DESTENIE Vital
Company: Burlington Electric Department
Title: Director of Marketing and Workforce Vitality
Age: 39
Favorite Part of Job: The best part of my job is working with our customers. As the Director of Marketing at Burlington Electric, I have the pleasure of interacting with our customers: residential, commercial, and nonprofit. There are so many interesting and amazing people living in our community.
Tell us something fun about yourself that few people know: I’m a series of contradictions. I am creature of habit, yet I travel to new places all the time, and get lost on purpose to see what I discover along the way.
What three words best describe you: Inventive. Kind. Unyielding.
What song on your playlist are you ashamed to tell your best friend: Blame It on The Rain by Milli Vanilli. I know, pretty bad.
Favorite Vermont Escape: The Village Scoop in Colchester. Nothing like their creemees after a long day.
Favorite Social Media: Instagram, by far. Photographs are truly worth 1,000 words.
What is the best career advice you have received: The best career advice I received applies to all facets of life: Always be a good person, treat everyone fairly, and never give up.
What motivated you to live and work in Vermont: What motivated me to live in Vermont was landing a job here. In 2013, I moved to Vermont alone with my daughter and with what we could fit in a few suitcases, hoping that everything would work out. I am happy to report, everything worked out...better than I could have ever imagined.
Career Highlights: My career highlights have all happened in last year or two. The first career highlight was being named to Senior Management at BED, making me the first woman of color to hold the distinction. In 2017, Burlington Electric received an Award of Merit from the American Public Power Association in the category of Social Media and Web, and in 2018, BED made the international shortlist in the category of Best Green Brand for the Charge Awards in Reykjavik, Iceland. My final career highlight was being accepted into the Brown University and IE Business School Executive MBA program.
Community Involvement: My past and present community involvement are listed below. I believe in giving back to the community and helping remove barriers to access so everyone is able to live up to their full potential.
Board member of Spectrum Youth and Family Services (Executive and Diversity Committees)
Loyola University New Orleans Alumni Board (Mentorship and Outreach Committees)
The Sudanese Foundation of Vermont, Board Member.
Member of the Burlington-Winooski Partnership for Change (2016)
Participant: My Brother’s Keeper (Burlington, VT)
Volunteer: Steps to End Domestic Violence (Phone-A-Thon 2018)
