8th ANNUAL EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP SERIES
Open to Roundtable Members, Associate Members, Their Guests
and the Public
THE ABUNDANCE LENS:
A Hopeful New Framework to Move from Scarcity to Abundance
Featuring
DEREK THOMPSON
Co-Author of NYTimes #1 Best-Seller Abundance
Contributing Writer for The Atlantic
and Host of Plain English Podcast
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24th, 2025 // 8:00 – 11:00AM
DoubleTree by Hilton // Emerald Ballroom
870 Williston Rd., So. Burlington, VT
This Event is Now SOLD OUT
Please Contact Sherra Bourget sherra@vtroundtable.org
to inquire if a seat has opened up
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About This Event: The Executive Leadership Series events are designed to be valuable professional development and networking opportunities for CEOs and their key team members and proteges, as well as influential leaders in the private, non-profit and public sectors.
About This Year’s Keynote Presenter: Few speakers can match Derek Thompson’s ability to synthesize mega-trends in society, labor, economics, technology, and politics. Put another way: Derek trawls the data sets and does the forecasting and deep reporting necessary to help us better understand how we live, how we vote, how we spend, and how we work.
In his latest book Abundance, the #1 New York Times bestseller co-written with fellow journalistic titan Ezra Klein, Derek shows us how we’ve fallen into a world where we feel like we never have enough — whether in housing, energy, workers, innovation, or progress — and offers a radical, hopeful new path towards a politics of plenty. He argues that the future is ours to build, if we’re willing to take a risk. In the New York Times, opinion columnist David Brooks writes that Derek and his co-author “inspire hope and enlarge the imagination by describing the good things that are actually within our grasp.” Financial Times calls Abundance “a forceful, quick-moving broadside” and “a worthy read,” while Kirk’s, in a starred review, praises its “cogent, well-timed ideas for meeting today’s biggest challenges.” In talks, Derek draws on the book to apply its lessons across industries, showing audiences how to shift their mindset, build for success, and spark extraordinary growth. Read Full Bio
Event Program:
7:30am Registration Opens
8:00am Networking and Breakfast
9:00am Keynote Presentation
9:30am Q & A
10:00am Vermont Lens Reaction Panel moderated by author and political commentator Garrett Graff
with Panelists: State Treasurer Mike Pieciak; Aly Richards, CEO, Let’s Grow Kids; Michele Asch, Chair, Building Burlington’s Future
11:00am Adjourn to Networking
Other Resources:
* Vermont Lens Panel Bios, Here
* Derek Thompson’s Abundance Book and Website
* Books by Garrett Graff, Here
* ‘Building Burlington’s Future Becomes First Abundance Network Chapter City on the East Coast’ (News)
Event Contact: Sherra Bourget sherra@vtroundtable.org or (802) 865-0410 ext 210
Cancellation Policy: Cancellations may be made without penalty for full refund until October 17th. After that date, we cannot offer a refund.
