Date/Time
Date(s) - October 21, 2026
10:00 am - 11:30 am
Fee: Free (Pay as you wish)
Register at: https://give.unitedwaynwvt.org/e/career-growth-and-retention-panel
How do small organizations create meaningful career opportunities when there are only a few levels of advancement? Join nonprofit peers for an interactive conversation about supporting employee growth, building career paths, and retaining valued team members. This session is designed for executive directors, HR professionals, managers, and supervisors who help shape the employee experience.
The session will begin with key insights from the Vermont Wage & Benefits Report, including current trends and what they may mean for retention. We’ll then hear from nonprofit leaders, HR professionals, employees, and workforce development partners about practical strategies that work in smaller organizations.
Meet the Panelists:
- Suzanne Eikenberry | Director of Finance and Operations at Vermont Works for Women
- Mark Heyman | Founder and Nonprofit Consultant at HR Happens
- Kristin Lawson | Operations & Human Resources Manager at Local Motion
- Luke Rackers | Co-Executive Director at Good Samaritan Haven
Through facilitated breakout discussions, participants will explore retention challenges, share approaches that have worked, discuss lessons learned, and identify one strategy they can try in the next six months.
This interactive conversation will focus on peer experience and practical ideas, not a traditional presentation. While compensation matters, organizations can also retain talent by creating opportunities for learning, advancement, connection, and long-term growth.
Participants will leave with:
- New ideas for creating career pathways in small organizations
- Examples of retention strategies from Vermont nonprofit peers
- Practical approaches to employee growth and development
- An opportunity to exchange ideas with other HR and nonprofit professionals
Length: 90 min; 10:00 am – 11:30 pm
Audience: Executive directors, HR professionals, managers and supervisors who help shape the employee experience
Register Here
Meet the Panelists
Suzanne Eikenberry’s diverse nonprofit career has taken her from serving as a lobbying intern on Capitol Hill to directing Montpelier’s downtown organization and consulting with small nonprofits on financial services. Currently she is the Director of Operations and Finance at Vermont Works for Women. She is passionate about helping nonprofits thrive through strategic and values-driven decision making, systems improvements, and well-supported staff.
Mark Heyman, JD, Founder of HR Happens, is an HR and organization development consultant, with experience in both the private and public sectors. Mark began his professional career practicing labor and employment law, serving as Deputy Legal Counsel to the VT State Employees Association. Mark also served as an Assistant Clerk in the VT House of Representatives for the 1996-97 Legislative Session. He then transitioned to HR work as co-owner and then owner of an HR and OD consultancy, Cope & Associates, Inc. and Cope HR for ten years. Mark then served as HR Director and General Counsel of OnLogic, a global industrial PC company headquartered in VT until turning back to consulting and founding HR Happens. HR Happens’ mission is to provide adaptive, comprehensive HR expertise and solutions that develop resilient teams, enrich work cultures and align people strategies with organizational goals. Mark received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont in 1992 and his JD from Suffolk University Law School in 1995. He and his family live in South Burlington, VT.
Kristin Lawson serves as the Operations & Human Resources Manager at Local Motion. In this role Kristin oversees all aspects of her teammates work experience including recruitment, onboarding, and training, as well as Local Motion’s systems of work planning, performance assessment, and succession planning. Kristin supports and coordinates volunteers, and works with Local Motion’s seasonal teams in training, scheduling, and workflow efficiencies. With previous experience with the restaurant industry, corporate training, and supporting youth, Kristin brings a variety of work experiences to her role at Local Motion. Her favorite part of her job is co-creating a workplace that feels respectful & collaborative, and where work-life balance is highly valued. She lives with her family in Winooski.