Boards & Advisors

The Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) is a division of the Office of the Secretary of State. Our mission is to protect the public from incompetent or unethical practitioners through a system of licensure that also assures a minimum barrier to enter a profession. We achieve this by supporting boards and advisor groups that oversee licensure of 50 professions and approximately 60,000 licensees.

The work of OPR includes four distinct but essential components:

Licensing administration to issue and renew licenses to qualified individuals and businesses;
Independent enforcement capabilities to screen, investigate and prosecute complaints of unprofessional conduct;
An inspection program where necessary; and
An independent quasi-judicial administrative law division to adjudicate licensing and enforcement cases.

Duties and Details

Serving on a professional board with licensed practitioners and members of the public is a rewarding opportunity. Your contributions help us provide an important service to your community.

Board membership is a gubernatorial appointment. The Governor may request nominations from any source but shall not be bound to select board members from among the persons nominated. (3 V.S.A. Chapter 5, Subchapter 3, § 129b).
Advisors are appointed by the Secretary of State. The Secretary may request nominations from any source but shall not be bound to select advisors from among the persons nominated. (3 V.S.A. Chapter 5, Subchapter 3, § 129b)
Vermont statutes governing board member and advisor appointments can be found in 3 V.S.A. Chapter 5 Subchapter 3.
Board members and advisors are typically appointed to serve for staggered five-year terms, serving not more than two consecutive terms, as regulated by statute. (Filling a vacancy created before the end of a term shall not be deemed as having created a term).
You may be asked to serve on an “I-team”, an investigative team including the OPR Case Manager and OPR Prosecuting Attorney that supports an investigation of unprofessional conduct. The investigations and materials will be assembled for you and shared prior to participating in a phone meeting that most often lasts about ½ hour. You may occasionally be asked additional questions to support an investigation.
Compensation is provided at $50.00 per board meeting, plus mileage reimbursement, as regulated by statute (32 V.S.A. § 1010).
Due to the dynamic nature of these appointments, the Governor’s Office website may not match the OPR website. Please see our current vacancies and submit an application indicating the board(s) you are interested in serving.

Board meetings take place at OPR's Montpelier office. Depending on the agenda, meetings may run into the afternoon.

Current board/advisor vacancies and additional profession-specific information can be found on the profession pages.

To apply for a Board position, please visit the Governor's Office website here: https://governor.vermont.gov/boards-commissions
To apply for an Advisor position, please fill out this form.

For more information, please contact us.