Board Members
Ali Gohlke-Schermer - President
Ali Gohlke-Schermer is a PMP-certified financial planner at Commonwealth Financial Group. Ali used to work as a manufacturing engineer, where she found a love for project management before she took on a formal project manager role at NDI. Recently, she has opened her own practice as a financial planner, where she transfers her skills from the PM world into her business. Additionally, Ali volunteers with her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi.
Ali has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Vermont and an M.S. in engineering management from Clarkson University. Originally from Albany, New York, Ali lives in Vermont with her partner and enjoys skiing, crossfit, and running.
Reponsibilities
The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer for the Chapter and of the Board, and shall perform such duties as are customary for presiding officers, including making all required appointments with the approval of the Board. Responsible the strategic vision, mission, and objectives as detailed by the chapter board, PMI, and chapter business plans. The President directs the activities of other officers toward chapter goals and objectives. Ensure that the chapter board works together as a team.
Nancy Willis, Vice President
Nancy is the Director of Strategy Execution at Data Innovations, a company that optimizes patient care through transformative laboratory software solutions. Nancy collaborates with leaders to achieve organizational alignment focusing on driving consistent, predictable performance. Project management is the key to strategy execution and the key to a successful project management professional is not only their ability to execute but to master the skill of influence and show the value of project management to the organization. I’m very excited to be part of the PMI community, it is a great way to connect with people in our profession and learn from each other.
Responsibilites
Serves as an advocate for the Champlain Valley Chapter, steering the board to understand the Project Management needs of our chapter members and finding ways to satisfy those needs. Provides leadership to the board, supporting each board member’s goals and objectives.
Riddhi Patel, VP of Finance
The VP Finance is responsible for presenting and maintaining all financial records required for Chapter operations in accordance with the purposes of the Chapter and its Constitution and Bylaws and subject to the approval of the majority of the members of the Chapter Board of Directors. The position includes comptroller/controller responsibility (i.e., responsibility for all funds collected and disbursed by the Chapter).
Michael Schmidt, VP of Community Building
Michael Schmidt is a PMP certified project manager at Siemens EDA. Michael has worked in various roles at GlobalFoundries, IBM, and Intel including engineering, project management, and functional management. Additionally, Michael has taught many courses in engineering, business, and project management.
Michael has a B.S. in electrical engineering from San Jose State University, an M.S. in engineering management from Walden University, and an MBA from RPI.
Originally from Buffalo NY, Michael lives in Vermont and spends his free time enjoying the outdoors in Vermont and the Adirondacks with his family.
ROLE DESCRIPTION:
The Community Building VP is responsible for managing the relationships that PMI CV has with community members and other local organizations, schools and businesses.
Elected volunteer responsible for addressing the needs of chapter community relations activities, in this role you may serve as a central point of contact for the chapter and help develop and run outreach programs. Responds to inquiries from community members and other interested parties; when needed, recruits a knowledgeable spokesperson or information source to assist. Plans, coordinates, and executes special events and press conferences.
Bob Earle - VP of Marketing
A project execution leader with 25+ years of financial services experience; change management focus with a strong background in operations and technical delivery. A professional who enjoys the challenges of working with business and technology groups to provide effective solutions. Leads continuous improvement within the PMO at National Life Insurance Group to grow talent and further enhance project execution capabilities. Bob has had similar roles at Voya Financial, ING and at Bank of America.
ROLE DESCRIPTION:
Responsible for creating and implementing a Chapter marketing plan. The key objective of the Public Relations team is to communicate our message of project, program, and portfolio management value to the Champlain Valley community and beyond.
Elected volunteer responsible for marketing and public relations. The VP of marketing shall be responsible for developing marketing, corporate relations and communication programs in accordance with chapter bylaws and policies. And is responsible for the administration and ongoing maintenance and updates to the Chapter website. Assists other board members with content publishing and oversees community member activities.
Vijay Desai, VP - Outreach
Vijay Desai is a founder and principal consultant at Desai Management Consulting, a Vermont-based global professional services company that delivers value across the business lifecycle in various industries. He has over 25 years of experience in engineering, project management, and consulting, and holds multiple credentials, including PMP, P.Eng., and SSM. Vijay helps emerging and fast-growing companies in North America define and reach their next level of performance, by providing value-based advisory and consulting services that deliver flexible business solutions within an overall framework connecting strategy to execution. He is also a co-founder and executive director of Technology for Tomorrow, a non-profit organization that provides affordable technology education and counseling to those in need. He is passionate about empowering people and organizations to achieve their full potential.
ROLE DESCRIPTION:
The Outreach VP strengthens the relationship between the PMI Chapter and the community. The Outreach VP responsible for an organization's public relations campaign for the purpose of identifying, establishing and cultivating cooperative relationships with community based programs, organizations, and community leaders, with a special focus on supporting project management professionals in our region.
Brent Raymond, VP of Education
Brent Raymond is General Manager of Green Mountains Regional Center (GMRC), a Rossi Group company. Mr. Raymond has over ten years of regional center management experience, and over twenty years in finance and banking.
Mr. Raymond's responsibilities include leading and overseeing operations, project management, compliance, investor relations, and marketing. Brent was previously Vice President, Special Projects at Mount Snow resort and a former Executive Director of two regional centers where he utilized his leadership and management skills, and bond finance background to implement policy and procedure improvements. Brent has also formerly held FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities licenses. Mr. Raymond worked for over ten years in the New England region's financial services sector as a Vice President of TD Bank's Wealth Management Group, and later as a Vermont-based Merrill Lynch financial advisor.
Mr. Raymond serves as a member of the IIUSA Best Practices committee and is a past Chair of the Eastern Trade Council.
Brent served in the U.S. Air Force, earning several medals and commendations, and was named Cape Cod Air Force Station Airman of the Year. He later served in both the Vermont Air National Guard and the Vermont Army National Guard. A summa cum laude graduate of CUNY Hunter College, he graduated with a double major in history and an interdisciplinary honors studies program.
Responsibilities
The VP Education is responsible for developing Chapter educational programs, including PMP certification preparation and other project management training, developing relationships with local colleges and universities, serving as liaison to the PMI Educational Foundation, and identifying other educational opportunities in accordance with the purposes of the Chapter and its Constitution and Bylaws and subject to the approval of the majority of the Chapter Board of Directors.
