Vermont’s rising star
Vermont Business Magazine has named Jared Duval ’05 a “Rising Star.” The Rising Star recognition award calls out young professionals under the age of 40 in Vermont who demonstrate a commitment to business growth, professional excellence and involvement in their communities.
Duval is the economic development director for the state. He says his liberal arts education at Wheaton has helped him succeed, providing an important foundation to his career in public service, policy work and economic development.
“Anyone who works in the field of economic development benefits from broad interdisciplinary preparation, including economics, politics and behavioral psychology, to name just a few,” he said. “Questioning assumptions and thinking critically are vital in this job because economic development can mean so many different things to different people.
What one person thinks might be good for growth another may see as undermining the foundational qualities that make a community an attractive place to live and work in the first place.” In Vermont, Duval focuses specifically on the green economy and the state’s working landscape. He also does original research and writing, and published a book in 2010 called Next Generation Democracy: What the Open-Source Revolution Means for Power, Politics and Change.
At Wheaton, Duval double majored in political science and economics, and received honors for his senior thesis on global warming in the context of U.S. politics. He went on to receive a master’s of philosophy from the University of Cambridge and a master’s degree in public affairs in domestic policy from Princeton University.
“I believe that so many of the analytical and leadership skills I honed at Wheaton, from the importance of establishing definitional clarity, to questioning underlying, unspoken assumptions and being willing to raise sometimes uncomfortable criticisms—especially when those criticisms represent a minority opinion—help me to better serve Vermont and its residents,” Duval said.