husband, Colin, and dog, Sam, where she enjoys hiking, gardening, and climbing in her time off.

Tayt Brooks is currently the deputy secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD). Before being appointed to this position in March of 2021 by Governor Phil Scott, he worked for the Governor as director of affordability and economic initiatives, starting in January 2017. He also spent time with the Agency from 2008 to 2011, under the administration of Governor Jim Douglas, serving as both deputy commissioner and commissioner of the Vermont Department of Economic, Housing and Community Development. Brooks has a bachelor’s degree in history from St. Lawrence University. He lives in St. Albans with his wife and two daughters. He has served his communities in the past as a select board chair and a school board member.

Catherine Emil is the director and owner of the Vermont Woodworking School where she is passionate about the school’s mission to educate the next generation of woodworkers in Vermont. In addition to her work at the school, she co-founded and runs Towards Nightfall, a furniture company that builds contemporary, high-quality custom wood furniture for both residential and commercial clients. She also serves as a board member on the Vermont Wood Works Council. Before moving to Vermont to attend the Vermont Woodworking School’s Immersion Program as a student, Catherine graduated from Dartmouth College and worked in the cultural sector in New York City. She now lives in Burlington’s Old North End with her husband and daughter.

Jean Hamilton is Co-Director of the Land Access and Opportunity Board. Jean lives in central Vermont where she enjoys sharing time with her family and neighbors, eating delicious local foods, and exploring this beautiful earth.

Sabina Haskell will become the executive director of the State Workforce Development Board. Haskell currently serves as chair of the Natural Resources Board, with previous stints as deputy commissioner at the Department of Liquor and Lottery and deputy secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources under Governor Jim Douglas. Haskell’s wide-ranging business background in Vermont includes both the public and private sectors across a variety of industries. She was director of public affairs at Vermont Student Assistance Corp., regional communications director for FairPoint Communications, and has over a decade of experience as a newspaper editor with the Manchester Journal, Bennington Banner, Rutland Herald, and Brattleboro Reformer. She was president of the Vermont Press Association for three terms, a founding member of the Vermont Coalition for Open Government and has served on school and municipal boards in Sunderland, Montpelier, and Burlington. Appointed by Governor Peter Shumlin in 2014, Haskell also served on the board of directors for SerVermont, the state’s AmeriCorps program.

Brodie O’Brien leads integrated marketing at EnergyHub, a software company that helps electric utilities deliver a reliable, affordable, and increasingly decarbonized energy system. He has 15 years of experience working across technology, consumer packaged goods, and philanthropic sectors. Born and raised in Vermont, Brodie resides in Richmond with his wife, two children, and a rambunctious rescue puppy. He holds a BA from Bates College and an MBA from the University of Vermont.

Anson Tebbetts was appointed Vermont’s Secretary of the Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets by Governor Phil Scott in January 2017. Prior to his appointment, Tebbetts spent more than twenty years as part of the WCAX news team, serving as the station’s news director since 2009. From 2007-2009, Tebbetts was the Deputy Secretary of the Agency of Agriculture, under the Douglas Administration. An avid bird enthusiast, he co-hosts “For the Birds” on WDEV & WLVB radio. Tebbetts, a graduate of Emerson College, is a native Vermonter with deep agricultural roots. He was born and raised on his family’s farm in Cabot, where he continues to reside with his wife Vicky and their two children. In 2001, the Vermont Farm Bureau honored him with their Friend of the Farmer Award. In 2015, Tebbetts was awarded the SMART award: Social Media in Arts, Recreation and Tourism. The prize was given by the Vermont Tourism Industry Conference highlighting Vermont’s critical fall tourism season.