Our annual conference was held at Vermont Technical College in Randolph on October 9th, 2018. 125 people attended from programs in Vermont, New York and New Hampshire.

Keynote speaker Heather Bouchey, Vermont Deputy Secretary of Education, talked about the success and challenges of flexible pathways in Vermont. Other speakers included representatives for Congressman Peter Welch, Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Patrick Leahy, as well as Stephanie Cruz, president of New England Educational Opportunity Programs.

Attendees attended eight different workshops and entered the silent auction to raise funds for the VEOP scholarship program. A record $880 was raised this year for that effort. Award winners at this year’s conference included:

VEOP Achiever: Tabitha Pohl-Moore, former GEAR UP participant
Educator of the Year: Stefano Donati, Southern Vermont College
Carolyn Donahue Friend of Equal Opportunity Education Award: Denise Moses, NVU Lyndon
New VEOP Professional Award: Annalise Goyne, Vermont Student Assistance Corporation
Jack Anderson Award: Heidi McLaughlin, Winooski High School

Sponsors for this year’s conference included:

Boston Red Sox
Heritage Automotive Group
Keurig Green Mountain
Oriental Trading Company
Smuggler’s Notch Resort
University of Vermont
Vermont Coffee Company

Thanks to our sponsors and to all who participated. See you at next year’s conference.