What's Happening
The Housing Shortage Affects All of Us
It is no secret that there is a shortage of homes to buy or rent in the Upper Valley. That shortage affects all of us.
Read more in this Valley New [...]
Flavors of the Valley – Call for Vendors!
Vend at Flavors of the Valley!
Registration is open for the 18th annual Flavors of the Valley, the Upper Valley’s premier local food tasting expo. [...]
Join Vital Communities at Northern Stage!
Looking for a fun way to spend a January evening? Join Vital Communities for a pre-show reception at Northern Stage on January 31 from 5:30 to 6:30pm [...]
Party Time! Annual Open House & a Concert!
Join us at The Engine Room to celebrate 25 years of Vital Communities making a positive difference in the Upper Valley! Get to know our staff, board, [...]
Think Local First and Save!
Local and independent businesses bring value to our communities in many ways: preserving community character, creating stable jobs, supporting area or [...]
Crossroad Farm is the BOM!
Crossroad Farm is the Local First Alliance November Business of the Month and to celebrate they are raffling off all the fixing for a Thanksgiving fea [...]
Bringing ‘Visions of a Better World’ to Your Community
Join Vital Communities for a community discussion on “Visions of a Better World: Social Movements for Transformation.” We will consider how millio [...]
Business Leaders Housing Breakfast
We had a packed house at the Fall Business Leaders Housing Breakfast, with more than 180 community members registered to attend.
We gained insights [...]
Donuts & Hogwarts: A Transit Travel Training Case Study
One thing a group of Millennial cartoonists doesn’t need is help using a smartphone app – especially an intuitive one that shows the real-time loc [...]
EPA Recognizes Hanover Co-op Food Stores with National Award
Congratulations to The Co-op Food Stores!
EPA Recognizes Supermarkets Across America for Smart Refrigerant Management
WASHINGTON — Yesterda [...]
Vital Communities’ agenda and programs emerge from, and are driven by, regional needs and community interests.
As a neutral convener, Vital Communities brings diverse people and organizations together to devise and implement collaborative solutions.
Vital Communities takes on issues where regional coordination and leadership can achieve results.
Greatest Hits
Program NEWS
Apply for a Farm to School Mini-Grant!
We are excited to announce the 2019 mini-grant program from Vital Communities' Upper Valley Farm to School Network! Funding is available to both Vermont and New Hampshire schools. Start dreaming up your farm-to-school projects—we want ...more
Thinking Local First
Shop or Buy Local First is a common call to action. The threat to local businesses with competition from online commerce is real and growing, so it is important to patronize local businesses if we ...more
Get your bike, boots, or shoes ready!
Get your bike, boots, or shoes ready! From our friends at Local Motion comes the Winter Edition of Vermont's Bike-Walk Challenge, February 1 to 8! Simply record two bike or walk commutes in the Go! Vermont app ...more
Food Hub Forum for Farmers February 6!
Join Vital Communities and Food Connects Wednesday February 6 from 4-6 pm at Piecemeal Pie in White River Junction for a forum to learn about how you can expand your market access with a food hub. This forum is free ...more
Flavors of the Valley 2019 - Call for Vendors!
Vend at Flavors of the Valley! Registration is open for the 18th annual Flavors of the Valley, the Upper Valley’s premier local food tasting expo. With 50+ vendors and more than 1000 attendees, Flavors is a valuable marketing opportunity for ...more
Local First Members Give Back!
Locally owned businesses are rooted in the Upper Valley and donate time and money to the community every month of the year as they support nonprofits, schools, and communities. Keep your dollars where your heart and support ...more
Think Local First & SAVE this Season!
Local and independent businesses bring value to our communities in many ways: preserving community character, creating stable jobs, supporting area organizations and nonprofits, and strengthening our local economy by keeping our dollars in the Upper ...more
Seeking Bids from Solar Installers by Nov. 30
Vital Communities is teaming up with Kearsarge Climate Action to launch a Solarize Kearsarge campaign in spring 2019, following on the tails of the upcoming Weatherize Kearsarge campaign launching in January 2019. We are seeking proposals ...more
Thank you, Ben!
This summer we had the privilege of working with Ben Fletcher, pictured second from left. Ben brought an incredibly well suited array of skills to Vital Communities and was a boon to the Valley Quest ...more
Donuts & Hogwarts: A Transit Travel Training Case Study
One thing a group of Millennial cartoonists doesn’t need is help using a smartphone app – especially an intuitive one that shows the real-time location of buses in the rural transit system, Advance Transit. No, ...more
Bird and Quest
The Vermont Center for Ecostudies lists 382 species of bird that occur in Vermont, whether year-long resident or migratory visitor. The VCE’s Vermont Atlas of Life citizen science operation has recorded sightings of 332 of ...more
Lebanon Area Businesses - Join us on Sept. 27
So many small businesses in the Upper Valley are burdened with high energy costs. And not enough time to do anything about it! We've got some good news for you. A group of Lebanon residents are ...more
Subbasin Spotlight!
This year's Aquatic Adventure Super Quest showcases the 5 subbasins that make up the Upper Connecticut River Valley, or, more fondly, the Upper Valley. A subbasin is a term used to describe a watershed within a ...more
A Lot Lighter with More Hands: Leadership Upper Valley
On the bright, sunny morning of June 13, Cobb Hill was waking up, and the soon-to-be graduating 2018 Leadership Upper Valley class was just arriving for their final meeting. Before the ceremony at Harpoon Brewery, ...more
Buses are FREE Thursday for Dump the Pump Day!
Join people around the Upper Valley and nationwide and take the bus Thursday, June 21 for the 13th annual Dump the Pump Day. Stagecoach and Connecticut River Transit ("The Current") will be FARE-FREE. And Advance Transit ...more
Longevity & Commitment: Keynote Remarks from Heroes & Leaders 2018
Editor's Note: Many thanks to Kevin Peterson, Director of Economic Development for the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority, who offered the keynote speech at our May 3 Heroes & Leaders celebration. Read his complete remarks ...more
Long-Standing Stewards: Heroes & Leaders 2018
Every spring, Leadership Upper Valley, a program of Vital Communities, hosts a Heroes & Leaders celebration to recognize individuals who make significant contributions to the greater Upper Valley region. This year, Heroes & Leaders is ...more
Get Stoked on Automated Wood Heat!
Boiler on its last legs? Looking to opt out of fossil fuels? Come learn about today's self-stoking automated wood heat! Opt out of oil with delivery of local wood pellets and whole home wood heating ...more
Vital Communities Staff

Tom Roberts
Executive Director

Rob Schultz
Leadership Upper Valley Manager, Director of Development
Leadership UV

Bethany Fleishman
Transportation Program Manager
Transportation

Allison Rogers Furbish
Communications and Database Manager

Carole Petrillo
Bookkeeper and Office Manager

Rachel Darrow
Finance and Events Manager

Elyse Payson
Assistant to the Executive Director

Mike Kiess
Workforce Housing Coordinator

Sarah Brock
Energy Program Manager
Energy

Nancy LaRowe
Local First Manager and Valley Food & Farm Coordinator
Food & Farm
Nancy's informal job title is Farmer-in-Residence: she also runs a pasture-based cattle farm in Norwich, Vt. Nancy is on the Board of the Norwich Farmers' Market, and a retired Norwich volunteer firefighter and EMT. She loves puttering in the garden, hiking with her dog, and visiting farmers' markets.

Beth Roy
Valley Food & Farm Manager
Food & Farm

Becka Warren
Valley Food & Farm Communications Coordinator
Food & Farm

Lauren Griswold
Valley Quest and Volunteer Coordinator, Valley Food & Farm Program Assistant
Valley Quest Food & Farm

Paige Heverly
Energy and Transportation Project Coordinator
Transportation Energy