Applications for the 2022 Entrepreneurship: Creativity & Innovation Institute are open! Click the “Summer 2022 Info” button to learn more.
June 26th - July 1st at Vermont Technical College
Businesses can change people’s behavior in order to benefit society and the environment. Such social innovation fosters goodwill among employees, customers, and community members. It can also create new industries and open up new markets. This is your chance to be a key player in positive social change, by bringing your ideas, your passion and your curiosity about business to this innovative and exciting week-long intensive Institute. You’ll have the guidance of proven entrepreneurs and experts, plus a network of peers, to propel you forward in owning your own business.
High school rising juniors and seniors may enroll for VTC college credit for this Institute using their Dual Enrollment voucher. For more information contact Laurel Butler at Vermont Technical College, (802) 922-3692 or [email protected].
Please note that colleges charge an extra fee on top of GIV tuition for granting credits, but most students can utilize a Dual Enrollment voucher to fully cover that fee. The Dual Enrollment program guarantees free college credits for VT juniors and seniors. To learn more, click here. Dual Enrollment funds by law may not be used to pay GIV tuition, which is due separately.
* Out-of-state students are invited to apply for this Institute, space pending! Please contact Karen Taylor Mitchell at [email protected] or 802-865-4448 for more information (or to apply).
A native Vermonter, Laurel has traveled extensively, as well as lived in several states/cities, Europe, the West Indies/Caribbean and Saudi Arabia, however, as she says, “Vermont is really at my heart – it’s home!”
She taught for several years in secondary and post-secondary education – business, entrepreneurship, personal finance, hospitality/tourism and assisted students in service learning, co-operative education and internship programs. In addition she spent many years in the hotel/hospitality industry (she is a CHA – Certified Hotel Administrator) in key operational, general management, marketing, training and franchise development positions as well as served on several local, state and national hospitality, convention and tourism boards. Laurel has also owned and operated her own small hospitality and consulting businesses. Currently, she works full time for the Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) as a Business Advisor/Start-up Specialist, teaches part-time in the Women’s Small Business Program and enjoys painting in watercolors and mixed media.
Tamie-Jo is a Nationally Board Certified Business Teacher. She has been teaching at CVU High School for the past 21 years. During her time at CVU she has redesigned the business course offerings; traveled to England, Ireland and Wales with students four times; traveled with students to Turkey to participate in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Fair twice; advised remarkable business students in the school’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club; and worked strongly with the community providing valuable internship opportunities for students. She is a certified Jazzercise instructor and loves to make “guest appearances” in wellness classes and do school-wide fundraisers for organizations like the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Her passion is teaching entrepreneurship and business social responsibility. She provides training opportunities for teachers around the state on how to implement entrepreneurship into their curriculum, and her students have been winners of many state-wide business plan competitions.
Gwen has a passion for working with artists and first-time entrepreneurs to build their business. She developed and managed one of the first student run retail incubators in the country which helped emerging entrepreneurs test their products and ideas. It was there she found her passion for uniting creative passions and commerce. Gwen has taken different roles in nurturing the process of self-actualization that is the result of entrepreneurship. Currently, Gwen is the Director of the Women’s Small Business Program. She owns a small business management firm that helps entrepreneurs navigate the business world. Gwen has experience developing entrepreneurship and business curricula for college-age and non-traditional students as well as establishing business support services programs. She holds a Master’s in Applied Economics and Community Development from the University of Vermont.
