Gary Scott has lived in many states but his move to Vermont was the hardest.

Scott, a Black man, moved from Texas in October 2020 for a new job at the University of Vermont Medical Center and felt immediately isolated. He didn’t know anyone in this remote, cold, starkly white state. 

That, compounded by a housing crisis and a pandemic, almost led him to leave after living in a hotel for seven months and not knowing anyone.

“I just reflected on the struggles I had when I moved here as a person of color,” he said. “I started thinking about how, you know, it’s a great place and a great community, but how do you get people to come here, transition here, stay here, if they have no community, no housing … nothing.” 

That’s unfortunately the experience of many people of color who move to Vermont for a job, said Tinotenda Rutanhira, co-founder and executive director of the Vermont Professionals of Color Network.

Rutanhira first met Scott in April 2021 at a BIPOC Covid-19 vaccination clinic in Burlington. The two would become friends and Rutanhira would introduce him to people, places and activities Rutanhura has enjoyed in the Green Mountain State. The budding friendship ultimately convinced Scott to stay.

The connection also seeded an idea that has bloomed into a new program offered by Vermont Professionals of Color Network that pairs a potential out-of-state employee with a long-term Vermont resident who, through their already established networks, can help dispel the notion that Vermont is unwelcoming and lacking in communities of color.

Launched in the spring, the Newcomer Nexus program has so far helped recruit and relocate two people to private companies in Chittenden County and held information sessions for a dozen candidates considering the psychology residency program at the medical center. 

Courtney Fleisher, a clinical psychologist at UVMMC, said her team is focused on providing equitable care and attracting more residents of color to the program. She reached out to VTPoC, heard about the new program and helped design zoom meetings for residency candidates this year.

Although none of the four recruits who arrived at the medical center this year are people of color, the feedback from the sessions was positive, she said.

One candidate said the panel was a “wonderful and unique” opportunity that no other medical school had offered; others appreciated the candor and kindness VTPoC representatives offered, she said. 

The department hopes to continue the one-on-one support for new residents of color. Meanwhile, other departments at the medical center have expressed interest in hosting similar panels for residency candidates, Rutanhira said.

Fleisher said the program is important for the medical school because it can help provide new perspectives from people of color, and cultivate opportunities for BIPOC residents to find providers who look like them.

“I think that diversity is a driver of excellence and that it’s imperative for us to navigate the aspects of Vermont being a very white state to do the best that we can to create an inviting environment, a supportive environment, so that everybody can benefit,” she said.

For a state with a 2.5% unemployment rate and more than 20,000 open jobs, the program could be a game changer for employers looking to hire and retain diverse candidates, Rutanhira said.

Melissa Bounty, the executive director of the Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation who works with BIPOC-owned businesses and employees in that region, said the program fills a major gap by welcoming and showing new employees around town.

“My board is made up of many professional leaders in central Vermont. They definitely saw a need for this type of program and they were really excited by it,” she said. 

After Rutanhira’s presentation, the board has agreed to fund one spot for an interested employer in the region, Bounty said.

VTPoC charges employers a $3,000 fee for the service and connects with new recruits who are considering relocation to “make the case about why people like ourselves have decided to live in Vermont, and why we’ve chosen to kind of act as a broker between the person and the company,” Rutanhira said.

Both Rutanhira and Bounty said Vermont is a tougher state for the BIPOC population to transition to because they have to uproot their lives and move to one of the most white and most remote states in the country where they may not have family or friends. Plus, they may not be used to the long, dark winters.

They also face unique challenges that a one-on-one connection can help ease early on in the relocation process, beyond what they can Google. For example, finding a temple that’s LGBTQ friendly, a market that sells goat meat or learning to hike or snowshoe with other beginners.

The network helps connect a new recruit to an “ambassador” in the area of similar age, interests and background. They show them what it’s like to live in Vermont, help them navigate services, outline the challenges a person of color can face and explain why many choose to stay despite it.

For Rutanhira, who moved to Vermont from Zimbabwe 25 years ago, it’s a no-brainer. 

“I love the safety. I love raising my kids here. I love the fact that it’s a small community and things are within a 15 minute drive. I don’t have to sit in traffic. There’s a community of folks of color and there’s a network here that is advocating and representing and bringing people together,” he said.

The program is looking to expand and find BIPOC ambassadors in the community. VTPoC would pay them a stipend to take a new recruit out and show them around, Rutanhira said.

Scott, 52, who now lives in South Burlington and is senior vice president of non-clinical support services for the University of Vermont Health Network, has recommended the service to two new residents. And while he’s not taking credit for the idea, he did share feedback with VTPoC outlining how tough the move was for him.