View from the Top

Episode # 22: From Farm to Classroom: A Conversation with CCV President Joyce Judy

According to Vermont author Doug Wilhelm, friends and colleagues describe President Joyce Judy as earthy, real, and hard working. During our conversation with this extraordinary educator, you’ll find out that she is all of this and much more as we take a journey from her early years growing up on a working farm in New Hampshire to her long tenure as President of the Community College of Vermont. Joyce’s passion for bringing education and training to veterans, first-generation college students, working adults, incarcerated people, and everyone in between comes from her honest belief that navigating around scarcity and other challenges isn’t impossible if you can figure out how to utilize the many resources that are around you. This episode introduces you to an educator who has made it a personal mission to deliver the vast array of resources assembled by CCV through its community partners to help her students be personally and professionally successful. Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast [https://www.nextdaypodcast.com/] info@nextdaypodcast.com Recorded at The Hub CoWorks Podcast Studio, this show is presented by Bill Lucci, Program Director for The Hub CoWorks, and VTTSG Podcast Productions. The music used in this project is "Dirt Track" by Scott Holmes, which is available on the Free Music Archive.

021: Keeping PACE With the Educational Needs of Vermont's Workforce-A Conversation with Dr. Bettyjo Bouchey

After just one year at the helm of the University of Vermont PACE Department, its Chief Officer Dr. Bettyjo Bouchey is making her presence felt, leading a team of energized professionals who are looking to broaden the impact of their continuing education and professional development programming outside of its Chittenden County footprint.  This thoughtful and entertaining conversation brings us closer to knowing what initiatives were already working, and what collaborative programs are in the pipeline. And along the way we’ll learn a little bit about what brought this Oregon native back to the East Coast and how her extensive and impressive professional experience in both classroom-based and online learning is going to impact the existing and emerging needs of the Vermont workforce in programs like the UVM Summer Academy for high school students, and the PRIME program for members of the Vermont National Guard.  Join us for a fascinating hour of conversation with one of Vermont’s newest and most influential post-secondary educational leaders. Recorded at The Hub CoWorks Podcast Studio, this show is presented by Bill Lucci, Program Director for The Hub CoWorks, and VTTSG Podcast Productions. The music used in this project is "Dirt Track" by Scott Holmes, which is available on the Free Music Archive.

020: Both Sides Now: A Conversation with Vermont Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers

This episode of View from the Top brings the new Lieutenant Governor of the state of Vermont John Rodgers to our studio where host Bill Lucci sets a table for his listeners to feast upon the life lessons John has learned from living and working on the same farm that has been in his family for five generations; the importance of maintaining the culture and values of working-class Vermonters; his contributions to the legislature over the past sixteen years as a Democrat; and his departure across the aisle that led to his historic win in November to become the second most powerful leader in Montpelier. John's feelings about education reform, conservation, the environment, and the importance of laughter are served with the truth and honesty that have come to define him by friends and critics alike. Recorded at The Hub CoWorks Podcast Studio, this show is presented by Bill Lucci, Program Director for The Hub CoWorks, and VTTSG Podcast Productions. The music used in this project is "Dirt Track" by Scott Holmes, which is available on the Free Music Archive.

019: Tom Cheney Creates “Working” Relationships through Advance Vermont

In this episode of View from the Top, listeners will meet Tom Cheney, Executive Director of Advance Vermont-MyFutureVT, an organization strategically tied to an initiative designed to connect Vermont students of all ages to employers, educational institutions, foundations, and government entities that facilitate access and enrollment in post-secondary opportunities.  Tom’s track record of successfully connecting policy to practice comes from a career that started when as a young graduate from the University of Vermont he became the Chief of Staff for Vermont’s Speaker of the House which in a few short years led to him taking on the role of legislative assistant for Vermont Congressman and now U.S. Senator Peter Welch. Returning to Vermont as a senior official in the Shumlin administration provided Tom with a chance to put his education in political science, a family history of dedicated educators, and his love for community involvement together to build a conduit for education and workforce development.  Spend some time learning about the good things that have happened since this soft-spoken Justice of the Peace married two partners who shared the same mission—educating Vermonters for a happy life and a rewarding career. Recorded at The Hub CoWorks Podcast Studio, this show is presented by Bill Lucci, Program Director for The Hub CoWorks, and VTTSG Podcast Productions. The music used in this project is "Dirt Track" by Scott Holmes, which is available on the Free Music Archive.

018: It Is What It Is: The Grit of Stefanie Schaffer

For this episode of View from the Top we offer listeners an opportunity to catch up with a young Vermonter who is the very embodiment of grit, determination and positivity—Stefanie Schaffer. Critically injured during a dream vacation in the Bahamas in 2018, Stefanie has managed to cultivate during a long and painful recovery a perspective about living and dying.  Stefanie’s “it is what it is” philosophy allows her to live every day like there will be lots of tomorrows because it fosters an ability to move on, to adapt, and to return to a state of perfect harmony.  Our conversation also takes a few turns along the way to meet some of the players she encountered on her road to healing, all of whom encouraged her to write her book Without Any Warning: Casualties of a Caribbean Vacation. If you want to be inspired by someone who will prompt you to consider the things in your life that you might take for granted, and prompt you to appreciate and cherish what you have been given to lead a more fulfilled life, then spend an hour with Stefanie Schaffer. Recorded at The Hub CoWorks Podcast Studio, this show is presented by Bill Lucci, Program Director for The Hub CoWorks, and VTTSG Podcast Productions. The music used in this project is "Dirt Track" by Scott Holmes, which is available on the Free Music Archive.