UI&U Grad Lisa Lorimer to Present Talk in Brattleboro September 12

Lorimer will discuss her new book about the challenges and rewards of running a business


BRATTLEBORO, VT – Union Institute & University, a private, non-profit university with locations in both Brattleboro and Montpelier, will host a talk with UI&U alumna Lisa Lorimer, founder and former CEO of the Vermont Bread Company, at 1 p.m. Sunday, September 12, at its Brattleboro Academic Center. The talk is free and open to the public.

Lorimer will be discussing leadership and her new book co-authored with Birkenstock founder Margot Fraser entitled: Dealing with the Tough Stuff: Practical Wisdom for Running a Values-Driven Business. The book features true stories about the real pitfalls of running a business and outlines struggles faced by business leaders.

“Anyone who runs their own business will tell you: it isn't easy. There's always more work than time to do it, and for every time things seem under control, unforeseen complications await. The good news is, it is possible,” says Lorimer, who graduated from UI&U in 1993.

A Vermont native, Lorimer is often credited with helping fuel the boom in organic food sales over the past two decades. She sold her controlling interest in 2004 but continues as a significant investor and board member of the company she helped found in 1978 in a country barn in Brattleboro. With nearly $20 million in sales per year, the Vermont Bread Company was the largest producer of all-natural, premium, and certified organic breads and muffins in the Northeast United States. Under her leadership, it was the largest woman-owned manufacturing firm in Vermont and has been featured in magazines such as Inc., Baking Management, and Family Circle.

Lorimer was already a successful entrepreneur when she began her degree program at UI&U, and she is passionate about the education she received. “My experience (as a U&IU learner) was transformational,” said Lorimer. “My advisors helped me find my voice as a writer.”

In addition to her B.A. from Union Institute and University, Lorimer completed the three-year Owner President Management Program at Harvard Business School. She is also an alumna of the Vermont Leadership Institute’s inaugural class of 1996, and now serves as a faculty member.

Lorimer serves on the Board of Directors of the Vermont Community Foundation and the Snelling Center for Government at the University of Vermont. A fundraising volunteer for the Women’s Crisis Center, she is also a member of the Education Committee for Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility. She served as a delegate to the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business, where she served on the Research Advisory Committee for the Peace & Justice Center’s Vermont Job Gap Study Basic Needs and Livable Wage report in 1998.

The talk will begin at 1 p.m. and will take place Sunday, September 12, at the UI&U Brattleboro Academic Center, 3 University Way on Old Guilford Road at VABEC. The event will also feature door prizes and a chance to win an Amazon Kindle. For more information and to RSVP contact the Brattleboro Center: brattleborocenter@myunion.edu or 802-257-9411.

Dr. John Wilson To Deliver National Commencement Keynote

Cincinnati – Union Institute & University (UI&U), a private, non-profit university headquartered in Cincinnati, today announced that Dr. John Silvanus Wilson Jr. will address UI&U graduates and guests at the upcoming national commencement ceremony on Saturday, October 16 at the Hall of Mirrors, Cincinnati Hilton Netherland Plaza in downtown Cincinnati.


“We are particularly honored that John will speak to our graduates,” said Dr. Roger H. Sublett, President of Union Institute & University. “He has an extensive background in higher education, and experience as both a scholar and a practitioner. He certainlyunderstands the challenges of higher education today, and I’m sure he will inspire our undergraduate, masters, and doctoral learners.”

Wilson was recently appointed by President Barack Obama to be executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In this role, Wilson works as liaison between the executive branch of the government and HBCUs. Said President Obama, in a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Education, “We're delighted to have someone with the breadth and quality of experience that Dr. Wilson brings to address the challenges our HBCUs face. His expertise and insight will be invaluable to the Department."

Wilson has been an associate professor of higher education at George Washington University (GWU) since 2006, when he took research leave as executive dean of GWU's Virginia campus, a post he held since 2002. Prior to his tenure at GWU, Wilson spent 16 years at MIT, where he served as director of foundation relations and assistant provost.

Wilson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College, a Master of Theological Studies degree from Harvard University, and both master's and doctoral degrees in educational administration, planning, and social policy, also from Harvard University. He is also the recipient of both W.K. Kellogg and Woodrow Wilson fellowships.

For more information about UI&U’s National Commencement or Dr. John Wilson, please contact Nicole Hamilton, public relations manager at 513-487-1194, or at nicole.hamilton@myunion.edu.

UI&U Welcomes Dan Lerner, Ph.D., the new Dean of the Vermont Academic Centers

MONTPELIER, VT – Union Institute & University (UI&U), a non-profit, private university with academic centers in Brattleboro and Montpelier that offers degree programs designed for the busy adult, is proud to announce that Daniel Lerner, Ph.D., has been hired as dean of the Vermont Academic Centers.
Lerner brings to the Montpelier Academic Center many years of teaching and administrative experience.
After earning his bachelor’s degree from Duke University he served as an admissions officer at his alma mater before pursuing his doctorate at Michigan State University (MSU). He earned his Ph.D. in United States History from MSU in 2002 and moved to Binghamton University (SUNY), where he served as assistant professor of history education and as co-director of the Center for the Teaching of American History. In Lerner’s years as Co-Director, the Center received multiple million dollar grants to develop and deliver a wide variety of professional development programs for hundreds of middle- and high-school social studies teachers in southern and central New York.”

In 2006, Lerner became the associate dean of Arts & Sciences at Grand Rapids Community College in Grand Rapids, MI, a comprehensive community college that enrolls approximately 30,000 students. There he oversaw four academic departments, an art gallery, a laboratory preschool, and more than 100 faculty. Lerner was also a founding member of the advisory board for the Michigan Higher Education Recruitment Consortium.

In addition to his administrative experience, Lerner has taught numerous courses at Michigan State University, Duke University, Binghamton University, Grand Rapids Community College, and the University of Vermont.

For more information or to schedule an interview with Dr. Lerner please contact Nicole Hamilton, UI&U public relations manager at 800-486-9968 or Nicole.hamilton@myunion.edu.