​Vermont Law School students will host a Vermont Gubernatorial Forum from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, in Chase Community Center. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. The public and press are welcome.

The forum, sponsored by VLS Social Justice Mission Scholars, will begin with introductions and opening statements from four candidates for Vermont governor. Candidates will then participate in a moderated panel discussion followed by a community portion with questions from the audience. The forum will end with closing statements from the candidates.

"We are thrilled that the gubernatorial candidates have agreed to join us to discuss their priorities for Vermont," said Mission Scholar Zoe Newman ’17. "As law students, we spend our days analyzing the laws as they are and how we would like to see them change. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear from the candidates who wish to run the state and set the legislative priorities for the next two years."

Candidates slated to participate in the forum provided the following bios:

  • Matt Dunne: "Matt Dunne is a candidate for governor of Vermont. Raised in Hartland, he has served in leadership roles in both the public and private sectors. He was elected to both the Vermont House and Senate, led the AmeriCorps*VISTA program, and for the last eight years headed up Community Affairs for Google. Matt and his wife Sarah are raising their three children in the farmhouse where he grew up."
  • Peter Galbraith: "Peter Galbraith represented Windham County in the Vermont Senate from 2011 to 2015, where he initiated legislation to ban hydraulic fracking, prohibit corporate campaign contributions, create a public option on the Vermont Health Connect exchange, and raise the minimum wage. Peter Galbraith has been a diplomat and best selling author. As the first US Ambassador to Croatia, Galbraith negotiated and signed the 1995 peace agreement that ended the Croatia War. Galbraith also served in the transitional government of East Timor and as the Deputy UN envoy to Afghanistan. Galbraith’s work to uncover and prevent Saddam Hussein’s genocide against the Kurds in the 1980s is the subject of two documentaries and is featured [in] Samantha Power’s Pulitzer Prize winning book on genocide, ‘A Problem From Hell.’"
  • Bruce Lisman: "Bruce was born in Burlington’s Old North End, attended Burlington public schools and has been hard at work since he was 15 years old. After graduating from UVM, he worked as a file clerk, taxi driver and bartender before starting a successful management career. Bruce is an experienced manager of more than 2,300 employees and a leader in the business community. He is the only candidate for governor who has led and grown a business the size of Vermont’s state government, creating value to clients, jobs, and opportunity."
  • Phil Scott: "Phil grew up in Barre, graduated from Spaulding High School and from UVM. Phil has been an entrepreneur all his life. At the age of 18 he opened his first business, and now he co-owns Dubois Construction in Middlesex. In 2000, Phil decided to bridge the gap between Montpelier and small businesses and ran for Washington County Senate. He won, and served five consecutive terms. In 2010, with bipartisan encouragement, Phil was elected lieutenant governor. As [lieutenant] governor he launched the Everyday Jobs Initiative and the Vermont Economy Pitch sessions. On Thursday nights during the summer, Phil can usually be found at Barre’s Thunder Road. Phil lives in Berlin with his wife Diana. He has two grown daughters, Erica and Rachael."

    For more information about the forum, including a full schedule, email ZoeNewman@vermontlaw.edu. For more information about VLS events open to the public, visit vermontlaw.edu/news-and-events.

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Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, is home to the nation’s largest and deepest environmental law program. VLS offers a Juris Doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; three Master’s Degrees—Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, and Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy; and four post-JD degrees —LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, LLM in Environmental Law, and LLM in Food and Agriculture Law. The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center, South Royalton Legal Clinic, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Energy Clinic, Food and Agriculture Clinic, and Center for Applied Human Rights. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.​