Cultivating Leaders - About the Leadership Upper Valley Program

Leadership Upper Valley brings together Upper Valley residents in existing and evolving leadership roles once a month for a 10-month period to give them the insights, relationships, and service perspective they need to succeed and make a difference in the Upper Valley. No other program offers such a comprehensive overview of the Upper Valley.

Participants come away from the program with knowledge of Upper Valley issues, opportunities, people, lifestyles, and trends, an expanded network of community leaders and partners, and motivation and experience to provide service within the Upper Valley community

How does it work?

Each month is devoted to a different session topic focused on the Upper Valley including: Health & Human Services, Education, Arts and the Creative Economy, Justice, Government and Politics, Transportation and Livable Communities, and the Environment.
Sessions are held on the second Wednesday of the month from 8 am-5 pm, September-June.
Each class consists of up to 30 participants from corporations, nonprofits, small and private businesses, schools, and municipalities – as well as anyone who wants to learn about the Upper Valley and how to make a difference.
Sessions are held in different relevant locations throughout the Upper Valley to give a better sense of our region and may involve a tour, hands-on interaction, speakers, discussions, or other activities.
Light breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack are provided.

What are the benefits?

Develop social capital with a strong peer network.
Connect with influential presenters.
Learn “how things work” in the broader Upper Valley region.
Find out about community engagement opportunities.
Get a behind the scenes look at important businesses and organizations in the Upper Valley.
Engage in dialogue with other thoughtful leaders.

Who should apply?

Current or potential leaders in the Upper Valley, including business owners, artists, stay at home parents, educators, civic employees, non-profit employees or retirees.
Anyone interested in knowing more about the strengths and challenges in the Upper Valley.
People who are interested in understanding more about our community and helping to make the Upper Valley a better place to live work and play.

More Questions?

Review the Application information.
Read about Leadership Upper Valley in Upper Valley Life magazine or on our blog.
Download the Leadership Upper Valley brochure to share with your employer, friends or coworkers.
Contact Rob Schultz, Leadership Upper Valley Manager, our alumni, current participants or a member of our Board of Governors to ask questions.

What's Happening at Leadership Upper Valley

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 [...]

Read our blog

Leadership Upper Valley Alumni

Class of 2015

Alijah L Swasey, Kendal at Hanover
Brandy Blackinton, Claremont Savings Bank
Deborah J. Mozden, Turning Points Network
Havah Armstrong Walther, Hartford Area Career and Technology Center
Heather W. Prebish, Recover Together
Duncan McCutchan, Jarvis Hill Farm
Jim Larrick, Mascoma Savings Bank
Jed Putney, Lake Sunapee Bank
Karen Ganey, Henderson Tree Service and Creative Lives
Kathy Labbe, Harvest Hill Assisted Living
Laurie Sepulveda, Opera North
Miranda Pizinger, Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Nicholas A Fiore, Engineering Ventures
Paula Maville, City of Lebanon
Robert Starkey, Hypertherm
Samantha Estes, Hanover Consumer Co-op
Shanon Hounshell, Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation
Shawn Courtemanche, Kendal at Hanover
Teresa Thurston, SAU #76, The Lyme School District
Theresa Minelli, Lake Sunapee Bank
William Blaiklock, Mascoma Savings Bank

Class of 2015

Class of 2014

Anibal Sepulveda, Hypertherm
Beth Vessichio, Mascoma Savings Bank
Betsy McClain, Town of Hanover
Cathee Clement, Chrysalis Properties, LLC
Chris Mazurek, West Lebanon Supply
David Brooks, City of Lebanon
Ellie Tsetsi, formerly of Good Beginnings of Sullivan County
Ericka Gray, Alice Peck Day Hospital
Gary Laperle, Dartmouth Printing Company
Hailey Wetherbee, Kendal at Hanover
Ham Gillett, COVER Home Repair
Jacqueline Hill, Morgan Stanley
Janet Miller Haines, Northern Stage
Jason Dacier, Hanover Co-op Food Stores
Jaye Olmstead, David\’s House
Justin Provost, Claremont Savings Bank
Kari Jo Grant, Dartmouth College
Kevin Kober, Ledyard National Bank
Laurie Tostenson, Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Linda Miller, Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Lucinda Walker, Norwich Public Library
Mike Kenney, Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Mollie Naber, Self Employed
Richard Hoffman, Hartford School District (HACTC)
Sarah Simonds, Vital Communities
Sue Bryan, Lake Sunapee Bank
Susanne Abetti, Geobarns LLC
Sylvia Provost, Henderson\’s Tree Service LLC
Tom Yurkosky, The Lyme Timber Company

Class of 2013

Suzanne Bissonette, Alice Peck Day Hospital
Sarah Blum, Montshire Museum of Science
Chris Collier, VINS
Joan Collison, RiverRun Medical Office
Mike Conway, Means of Production
Timothy G. Draper, Ledyard National Bank
Gordon P Ehret, Hypertherm
Laurie Gelb, Cedar Circle Farm
Shannon Green, Green Woodlands
Reginald Greene, Ledyard National Bank
James B. Grossman, Ottauqueechee Community Partnership
Pete Helm, Upper Valley Land Trust
Sherry A Jones, Mascoma Savings Bank
Justine R. Labonte, COOP Foodstores
Amy L. Longmoore, Kendal
Kathy Lowell, Dartmouth Printing
Sheryl A McDevitt, Mascoma Savings Bank
Martha Mott, River Valley Community College
Tad Nunez, Town of Hartford
Catherine Pearson, Upper Valley Aquatic Center
Elena Petrici, Upper Valley Hostel
Victoria Pridgen, Peace Corps

Class of 2012

Mark Boutwell, Health Care & Rehabilitation Services of Southeastern Vermont
Stacey Chiocchio, Hypertherm
Elizabeth Anne Clemens, Anne Clemens Communications and Anne Clemens Designs
Matthew Dungelman, Gallagher, Flynn & Company
Suzanna Liepmann, Schiffman, Dattilio & Liepmann, P.C.
Steven Locke, Town of Hartford
Mollie Martin, Quechee, VT
Richard Menge, Town of Hartford
Ashley Parker, Kendall at Hanover
Hannah Putnam, Vermont Institute of Natural Science
Jake Quigley, Inspired Shifts Personal & Professional Coaching
Justin Rendahl, Dartmouth Printing
Dorisann Ross, Lake Sunapee Bank
Elizabeth Schibley, Grafton County Senior Citizens Council
Lori Shipulski, Sotheby\’s Realty
Hazel Stone, Connecticut River Bank, NA
Nicole Vecchi, ANSYS, Inc.
Rebecca Vinduska, Copper River Information Technology, LLC
Fred E. Wainwright, Ledyard Bank
Aaron Warner, Good News Training

Class of 2011

Jason Achmoody, Ledyard National Bank
Peter Allison, Upper Valley Farm to School Network
Peter Blodgett, Latham Memorial Library and Peabody Library
Aaron David Brown, Vital Communities
Matthew G. Burge, Hypertherm
Alicia Anne Connors, Wise
Lindsey A Camp, Lake Sunapee Bank
James L. Damren, A.B.Gile
Mary Dorman, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Tracy Dustin-Eichler, Tucker Foundation – Dartmouth College
Randall Heller, Upper Valley Ride
Patricia Higgins, Town of Hanover
Richard C Hoffman, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
John Monaghan, New Hampshire State Police
Liam McCarthy, Coldwell Banker Redpath and Company
Michael McCrory, Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Region Planning Commission
Martha Mundy, Mundy Technical Communication
Mara Rae Neufeld-Rivera, Resource Systems Group
John James Randolph, Randolph Neuropsychology Associates
David C Richardson, Vox Nile Limited
Jaime Richardson, Claremont Savings Bank
Anna Rubin, Fairbanks Museum
Graziella Saccon, Lebanon College
Demosthenes Sofronas, U.S Postal Service, Retired
Treenen D Sturman
David Watts, Kendal at Hanover
Sperry W. Wilson, Richards Group Insurance

Class of 2010

Dan Collison, River Run Medical Office
Joe Conway, Claremont Savings Bank
Helen Damon-Moore, Dartmouth College Tucker Foundation
Evan Duggan, Richards Group
Deane Ilukowic, Hypertherm
Cheryl Lindberg, Mascoma Savings Bank
Chris McInerney, Astonics Corporation
Melanie Moore, Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital
Pamela Pantos, Opera North
Jill Polli, A.B. Gile Financial Services
Regina Rice Barker, Valley Court Diversion Programs
Ira Richards, West Lebanon Feed & Supply
Hunter Rieseberg, Town of Hartford
Denise Roberts, Claremont Savings Bank
Jona Roberts, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Douglas Robinson, Norwich Police Department
Kipp Ryan, Lake Sunapee Bank
Sherry Thornburg, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth College
Bob Walker, Sustainable Energy Resource Group
Pete Webster, Town of Norwich
Dick Wierwille, West Lebanon Congregational Church

Class of 2009

Catherine Andrew, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Marguerite Bauch, Mascoma Savings Bank
Steven Bingel, West Lebanon Feed and Supply
James Britton, River Valley Community College
Louise Dalton, Timken
Mark Goodwin, City of Lebanon
Stephen Halleran, Town of Plainfield
Sam Hopkins, Dartmouth College
Ann Kitson, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Mike Lavalla, City of Lebanon
Deb Prior, Upper Valley Credit Union
Sheila Rook, Lake Sunapee Bank
Dan Stannard, Ledyard National Bank
Jolene (Jodi) Tenney, Claremont Savings Bank
Gabe Zoerheide, Winter Ridge Farm

Class of 2008

Stephen Bentley, Upper Valley Community Credit Union
Dean Cashman, Lake Sunapee Bank
Christi Cohen, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Judy Filkins, SAU 88
Brenda Freeland, Dartmouth College
Helen Hong, Twin Pines Housing Trust
Lisa Johnson, Yummy Yammy
Peter Kulbacki, Town of Hanover
Jon Liland, Sheehan, Phinney, Bass + Green, PA
Gregg Mandsager, City of Lebanon
Kelly Murphy, Claremont Chamber of Commerce
Karen Slayton, Mascoma Savings Bank
Steve Usle, Trumbull-Nelson
Philip Wyzik, West Central Behavioral Health

Class of 2007

Doree Clifford, Mascoma Savings Bank
Mark Clough, Ledyard Bank
Laura Fineburg, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Lynn Guillette, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Curt Jacques, West Lebanon Feed and Supply
Amy Margolis, Lebanon Property Management, Inc.
Cindi Taylor, West Lebanon Feed & Supply and Taylor Brothers Sugarhouse & Creamery
Daniel Weinreb
Bruce Williams, formerly of Hanover School System