Tuesday, September 30, 2025, 9:30am-4:30pm at the ECHO Leahy Center, Burlington

Thanks for a great conference!

Join Vermont’s vibrant community of women business owners for a day of connection, learning, and collective action.

WBON’s 2025 Conference, Rising Together We Thrive, celebrates the strength and resilience of women-led businesses in Vermont. This high-impact day brings together WBON members, aspiring entrepreneurs, and allies for meaningful connection, practical skill-building, and collaborative visioning for a thriving future.

Why Attend

• Build relationships with fellow women business owners across Vermont
• Learn actionable strategies to grow and future-proof your business
• Explore AI, funding, state and national change impacts, handling uncertainty, and more — all with a mission-aligned lens
• Connect with potential collaborators, mentors, clients, and supporters
• Discover how collective advocacy can shape the future for women-led businesses
• Leave inspired, informed, and ready for what’s next

Event Details

• Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
• Time: 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM (Doors open for networking at 9:30am and we begin at 10:00am)
• Location: Echo Leahy Center, Burlington, VT
• Lunch: Locally sourced and provided by woman-co-owned caterer, Sugarsnap (vegetarian and gluten free options will be provided)
• Cost:
  • Member, Early Bird (through August 31): $99
  • General Admission: $199
  • Member, Sept. 1-30: $150
  • WBON Membership-Conference Bundle Discount – Register for a new membership with WBON and receive a code to receive your conference ticket for $99
• Registration
• Space is limited — reserve your spot early!
• View Presenter Bios

Post-Conference Networking Social at Skinny Pancake

We’re hosting a post-conference networking social at the Skinny Pancake – just down the street from Echo. Please reserve your free spot by selecting this ticket option alongside registering for your conference ticket! We’ll gather there starting at around 4:30pm.

Support the Event

• Become a Conference Sponsor
• Become an Annual Partner

Accessibility & Inclusion

All are Welcome to attend. WBON is committed to fostering inclusion for all who identify as women (cisgender and transgender), gender-expansive individuals, and allies. We welcome everyone to build community and celebrate together. The Echo Leahy Center is fully ADA accessible. If you need specific accommodations to participate fully, please let us know during registration. Your comfort and participation are our top priorities.

Announcing Collaboration with the Vermont Women’s Fund

If you’re planning to come to the WBON Conference on September 30th we’re excited to offer the opportunity to extend your day of networking and connection by also attending The Vermont Women’s Fund Annual Celebration with a special ticket price!

They are extending a 50% discount on tickets to anyone who also registers for the WBON Conference. Registrants will receive a code for this discounted ticket. Anyone who registers for the Annual Celebration will also receive a code that discounts their ticket to the WBON Conference to $99.

The featured speaker, Reshma Saujani, is a founder, author, and activist well known for her books Brave, Not Perfect and Pay Up and now her acclaimed podcast about midlife and her commencement speeches (we especially like the 2023 Smith College speech about imposter syndrome).

You can also join Women’s Fund friends before the big event for book clubs and watch parties of Reshma’s recent work. All of the details and a growing list of events on their book club webpage.

For more info on the VT Women’s Fund Annual Celebration:
Website
Facebook Event Page
LinkedIn Event Page

Doors open at 9:30am for open networking!

Meet Our Presenters

Emcee

Celeste Hartwell

Divine Feminine Leaders®

After nearly two decades in corporate, Celeste Hartwell courageously stepped into entrepreneurship, initially navigating external advice before fully embracing her inner wisdom. Today, Celeste passionately guides women to trust their intuition, empowering them to craft joyful lives and thriving relationships. Through her company, Divine Feminine Leaders®, she helps women heal their relationship with money, move beyond overwhelm, and confidently attract the life they truly desire.

Keynote Presentation

“We Rest, We Rise, We Lift: A Community Approach to Business Growth”

Esther Charlestin

Founder, Chief Conversational Guide

Conversation Compass LLC

Esther Charlestin is the founder and Chief Conversational Guide of Conversation Compass LLC, a consulting firm that helps organizations navigate complex communication challenges and build cultures of trust and connection. With skill in strategic planning, facilitation, and human-centered leadership, Esther supports schools, nonprofits, and mission-driven teams through tailored consulting and transformative dialogue. A sought-after keynote speaker, Esther delivers talks that spark reflection, challenge assumptions, and inspire action, drawing from her lived experience as an educator, public servant, and working mom. Whether guiding conversations or speaking from the stage, her work is rooted in empathy, equity, and the power of communication to drive lasting change. Esther became the second Black woman in America to win a gubernatorial primary when she ran for Governor of Vermont in 2024. Photo credit: Isora Lithgow

Keynote Summary:

In this keynote, Esther weaves her personal transformation story with practical strategies for Vermont’s women entrepreneurs. She’ll address the real barriers we face, like denied grants, limited capital access, and resource isolation, while revealing how Vermont’s collaborative spirit creates unique competitive advantages.

Learn why your healing journey becomes your business superpower, how to turn funding rejections into community-supported success, and practical frameworks for resource sharing that strengthen both your bottom line and your community. Featuring video messages from Vermont women business leaders who’ve transformed obstacles into opportunities.

You’ll leave with actionable insights, concrete tools for building mutual support networks, and a roadmap for sustainable leadership that lifts not just your business, but Vermont’s entire entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Keynote Sponsor: Radiance Medical Aesthetics & Wellness Spa

Power and Possibility – Using AI Without Losing Your Soul Panel

AI is here, and it’s evolving fast. But how can women business owners harness its potential without compromising privacy, equity, or authenticity? This session brings together practical voices from the tech, legal, and small business worlds to explore real tools, real concerns, and real results.

Moderator – Pat Heffernan

Pat Heffernan, CMC®

President & Co-Founder, Marketing Partners, Inc.

Panelist – Katrina Wagner

Owner, Graphic Beans Website Design + Development

Katrina Wagner takes the mystery out of AI, turning intimidating tools into clear, human-friendly workflows that help creative teams get more done, and actually enjoy the process. As founder of AI Help, she draws on decades of digital know-how and a down-to-earth teaching style that swaps overwhelm for curiosity and real confidence. Her sessions are hands-on, grounded in real-world use, and focused on what matters: helping teams move faster, think sharper, and spend more time doing what they do best. For Katrina, AI isn’t a shiny toy. It’s a workhorse. And it belongs in the hands of the people doing the work. Off the clock, you’ll find her chasing Vermont’s seasons: hiking wooded trails, cross-country skiing, or seeking out the unique corners of the state. That same sense of wonder drives her work: helping people discover what’s possible when you bring sharp tools and sharper minds together.

Panelist – Shannon Mitchell

Co-Owner, GameTheory

Recognized by Bustle as a “Woman Redefining What It Means To Work In STEM”, Shannon is co-owner of GameTheory, a Vermont-based studio that applies the power of games, technology, & design to create social change. Through her work, she has designed dozens of successful social projects in areas like civic engagement, social work, mental health, art, medicine, and more. In addition, Shannon serves as an Adjunct Professor at Champlain College, event organizer, IGDA mentor, and industry coach to foster intersectional diversity within games, entrepreneurship, and tech. Shannon sees her work as a step toward a future where design thinking is applied to solve today’s problems in an accessible, enjoyable, and sustainable way.

Panelist – Blair Knowles

Owner/Broker, Ridgeline Real Estate

Blair Knowles is the Owner/ Broker of Ridgeline Real Estate, CEO of RAIN (Real Estate AI Network) and mom of two daughters under four—so she knows firsthand how precious time is. Blair started in real estate sales in 2013 and launched her own brokerage, Ridgeline Real Estate, in 2020. Today, Ridgeline is home to 30 agents and staff. In 2025, the firm will celebrate its first $100M year and surpass $500M in lifetime sales. Now she’s bringing that same momentum to RAIN—a coaching and training community for agents who are ready to use AI in their businesses, but don’t have hours to waste on figuring it out. RAIN is built for traction, not theory. The trainings are short, the tools are vetted, and the focus is on implementation—not overwhelm. Blair’s mission is to help agents—especially women and working moms—leverage AI to build more efficient, sustainable businesses without sacrificing what matters most. Her first bot, BrokerInABot, was built during nap time to help delegate smarter.

Panelist – Kellie Campbell

Chief Information Officer, The University of Vermont

As Chief Information Officer for the University of Vermont (UVM), Dr. Campbell is the lead executive responsible for information technology across the institution. Reporting to the president, she serves on the senior leadership team, contributing to university efforts broadly as a subject matter expert in information technology. Dr. Campbell joined UVM from the Vermont State Colleges System (VSCS), for which she served as Chief Information Officer and Vice President of Information Technology. Dr. Campbell helped shepherd the state-wide system transformation of the VSCS by leading the launch of the system’s first shared services organization and leading efforts to successfully consolidate and launch a new university: Vermont State University. Dr. Campbell serves on several state-wide and regional boards including the Vermont Technology Alliance and the North East Research and Education Network. She also served on the Vermont Commission on Women for eight years. Dr. Campbell also leads UVM’s university-wide AI taskforce, you can learn more here: https://www.uvm.edu/ai

7 Ways to Make Mentorship a Win-Win Relationship

From trusted mentors to powerful partnerships, relationships fuel business success—but too often, women navigate these alone. This interactive session explores the unique ways women in Vermont build networks that go beyond “networking,” and how mentorship (both formal and informal) can transform the journey.

Mary Capparuccini, CFP, ChFC, FSCP

Financial Adviser, Hadley Financial Group

Guiding Principles for Inclusion (aka DEIA) in a Shifting Climate

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility may be trigger words today, but the principles remain essential for women business owners. In this active interview-style session, we’ll explore how to stay true to our values while meeting changing compliance demands—and how to foster fairness and belonging whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or leading a team.

Kerin Stackpole, SPHR

Practice Leader/Director, Paul Frank + Collins P.C.

Kerin Stackpole leads the Employment + Labor Law Group. She provides practical and proactive advice to senior leaders and management teams regarding a wide range of labor and employment issues, including workforce planning, hiring and on-boarding, performance management, legal and recordkeeping compliance, leave management, employee engagement, policy development and implementation, union avoidance, and discipline and discharge. Kerin firmly believes that the best defense against legal claims begins well before those claims are made – with positive and continuous employee engagement, good education for supervisors and managers, fair and consistent practices, and solid documentation. Kerin is also an experienced litigator and a skilled teacher. She has taught at several law schools and colleges on the East Coast, and she regularly designs and presents training programs for businesses and municipalities seeking to strengthen the skills of their management team. Kerin has been a featured speaker at conferences for numerous state and local human resource associations, municipal and payroll associations, Lorman Educational Services, and the Champlain College Management Excellence Series.

Interviewer – Rosann Kramer

Owner, Runway Auto

Rosann did not grow up in the Collision Industry or particularly care about cars other than having to buy her first car at 16 and having enough money for gas each week. After putting herself through college and armed with a Bachelor’s Degree from Indiana University, Rosann went to work for DuPont Performance Coatings in 1998. In her 16 years with DuPont Rosann worked as a Business Consultant to single location Body Shops and National Accounts with over 100 Body Shop locations. She also earned her MBA and Six Sigma Green Belt Certification in 2007. Rosann has written two articles published in Nevada Automotive Professional and was featured on their cover in 2011. Finding and buying Runway Auto brought Rosann and Joe, her husband, to Vermont in 2014. Runway Auto has donated four vehicles to people in need in our community. This summer marked 11 years as a Collision Center Owner.

Flyin Ryan Core Values Challenge

The Flyin Ryan Core Values Challenge is a call to action that encourages people to think about, write down, and act upon their personal set of Core Values. It asks you to connect your mind with your heart and with your unique core spirit to discover those qualities that represent you being your best self. Armed with well defined, action oriented Core Values give you self-identity and self-respect, you will discover that it is not necessary for you to abide by the dictates and expectations of others. Flyin Ryan co-founder and Board member Alicia Hawks will lead us in this powerful exercise.

Alicia Hawks

General Manager, Vermont Sports Properties

Founder and Board Member, The Flyin Ryan Hawks Foundation

Alicia Hawks is the General Manager for Vermont Sports Properties, the exclusive media-rights holder for University of Vermont Athletic Department. In her role, she leads strategic planning, client relations, team leadership, financial management, and overall operational oversight. Prior to joining Vermont Sports Properties, Alicia built a strong foundation in sports and hospitality as a Sales Manager and Premium Sales Executive for the Denver Broncos. She also serves on the board of the Flyin Ryan Foundation, supporting youth and adventure sports communities. Alicia resides in South Burlington with her husband and two daughters, balancing her professional leadership with an active family life.

How Can We Collaborate More Effectively for Systems Change? Panel

Despite progress on several fronts, the reality is that entrenched gender roles and stereotypes continue to limit women’s social and financial independence and ability to control our paths in life. Fortunately, Vermont has key organizations dedicated to this challenge. How Can We Collaborate More Effectively for Systems Change in a long-term, cross-sector partnership designed to tackle the root causes of the problems, not just the symptoms? How can we better pool the expertise and resources of nonprofits, governments, and corporations to create lasting, transformative change in complex systems?

Moderator – Melinda Moulton

Co-Founder and Executive Producer, Rick Moulton Productions

Melinda Moulton has joined up with her husband Rick Moulton and Rick Moulton Productions www.rickmoulton.com to produce Historic Documentary Films and Legacy Films that focus and celebrate people and organizations that have made a difference in our World. She was co-founder of this company in 1974 and is now acting in her new role as the Executive Producer. In 2022 Melinda stepped down from her position of 40 years as the CEO of Main Street Landing. Melinda has served on and chaired various Boards including the Burlington Parking & Transportation Council, Burlington Business Association, Vermont Retail Association, The Intervale Center, College Steps, the Vermont Folklife Center, and more. She presently serves on the Planned Parenthood of Northern New England’s Action Fund and The Vermont Historical Society Boards.  Melinda was honored by the Burlington Business Association with the Nathan Harris Award in recognition of her contribution to the economic vitality of downtown Burlington.  She was also honored with the Vermont Business for Social Responsibilities’ Terry Ehrich Award.

Panelist – Marie Teme

Owner, Green Vision Cleansing

Marie Teme is an award-winning entrepreneur, industry expert, and advocate for sustainability and dignity in business. Originally from Cameroon, Marie moved to Vermont in 2018 and founded Green Vision Cleansing in 2019, an eco-friendly cleaning company committed to high-quality, sustainable solutions. Her leadership has earned her multiple accolades, including Emerging Leader 2020, Vermont Rising Star 2021, and the 2024 SBA Minority-Owned Business of the Year Award. Marie holds an MBA in Cross-Cultural Management and is certified in Project Management, Microbial Remediation, Water Damage Restoration, and Structural Drying. She combines business expertise with technical skills to raise industry standards. Beyond her work, Marie is deeply committed to giving back. She serves as a board member at Mercy Connections, a nonprofit dedicated to education, mentorship, and community support. She is also a devoted mother to her daughter, Shania, and her husband Daouda. She loves reading, traveling, and learning, always seeking new ways to grow and inspire others.

Panelist – Ell Longnecker

Vermont Program Manager, Center for Women & Enterprise

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Ell worked as a fine artist, arts educator, and small business owner for a decade, alongside community work at various creative nonprofits such as Flashpoint Artists Initiative and Wonderroot. Later, she worked at the University of Utah and the University of Vermont as an administrator, working to increase access to higher education. In her role at the Center for Women & Enterprise Vermont, she facilitates workshops, connects clients to business resources, and strives to provide tailored support to women-owned businesses. Ell is dedicated to leveraging resource systems and education to uplift women in Vermont and beyond. 

Ell has lived in Vermont since October of 2023 and has fallen in love with the Green Mountain State. Outside work, Elise enjoys reading and hiking. She is also still passionate about the arts, including painting, dancing (Blues and Contra especially), and crafts of all kinds.

Panelist – Mieko Ozeki

Vermont Womenpreneurs and Radiance Studios LLC

Mieko Ozeki is a small business owner and advocate. She is the principal owner of Radiance Studios, a boutique event production and marketing agency. Additionally, Mieko is the cofounder of Vermont Womenpreneurs, a statewide network of women-led/owned businesses, and serves on multiple boards advocating for Vermont’s agriculture sector and direct markets.

Panelist – Katarina Lisaius

Council Member, Vermont Women’s Fund

Thanks to Our Sponsors!

Underwriter

Helping small to medium businesses elevate their professional image with quality photography. With a genuine, down-to-earth approach, photo sessions are fun and empowering.

Keynote Sponsor

Conference Supporters

Our Annual Partners

2024 Conference Photos