VITAL COMMUNITIES
Leadership Upper Valley inspires, educates, and engages leaders to better serve
Upper Valley communities.
Apply for the Class of 2022
Fall 2021 through Spring 2022. Stay tuned for dates and details!
Contact Rob Schultz for more information: rob@vitalcommunities.org
Find Open Local Businesses and Farms. Search the Vital Communities Guide.
Staff
Rob Schultz
Leadership Upper Valley Manager, Director of Development
Leadership UV
Leadership UV
— Rob Schultz, Leadership Upper Valley Manager, Director of Development
Rob Schultz is the Leadership Upper Valley Manager and Director of Development at Vital Communities. Most recently, he served as Area Coordinator for Granite United Way in the Upper Valley Region. Rob was Executive Director of COVER Home Repair in White River Junction for 9 years. Before working at COVER, Rob was Executive Director for the Farm & Wilderness Foundation for 8 years; helped start a corporate training center for PT Timah in Sumatra Indonesia; and ran programs for Outward Bound in Minnesota, Texas, and New Mexico. He is a graduate of Earlham College and has done graduate work at University of Maryland in International Political Economy. He lives in Hanover with his partner Diane. He sings with Thetford Chamber Singers and is an avid carpenter, cellist, wilderness traveler, and gardener.
What's Happening
Welcome 31 New Upper Valley Change-makers
Vital Communities celebrated the graduation of the Leadership Upper Valley Class of 2020 on Wednesday, June 10. This event marked the program’s [...]
Stand in Your Circle of Strength and Lead
Ed. Note: On May 30, Vital Communities honored 12 community leaders who’ve added immeasurably to the vitality of the Upper Valley at its annual Hero [...]
Heroes & Leaders: Creating a Vital Upper Valley
Every spring, Leadership Upper Valley, a program of Vital Communities, hosts the annual Heroes & Leaders Celebration to recognize individuals who [...]
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 f [...]
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 offe [...]
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 sign [...]
30 Local Leaders Graduate from Leadership Upper Valley
Vital Communities celebrated its Leadership Upper Valley Class of 2017 on June 14, in a commencement ceremony at Harpoon Brewery. Thirty of the region [...]
Closing Remarks for Heroes & Leaders from Markell Ripps
Thank you all for joining us to celebrate the young leaders who are being honored tonight, and thank you to Vital Communities for recognizing their im [...]
Meet the 2017 Heroes & Leaders Honorees
Merritt Patridge
Merritt Patridge joined the Tuck School of Business in 2015, where she serves as Executive Director of the Center for B [...]
Connection, Collaboration & Service
With the graduation of this year’s class of 30 participants, Leadership Upper Valley has trained more than 200 community leaders — from bankers to [...]
Photo Gallery
Leadership Upper Valley Board of Governors
Brandy Blackinton
Leadership Upper Valley, Class of 2016
Claremont Savings Bank
Barnes Boffey
Aloha Foundation
Dwayna Covey
Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Jessie Farnham
Leadership Upper Valley, Class of 2016
Frazer Insurance Agency
Amber Johnston
Leadership Upper Valley, Class of 2018
Upper Valley Haven
Teri Minelli
Leadership Upper Valley, Class of 2015
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust
David Watts, Chair
Leadership Upper Valley, Class of 2011
Kendal at Hanover
Angela Zhang
Leadership Upper Valley, Class of 2020
LISTEN Community Services
Thank you to our program sponsor
Vital Communities News
Spring Salad Made From Anything
I made this colorful crunchy salad on the fly on Memorial Day when the grocery stores were closed for the holiday and my parents, siblings, and out-of-town cousin were on their way over for dinner. I ...more
Mastering Perfect Spinach
When my friend Justin opened a restaurant in Maine, I fixated on his strategy to train kitchen staff: cooks would learn the best one or two ways to prepare each vegetable, so they'd be optimally ...more
Kale Pesto
I diligently planted several basil plants a few weeks ago. A few days later a crazy hail storm arrived. Afterwards, my poor basil plants were diminished to nothing but stems. So I replanted. All along, I was motivated ...more
Vermont Everyone Eats Serves Its One-Millionth Meal!
On Thursday, April 29, Vermont Everyone Eats, an innovative COVID-19 response program, is celebrating 1 million restaurant meals served to Vermonters experiencing food insecurity. The program was launched in August 2020 with an allocation of ...more
Flavors of the Valley 2021: The Fun Goes Digital!
Flavors of the Valley, the Upper Valley's favorite local food tasting expo, will not be stopped this year! We're moving it to May, with a month-long digital celebration of spring, our local farms, local food, ...more
"Light River Junction" Kicks Off May 7 with "Toons and Tones"
https://youtu.be/1CHhlNDazVI The celebratory summer series Light River Junction First Fridays with WRIF kicks off May 7 with a fantastic line-up called "Toons and Tones." Throughout downtown White River, there will FREE outdoor arts to inspire and ...more
WAY TO GO! SPRING CHALLENGE
JOIN THE CHALLENGE MAY 1-16 AND BE ENTERED TO WIN PRIZES! Spring is here, so it’s a great time to Get Up and Go! Take the challenge to walk, bike, roll, bus, or carpool May 1 ...more
Launching Year 2 of the Upper Valley E-Bike Library!
Do you wish biking was part of your life? E-bikes can greatly increase that possibility. E-bikes (electric bikes) are like regular bikes but with an electric motor in addition to human-powered pedals, a battery to ...more
April 8: "Investing in Home Creation"
Investing for Home Creation Thursday, April 8, 5:30 pm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUwM8Z2FD3Q The Upper Valley faces a shortage of housing, particularly in the lower-cost sector, that's affecting our ability to be a vibrant, equitable community. This session discussed how even ...more
April 15, 2021: “Putting Your Money to Work Locally: Investing Clubs 101”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnLZ7akjtGw Interested in investing locally but don’t want to do it alone? Investment clubs pool money to collectively invest in local businesses and bring a social aspect to the process – they make investment fun! In this ...more
Valley Quests Open May 1—including a Guided Event to a Vernal Pool!
Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 1: It's a big one for Valley Quests! Not only is May 1 Opening Day for Quests—"treasure hunts" that share the natural and cultural history of 160+ special areas in ...more
Have an Idea That Could Use a Lift?
New Hampshire Businesses, Farmers, Entrepreneurs, Nonprofits, Community Initiatives: Do you have an incredible project just waiting to happen? Want to grow your organization, our community, and the local economy, but don’t have access to capital? The Local Crowd ...more
Free Webinar on Writing Waterway Quests, April 8
Valley Quests are treasure hunts set in special locations around the Upper Valley. Each Quest follows a unique set of clues that teach you about a place’s ecology, wildlife, and history while leading to a ...more
NH Route 120 Improvements Near Exit 18
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) has recently begun a project to study multi-modal improvements to NH Route 120 from Hanover Street to Etna Road in Lebanon, NH. This project (NHDOT reference #29612) seeks ...more
Quest to the Star!
Have you seen the star alight upon Mt. Tom in Woodstock? Wouldn't it be fun to see it up close? You can if you follow the clues of the Mt. Tom Quest. The star traditionally ...more
Neighbors Helping Neighbors Save Energy
This week marks the close of Vital Communities and volunteers’ 2020 Vermont Energy Savings project in seven towns in the Vermont side of the Upper Valley. Vital Communities partnered with Sustainable Woodstock (serving Woodstock, Hartland, ...more
Weatherize Webinar, August 17
Weatherize Webinar with NHSaves Monday, August 17 at Noon Did Covid-19 stop your 2020 weatherization plans in their tracks? NOW is the right time to jump back on the weatherize band wagon. Lower energy bills and cozy ...more
Five Inspiring Stories
On March 18, Vital Communities held a webinar featuring five inspiring stories from energy committees across the Upper Valley. Stories included: Electric charging stations in Bethel An Upper Valley eBike lending library Energy saving window ...more