Jaime Lee
38 | President, j. elevate, inc.
Residence: Poultney
Career highlight(s) you are most proud of:
A highlight that quickly comes to mind occurred in 2021, when I was working across multiple teams at Haystack Needle to pull together metrics and analysis in support of Engine No. 1’s activist campaign against ExxonMobil. Ultimately, our client enjoyed a historic win, picking up three board seats at Exxon (all nominees had experience with clean, alternative energy production), despite owning only 0.02% of the company’s shares. Listening in on the ExxonMobil shareholder meeting as results were revealed was wild.
Your community involvement:
Chairing my local planning commission, volunteering on my local development review board and the Poultney Downtown Revitalization Committee and serving both the Preservation Trust of Vermont and the Vermont Downtown Development Board (representing the Preservation Trust of Vermont and the Vermont Natural Resources Council).
In addition, I help where I can when it comes to initiatives that aim to grow Poultney’s recreation economy. I am also a proud co-president of the Poultney Bluegrass Society and a volunteer for wildlife technical assistance whenever I can assist.
Inspiration for living and working in Vermont:
In order to graduate from Green Mountain College in 2006, I needed an internship in my field (public policy and human sciences). My adviser matched me with Jonas Rosenthal, who held numerous positions for the town and village of Poultney and various local nonprofits. My roots grew from there and spread far deeper and wider than I could have ever thought possible.
Favorite part of your job:
The constant exploration, tinkering and learning as the digital landscape evolves.
Most inspiring mentor:
Jonas Rosenthal, without whom I may have not remained in Vermont. His devotion to our community is unequalled, and he was always my biggest fan and advocate, up to and including this nomination. His support from early on kept me entrenched in community, and while we’ve just recently lost him and are reeling from the devastation of that loss, his legacy will live on in the infrastructure and inspiration he left behind.
Best career advice you have received:
Establish (and nurture) relationships with the humans on the ground. All of the best opportunities come from networking.
Something fun about yourself that few people know:
I am an open book. I will talk your ear off about bluegrass; wildlife; designated downtowns; Poultney’s past, present and future; the wintering habits of painted turtle hatchlings, you name it.
Three words that best describe you:
Tinkerer, tenacious and thoughtful.
Favorite Vermont escape:
Any of the various waterholes along the Poultney River, day trips to Emerald Lake or hiking within our area Wildlife Management Areas. Outdoors, greenery, wildlife and quiet.
Favorite Vermont season:
The weeks leading up to summer, when the chanterelles are popping and we’re all starting to remember just how sweet summer nights will be.
Favorite downtime activity:
Impromptu public bluegrass jams, followed closely by solo hikes tracking wildlife through marshes.
Favorite social media:
Facebook. Hear me out: I’ve followed so many wildlife/nerd pages that my feed is generally flooded with hilarious and/or informative content. Plus, I get to quickly see local news and follow my friends’ political grievances (though I try to stay mum on the latter to avoid alienating members of the community who may need to someday work with me at a professional level; communication is an art and does not so easily translate on social media).
Person you would most like to share a Vermont beverage with:
Jonas Rosenthal, now that I no longer can. But to be fair, he’d most likely order a Coors anyhow. Second would be the late Paul Bruhn, to give him all the “goss,” but he’d go for a glass of wine. Third — and this could definitely happen — is Dan Tyminski; he’s such a strong figure in the bluegrass world and empowering and inspirational to the young artists he hires as accompaniment.
Cause(s) you would support if you had unlimited funds:
Research and development for any and all technologies that would minimize our impact on the natural world and establish resilience for vulnerable human communities.
A song on your playlist you are embarrassed to admit to your best friend:
Probably recordings of myself trying to write new songs. I would leap across the room to skip through those!
Where you see yourself professionally in the next five to 10 years:
I envision more conferences, more efficiencies, perhaps my own employees.
Goal(s) you’d like to accomplish in the next five to 10 years:
(1) To be positioned to continue taking on local projects at an affordable rate to ensure that individuals, businesses and nonprofits in my community have access to the same tools as my more established clients. (2) To one my craft to such an extent that I will be better able to carve out an appropriate work-life balance for myself and entertain more adventures.
How your community service has changed since the pandemic:
The pandemic ground many things to a halt, but thankfully we were eventually able to overcome some of the challenges when we adopted videoconferencing. In the early months, prior to Zoom meetings, our planning commission met outside the town office (and at a safe distance) to forge ahead with our town plan update.
How your job has changed since the pandemic:
In-person interactions with clients fizzled to zero, while in years prior I was traveling down to Manhattan near monthly to deliver presentations in big, beautiful boardrooms. I am hopeful that I will find some occasion to return to New York in the future; in the meantime, I’m incredibly thankful that my business — being digitally oriented — has survived the pandemic relatively unscathed.
