Champlain College will honor Bruce M. Lisman of Shelburne, as the 2011 Champlain College Distinguished Citizen for his long-time devotion to education and service to Vermont.

He will receive the honor at Convocation for the Class of 2015 at Roger H. Perry Hall at Champlain College. This is the 50^th year for the college's Distinguished Citizen award.

Lisman was born and raised in Burlington.  A member of the University of Vermont Class of 1969, Lisman worked on Wall Street, but as he said in a recent interview, "I never left Vermont."

Lisman went to work on Wall Street after graduation, starting his career as a file clerk, a position with little apparent potential. Nonetheless, he became a highly regarded research analyst, a research director, and head of Global Equities at Bear Stearns. He grew that business from a relatively small entity into a large global entity with more than $2.5 billion in revenues, later becoming chair of JP Morgan Chase's Global Equities Division before retiring in 2009.

He received an honorary Doctor of Laws at the University of Vermont's commencement this past May. Lisman was a UVM trustee and chair of the Board of Trustees and established a scholarship there in honor of his father, Irving, which has provided nearly a million dollars in aid to hundreds of students since 1993.

He and his family have been actively engaged in volunteer pursuits.  Lisman has been a long-time supporter of American Forests, one of the nation's oldest conservation organizations. He also serves on the boards of the Shelburne Museum, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, National Life Group  and Merchants Bancorporation.

He was an early and remains an active supporter of the Burlington Boys and Girls Club's "Early Promise Program," an initiative with transformational potential for Burlington's Old North End children. He also works with the Preservation Trust of Vermont to restore the tree canopy of Vermont's smaller communities.

Prior service includes the Boards of Central Vermont Public Service, BRUT Trading, Stryke Corp, HS Broadcasting, plus the University of Vermont, Pace University, The Hewitt School, and American Forests.

Lisman has two daughters, Kate and Maggie.