9th ANNUAL EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP SERIES
Open to Roundtable Members, Associate Members, Their Guests
and the Public
CLOSING THE GAP BETWEEN INTENTIONS AND OUTCOMES
Featuring
JENNIFER PAHLKA
Former U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer in the Obama Administration
Founder, Code for America
Author, Recoding America
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29th // 8:00 – 11:00AM
DoubleTree by Hilton // Emerald Ballroom
870 Williston Rd., So. Burlington, VT
Click Here to Reserve Your Seats by September 22nd
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. Open to the public and an ideal event for you to bring your team, board, clients and interns to.
About This Year’s Keynote Presenter: Jennifer Pahlka is the author of Recoding America: Why Government is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better and a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center and the Federation of American Scientists. In 2010, she founded Code for America, a national nonprofit that brings the principles and practices of the digital era to government. While US Deputy Chief Technology Officer in the Obama White House from 2013-2014, she helped found the United States Digital Service (USDS), which brings world-class technologists and designers to government to improve digital service delivery. She is the winner of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, the David Packard Award, the Oxford Internet Institute’s Technology and Society Award, the National Democratic Institute’s Democracy Award, and was selected by Wired magazine as one of the people who have most shaped technology and society in the past 25 years. Her 2012 TED Talk, “Coding a Better Government,” has been viewed over 1M times. She served on the Defense Innovation Board. She holds fellowships with Ashoka, the National Academy of Public Administration, and the Volcker Alliance.
Learn More About Jen Here // Check out Jen’s Substack Here
Meet and Connect With Your Vermont Reaction Panel:
Dan Smith, President & CEO of Vermont Community Foundation (Moderator)
Dan has served as President and CEO of the Vermont Community Foundation since 2016. In that time, the Foundation has grown in impact, scale and relevance, focusing chiefly on increasing the impact of philanthropy on the opportunity gap facing Vermont communities, as well as guiding strategic responses to the pandemic and the floods of 2023 and 2024. Born and raised in Middlesex, Dan returned to Vermont after graduating from the University of Virginia Law School in 2002, first serving as a law clerk to Justice James L. Morse in the Vermont Supreme Court and then practicing at DRM. His career has focused on strengthening Vermont communities, serving as Vice President of the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation and executing public policy strategy for the Vermont State Colleges. Immediately prior to joining the Vermont Community Foundation, Smith was asked to step in as president of Vermont Technical College, where he stabilized enrollment, strengthened the college’s financial picture and led a reorganization of college curriculum while deepening partnerships with employers in key state industries. Smith lives in Burlington with his wife Lindsay, an obstetrician with Maitri Health Care for Women, and their three sons. LinkedIn
Maura Collins, Executive Director of Vermont Housing Finance Agency
Maura Collins became Executive Director of the Vermont Housing Finance Agency in January 2019. She joined VHFA in 2002 as a Research Analyst, and worked her way up in the Agency. Collins has her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Vermont and Bachelors from the University at Buffalo. She served on UVM’s faculty for a decade, teaching graduate-level housing policy courses. In her personal capacity, Collins serves on the Boards of VELCO and the Vermont Community Development Program Advisory Board.
In her role at VHFA, Collins sits on the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, is Treasurer/Secretary of the National Council of State Housing Agencies, serves on the Executive Committee of Let’s Build Homes, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston Advisory Council, the Vermont Treasurer’s Local Investment Advisory Committee, and the Vermont Council on Homelessness and Housing.
Prior to joining VHFA, Maura worked at the Technical Assistance Collaborative in Boston, MA, as a housing consultant dedicated to the needs of people with disabilities and/or those without homes. She’s the mother of three and spends her free time with friends, boxing, and watching stand-up comedy. LinkedIn
Neale Lundverville, President & CEO of Vermont Gas Systems (VGS) and Chair of Vermont AI Economic Task Force
Neale F. Lunderville is the President & CEO of VGS. He previously served as General Manager of the Burlington Electric Department, and, prior to that, as Co-Founder and CEO of an energy startup. In 2011, he was appointed by Governor Peter Shumlin to lead Vermont’s recovery efforts in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene. Neale also served in two top cabinet posts for Governor Jim Douglas: Secretary of Administration and Secretary of Transportation. Neale serves as a director on several Vermont and regional boards and is an Honorary Commander for the Vermont Air National Guard. He graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. and was given their 2012 Alumni Achievement award.
In May 2026, Neale was appointed by Governor Phil Scott to Chair the newly established Vermont AI Economic Task Force.
Cassandra (Cass)Madison, Executive Director of the Center for Civic Futures
Cassandra Madison is a nationally recognized leader in public interest technology, with two decades of experience helping government deliver services with integrity, empathy, and modern tools. She turns policy into practice—guiding the design and implementation of public systems that are both effective and responsive to people’s needs. Cass currently serves as Executive Director of the Center for Civic Futures, a nonprofit equipping government leader with the tools, resources, and expertise to safely explore emerging technologies. She is also the co-founder and CEO of Madison Insights, a consulting practice that helps mission-driven organizations build the teams, infrastructure, and capacity to deliver technology that improves lives. Cass has worked both inside government and alongside it, giving her a 360-degree view of how to build capacity and drive change. She is a Senior Advisor to the Federation of American Scientists and the Aspen Institute’s Financial Security Program, and a Fellow at Renaissance Philanthropy. Previously, Cass served as Vice President of Partnerships at the Tech Talent Project, where she worked to modernize the federal, state, and local technical workforce. Prior to that, she was Deputy Commissioner for the Vermont Department of Health Access, where she led the turnaround of the state’s Health Insurance Exchange and Integrated Eligibility System. Her leadership in Vermont was featured in Power to the Public and earned national recognition. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and Women’s Studies from Penn State University, with a minor in Information Sciences and Technology, and is a former Non-Resident Fellow at New America’s New Practice Lab. Cass is known for her ability to bring clarity to complexity, align vision with execution, and connect big ideas to real-world impact. LinkedIn
7:30am Registration Opens
8:00am Networking and Breakfast
9:00am Keynote Presentation
9:30am Q & A
10:00am Vermont Reaction Panel moderated by Dan Smith, with panelists Maura Collins, Neale Lunderville, and Cassandra Madison
11:00am Adjourn to Networking
Other Resources:
“A Three Horizons Framework for Government Reform” (Substack)
“Reforming Like It’s 1995” (Substack)
“In This House, We’re Angry When Government Fails” Interview with Ezra Klien (YouTube)
Recoding America (Book Site, with Core Concepts)
Event Contact: Sherra Bourget [email protected] or (802) 865-0410 ext 210
Cancellation Policy: Cancellations may be made without penalty for full refund until September 22nd. After that date, we cannot offer a refund.
