Staff
Our Team
The VBSR Staff bring many decades of experience to their roles and collective work: supporting and serving VBSR’s members – the leaders, innovators and influencers, whose impact reaches far beyond the workplace and our state.
A Collaborative Force for Good
Together, we're more than just colleagues; we're a unified force advocating for a just, thriving and transformative economy. Through collaboration and shared commitment, the VBSR Staff further shapes the Vermont brand, advances leading-edge policy and fuels the social responsibility movement – actions and commitments VBSR members have passionately pursued for more than three decades.
Meet the Faces Behind Our Mission
Executive Director
Chelsea Bardot Lewis is the Executive Director of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, where she champions business as a force for good. With a deep commitment to Vermont's business community, she brings expertise in social enterprise, impact investing, and public policy.
Before joining VBSR, Chelsea served as COO of Working Fields, leading the company through a period of significant growth and impact. She was instrumental in scaling operations, securing $3 million in impact capital, and doubling revenue within three years. Prior to that, she managed an integrated investment and grantmaking portfolio at the Vermont Community Foundation and led business development efforts at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, supporting Vermont businesses and nonprofits to grow and thrive.
Chelsea lives in Waterbury with her husband Nate and their two energetic and curious boys, Jack and Will.
Reach Chelsea at ChelseaB@vbsr.org.
Public Policy Manager
de Graffenreid has nearly 20 years of experience as a community organizer, advocate, lobbyist, campaign director, and trainer – including with businesses and economic development entities. She has a dual degree in Political Science and Women’s & Gender Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a master’s degree from Vermont Law and Graduate School.
She has worked on issues ranging from resource extraction to climate justice, the rights of women and girls to rural economic and workforce development. Most recently she managed the Vermont Arts Council’s economic development network, the Vermont Creative Network. Her efforts have taken her across the Southeastern U.S., Gulf Region, Appalachia, New England and the Hudson Valley.
Reach Johanna at Johannad@vbsr.org.
Membership and Development Manager
Jeremy (he/him) joined the VBSR team in January 2024 as the Membership and Development Manager. Though he grew up in western Massachusetts, he began setting deep Vermont roots in 2013. His professional experience in Vermont includes working with small, local businesses, large, national corporations, and established nonprofits.
Before joining VBSR he helped manage fundraising efforts at Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, where he discovered his passion for mission-driven work. Jeremy is a firm believer that Vermont should be a model for positive change. As a small, nimble state, we can show the country (and world!) ways to build prosperity for all, while protecting our wild places. This is what drives Jeremy to serve the changemakers who make up the VBSR community.
Please reach Jeremy at JeremyG@vbsr.org.
Education and Events Manager
New to Vermont, Molly joined the team at the start of 2022 as our Education and Events Manager. Originally from Connecticut, Molly was lured to California to join AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) where she served local communities through environmental stewardship, disaster relief, and volunteer coordination.
From there, she moved to Colorado to work with Volunteers of America, where she managed volunteers and events to assist low-income seniors. Most recently, Molly worked with Warren Village, a nonprofit in Colorado that helps low-income, single-parent families. In addition to working on their Development Team, Molly led their Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity, and Culture Committee and earned a certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility from the University of Colorado.
Molly has always loved visiting Vermont and is proud to be a full-time resident and a part of VBSR, where she can align her work with her passion for community engagement. She spends her free time hiking with her dog, snowboarding and camping with friends, or enjoying board game nights with her family.
Email Molly at mollyb@vbsr.org.
Finance and Operations Manager
Richters has nearly 25 years of experience blending nonprofit and affordable housing accounting, arts production and advocacy, and solo entrepreneurship. He earned his degree in Accounting from the University of Rhode Island and spent many years with Hartford, Connecticut-based public accounting firm Whittlesy, the largest CPA and consulting firm in the state. Here he earned his CPA and formed a team focused on Low-Income Housing Tax Credit compliance.
In 2020, Richters pivoted to the arts – teaching, producing and advocating. This work included production and promotion of Hartford’s Got Talent, spotlighting and supporting local artists, and partnering with nationally recognized cartoonist and producer Joe Young to develop community events and social media promoting Black excellence and an accurate version of Black History. Richters also served three years as the Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Windsor Art Center in Windsor, Connecticut, supporting local artists showcasing a mix of talents, viewpoints, and cultures.
Richters and his wife recently relocated to Burlington, Vermont, where he formed Pop Fusion LLC, a solopreneur venture producing customizable, gourmet lollipops.
Reach Ed at EdR@vbsr.org.
Communications Manager
Talley joined VBSR in February 2022 with over two decades of agency public relations experience in Texas and New York where he practiced integrated, strategic communications with a variety of Fortune 500 corporations, nonprofits, state agencies, and challenger brands. His collaboration with innovative CSR/ESG organizations included stakeholder and media relations, team and event management, partnership and content development, and executive visibility and thought leadership.
Talley’s clients have included Capital One, Philips Healthcare and Lighting, Best Friends Animal Society, Common Cause, Texas Department of State Health Services, car2go, Seventh Generation, Dell, GoGo squeeZ, the National Chicken Council, and Whole Foods Market. Prior to agency life he worked for a music industry dot-com, ran an outdoor program for at-risk teens, fronted an independent rock band he started with his brothers, and wrote a comic strip for his college newspaper.
He and his wife live in Brattleboro, VT, and have two daughters attending the University of Vermont.
Reach Talley at TalleyS@vbsr.org.