Bicameralism – the word you haven’t heard (or thought of) since high school government class rears its head once again! Bicameral means the division of an entity into two parts, and it is based on the principle that unlimited power vested in one group will be abused. (There – I knew my political science major would come in handy one of these days.) For our purposes, two parts also creates more opportunity to cast a wider net to engage different groups. Hence, the Vermont First governance structure. First to come is the Vermont First Leadership Team. This team is made up of Sodexo managers who can provide the support and advocacy for the creation and implementation of Vermont First goals. We had our first meeting in Troy, NY at Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) last week, where we created the framework for everything from our Vermont First goals to our decision-making process. Whew. This team is made up of the following managers: Melissa Zelazny – Resident District Manager, UVM Phil Harty – Regional Vice President, Northern New England Brian Roper – District Executive Chef Ted DiGrande – District Manager Mike Ward – District Manager Maureen Brown – District Manager Tim MacTurk – District Manager Caylin McKee – Sustainability Manager, UVM John Stewart – Director, Client Procurement Services, Northeast Rich Blanchard – Senior Marketing Manager Annie Rowell – Vermont First Coordinator Next up is the Vermont First Advisory Board. This board will be made up stakeholders that represent the diverse sectors of the Vermont food system, tasked with implementing the goals and work plan of Vermont First, and providing advisory recommendations to the Leadership Team. Stay tuned!
Meet the Vermont First Leadership Team
Sodexo's Commitment to Buying Vermont First 