MIDDLEBURY — The Better Middlebury Partnership welcomes Vermont native Matt Dunne, head of community affairs at Google, to the Middlebury Inn on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 5:30 p.m. for a free talk titled “Innovation and the New Vermont Economy.” A discussion will follow.
“Technology is evolving fast. The information age has the potential to empower Vermonters and rural innovators in general in a way that has never been available before and as the Dealer.com sale proves, we have the potential to really succeed in the global marketplace. However, we need to be intentional in our infrastructure development and economic development strategy,” says Dunne. “We’ll discuss what that landscape looks like and how best to leverage our advantages.”
Dunne was elected to the Vermont House at the age of 22. He served 7 years before joining the Clinton administration as the Director of AmeriCorps VISTA. In 2002 he returned home to Vermont and was elected to two terms in the Vermont Senate.
Outside of the Legislature, he worked in high-tech marketing and before joining Google was the associate director of the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College, creating programs to support students who wish to pursue careers in the nonprofit and public sector. At Google, Dunne supports all aspects of the company’s local corporate social responsibility activities in communities where Google has an office or data center as well as helping guide larger corporate partnerships with the nonprofit and public sector.
Dunne currently lives with his wife and three children on the small farm where he grew up in Hartland.
Appetizers and a cash bar will be available. This event is hosted by the Better Middlebury Partnership and the Young Professionals Group and sponsored by PrimeLending.