BIANKA LeGrand
Favorite Part of Job? My favorite part of my job is watching people rediscover their strengths and their inner drive to succeed. We all have a story to tell, and being able to share it with the world can make a huge difference in a person's life.
Most Inspiring Mentor: I had many inspiring mentors in my life! My most inspiring mentors and my heroes are my parents. They thought me the importance of hard work, resilience, strong will, compassion, and empathy towards others. Most importantly, they thought me to always be myself.
I was also incredibly inspired by my dear friends Neda Conti de Lutgen, Alcista N. Gillies, and many other wonderful people in my life.
Tell us something fun about yourself that few people know: I see hearts everywhere I go. They just appear in front of me out of common everyday things(in my coffee, on the sidewalk, the food I cook or buy, etc). I now have a huge collection of heart shaped rocks that I'll turn into a piece of art someday.
Favorite Downtime Activity: My favorite downtime activity is drinking a great cup of dark roast or Turkish coffee, reading a non-fiction book, getting lost in the library, and/or watching the Sunday Morning CBS show.
Favorite Vermont Escape: My favorite Vermont escape is anywhere near the Lake Champlain!
Favorite Social Media: I don't have the most favorite social media venue, but I most frequently engage on LinkedIn.
Favorite Website: My most favorite website is humansofnewyork.com. It is a heartfelt, funny, and inspiring collection of images and stories of people that live in, visit, and/or dream of New York City. I wish we had the similar page about people of Vermont.
Vermont Business Person you would most want to Network with: I am very grateful for having an opportunity to meet many great leaders of Vermont, and it would be a great honor to meet and have a lunch with Gov Madeleine Kunin. I am incredibly inspired by her work and her leadership.
Career Highlights: In 2011 I started Red Coral consulting company, who's main focus is on leadership and task force development, custom designed employee trainings, and leadership recruiting and skill matching. Since 2010, I taught Emotional Intelligence for the Masters of Science in Organizational Leadership Program at Norwich University. Prior to this experience, I served as a Director of Employee Training and Development and as a Field Care Manager for the home-care agency, Armistead.
Community Involvement:
• Vice President of Young Democrats of Vermont
• Business Planning Assistance to New Entrepreneurs and Local Small Businesses
• Resume Writing Assistance to Undergrad and Graduate Students
• Article writing & Newsletter Designs, Marketing For Small Local Businesses
• Interpreting & Translating for Non-Native Speakers (Bosnian – English)
• Fundraising for charities
John Boutin, Publisher of VBM, Lisa Gosselin, VT Dept. Economic Dev. and Rising Star Bianka LeGrand.