The 4th Annual Women In Leadership Luncheon. Over 200 in Lincoln Hall. Every word heard in the room.
On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce hosted the fourth annual Women in Leadership Luncheon at Hildene’s Lincoln Hall, from noon to 2:00, with Berkshire Bank and Project Against Violent Encounters (PAVE). More than 200 people came, the largest this lunch has been. Pangaea provided the meal.
Deborah Slaner Larkin gave the keynote. She is the former CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation and a national advocate for Title IX and women’s rights, and she talked about a career spent on gender equity and civil rights in nonprofit work, sports, and education. Video was part of her presentation, and it played back from the podium mic on a full audio system with wireless microphones through the room.
Three awards followed. Sarah Janabi of the Bennington County Multicultural Community Center received the Young Woman in Leadership Award. Erin Kaufman of the Southern Vermont Arts Center received Woman of the Year. Janice Corey of JK Adams received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Each honoree spoke from a microphone at the front of the room. A special In Memory tribute to Rita Dee was part of the program. We ran the transitions live so the displays and the levels held from the keynote through the awards, and the lighting put the speakers in view without turning the afternoon into a light show. The 2026 luncheon followed on May 13.
“We could focus on the program and our guests. The sound was clear from the first speaker to the last.”