Leadership Council
James H. Douglas,
Co-Chair
Governor Douglas served Vermont for more than 35 years as a legislator, Secretary of State, State Treasurer and Governor. He advanced groundbreaking health reforms that have made Vermont a national model; he was recognized by AARP for his health care leadership. He chaired the Board of Porter Medical Center in Middlebury.
Douglas chaired the National Governors Association and President Obama appointed him co-chair of the Council of Governors.
He now teaches at Middlebury College, his alma mater. He has served on several corporate boards and has worked on task forces at the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Council of Independent Colleges. He’s a Trustee of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation.
Lisa Ventriss, Co-Chair
Prior to retirement in 2021, Lisa Ventriss served as a seasoned executive with a demonstrated history of success in building consensus around solutions for complex problems in the public policy arena. As President of the Vermont Business Roundtable for 19 years, she led CEO members from both the private and non-profit sectors through thoughtful policy research and analysis, collaboration and advocacy, on such issues as early care and education, health care reform, and workforce development. And prior to her second retirement in 2022, as Interim Dean of the Stiller School of Business at Champlain College, Lisa leveraged her networks and skills as a community builder to re-introduce the school to the state’s broader business network to focus on enrollment growth, strategic initiatives, and student leadership development.
Ms. Ventriss currently serves as Chair of the Windham Foundation Board of Trustees and Chair of the Green Mountain Power Board. She is also a Director of Maine Mutual Group and Trustee Emerita at Champlain College. Lisa is a native from Middlebury, VT and holds a Master of Public Administration and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Vermont. She is married and has three grown sons.