Commencement 2025 Speaker: Garth Moulton ’88
When Garth Moulton takes the podium at this year’s commencement ceremony, it will be a full-circle moment. A 1988 graduate of St. Johnsbury Academy, Garth has traveled a remarkable path—from his roots in the Northeast Kingdom to Silicon Valley and beyond—carrying with him the lessons, values, and boldness that began right here on Main Street.
After graduating from the Academy, Garth attended Brown University, where he majored in History. With student loans looming after college, he jumped into the world of sales—a field that offered both opportunity and challenge. It wasn’t long before Garth realized that much of his time was spent building a network. Sensing a gap in the market, he and a fellow sales executive launched a solution: a platform that helped people in sales connect and develop contacts.
That idea became Jigsaw, a Silicon Valley data startup that received three rounds of venture capital funding and would eventually be acquired by Salesforce. After the acquisition, he founded a company called OtherScreen and began mentoring and investing in small startups. Garth now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he continues to advise entrepreneurs and serves as Senior Vice President of Community at the fast-growing data company Five By Five.
Throughout his career, Garth has been recognized as a distinguished leader at the intersection of business, technology, and education. Known for his creative problem-solving and entrepreneurial spirit, he built a reputation for thinking outside the box while staying grounded in real-world strategy and execution.
But before all that, Garth was a curious, driven kid growing up in North Concord and Lunenburg—eventually moving to ‘the big city’ of St. Johnsbury for sixth grade.
“I was lucky to have a world-class education right here in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. I can’t even imagine a young person being better prepared than I was. Things could have turned out very differently if I hadn’t gone to the Academy,” he said, reflecting on his time at SJA. “The education, as well as the diverse population, helped spark a passion to see the world outside of Vermont—and prepared me for interactions with people from all backgrounds.”
When asked which teachers had the greatest impact on him, Garth didn’t hesitate.
“It’s a tie between Tom Lovett and Judy Kelley. They both challenged me by judging my output against my personal potential—not the bell curve of the class.”
Garth took AP U.S. History with Mrs. Kelley, who remembers him fondly: “Garth was one of those students who is a teacher’s dream—bright, engaged, just edgy enough to say the unexpected, but always diplomatic.”
That mindset—that he could always do more, dig deeper, and aim higher—carried him through the intense, high-stakes world of tech startups, where resilience, initiative, and critical thinking are key.
“As a student, Garth was outstanding,” added Tom Lovett. “He was one of those bright kids who sat in the back and would go from tossing out the wittiest one-liner to offering the most insightful comment in a matter of moments.”
Garth’s sharp mind and entrepreneurial success eventually led to his recruitment to the St. Johnsbury Academy Board of Trustees in 2011. “He had the skills we needed on the board,” Tom said. “I knew he could clearly and passionately express how the Academy shaped his life—how it gave a local kid access to a wider world and helped him aim high and achieve great things. And he still had that clever, witty personality that could light up a room.”
So, what message is Garth most excited to share with this year’s graduating class?
“Get out there in the world and fail—while the stakes are low.”
It’s the kind of advice that only someone who’s taken big swings—and learned from them—can give with true conviction. For Garth, failure isn’t a setback; it’s a starting point. A lesson. A critical ingredient on the path to success.
As a commencement speaker, Garth Moulton is a perfect fit—someone who knows both the challenges and the excitement of transitioning into the next chapter of life. His speech will center around themes of resilience, the importance of community, and the limitless potential each graduate holds. He’ll encourage students to embrace change, to keep learning, and to push beyond their comfort zones.
Though his career has taken him far from Vermont, Garth’s connection to St. Johnsbury Academy remains deep and personal. His story—rooted in hard work, intellectual curiosity, entrepreneurial risk, and meaningful mentorship—is one he hopes will inspire the Class of 2025.
This June, when St. Johnsbury Academy Trustee Emeritus Garth Moulton addresses the graduating class, he won’t just be celebrating their accomplishments—he’ll be reminding them that the journey is just beginning. That some of the best things in life happen when you’re bold enough to take a risk.
About Garth Moulton:
Garth lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife, Jessica, and their children, Bennett and Lila. His mother, Lucille (Pickles) Haworth, was an Academy English teacher. His father, George “Chet” Moulton, graduated from the Academy in 1965, and his sister, Chava, is a member of the Class of 1992.
