This post was written by Camille Fordy ’18.
Caitlin Goss ’17 is Director of People & Culture at Rhino Foods, headquartered in Burlington, Vermont. In some ways, Caitlin’s role at the head of the firm’s human resources team is similar to the traditional human resources professional. But Rhino’s commitment to impacting the manner in which business is done creates a broader scope for her work and is aligned with her commitment to workforce development and The Sustainable Innovation MBA mindset and toolkit.
Originally from Hinesburg, Vermont, Caitlin left to pursue an undergraduate degree at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania and later moved to Boston where she worked at Bain & Company, a top global management consulting company. At Bain & Company, Caitlin worked on analysis and employee engagement as part of the firm’s global human capital team to attract, engage and retain employees. Her success at Bain & Company enabled her to live in Shanghai for several years.
Looking for an opportunity to move closer to home, Caitlin discovered the University of Vermont’s Sustainable Innovation MBA. The program provided Caitlin with the opportunity to return to Vermont and to plug into the local professional community. While still a young program, The Sustainable Innovation MBA has already developed a strong reputation in the Vermont business community. Its growing network of graduates are focused on building future partnerships and synergies across all domains of business in the state and region. The program also gave Caitlin fundamental tools and business “fluency” to succeed in any business environment.
Now back in the workforce, Caitlin has made Rhino Foods her new home and is excited by the challenge of creating her own positive impact at Rhino. Rhino Foods, founded by Ted Castle, employs 140 people in Burlington and the surrounding area. Known to be a leader for progressive workforce policies and practices, Rhino Foods hosts workforce engagement programs such as the Income Advance Program and the Employee Exchange Program. These programs offer Rhino employees financial education and security and skill development to support them inside and outside of work. At Rhino, they believe their competitive edge lies in the wellbeing of their employees and the special energy they bring to work every day.
For now, Caitlin is focused on learning as much as she can and interacting with everyone at Rhino. With a continued passion for workforce development and thought partnership, Caitlin hopes to continue the good work already being done at Rhino and to leave her own mark in the future.