Kevin Chu

34 | Executive Director, Vermont Futures Project
Residence: Chittenden

Career Highlights:The career highlight I’m most proud of is making it cool to talk about data and be pro-growth in Vermont. Producing the Vermont Economic Action Plan and socializing the work has led to a measurable positive impact on public sentiment towards increasing Vermont’s working-age population and adding housing.

Community involvement: My community involvement includes service for the UVM Medical Center Board of Trustees, Champlain College Board of Trustees, Vermont Community Investment Board and the Boston Fed Community Development Advisory Council. I also give back through sports by coaching.

What motivated you to live and work in Vermont: My motto is: “Move Forward. Give Back.” I benefited from so many wonderful opportunities here in Vermont that made it possible for a son of immigrants who grew up in poverty to access education and experience social mobility, and I want to make sure future generations have that too.

Favorite part of your job:I love how question-oriented my job can be. Research fuels my curiosity where I get to test assumptions, examine data, and find out how little I actually know about the world which keeps me hungry to learn more.

Most inspiring mentor and why:My most inspiring mentors are my parents. Anyone ever try to move to a new country to start a new life without knowing the language? Sometimes you have to do hard things and just figure out how to make it work.

Tell us something fun about yourself that few people know: I earned second place in the “dance” category in a regional high school talent show at Higher Ground for kicking myself in the face 100 times in 53 seconds.

Favorite Vermont escape: My favorite Vermont escape is Kingdom Trails in East Burke.

Favorite downtime activity: Watching Liverpool F.C. with my wife.

Person you would most like to share a Vermont beverage with: Jurgen Klopp, former manager of Liverpool.

If you had unlimited access to funds, which cause(s) would you support: I would invest in enhancing access and participation in youth athletics. There’s research that points to sports being effective at enabling social mobility by building genuine connections between people from different economic backgrounds.

What one song is on your playlist that are you embarrassed to tell your best friend: You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemaker.