VITAL COMMUNITIES
Heroes & Leaders - our annual celebration of leaders in the Upper Valley.
Heroes & Leaders Dinner was held Thursday, May 3, 2018, at 5:30 pm at the Quechee Club.
This year we honored these Long-Standing Stewards who have contributed to our region:
William Boyle, MD. Boyle Community Pediatrics Program, CHaD
Co-op Food Stores. Edward W. Fox, General Manager
Robin Dow Parker & John Dow. Canaan Hardware & Supply
The Family Place. Nancy Bloomfield, Executive Director & Posie Taylor, Board Chair
Dan Fraser. Dan & Whit’s General Store
Laurie Harding, RN. Upper Valley Community Nursing Project, Headrest
Rob Howe. Howvale Farm & Tunbridge Fair
Jill Lord, RN. Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center
Mike Satzow. North Country Smokehouse
Janet & Tim Taylor. Crossroad Farm
Steve Taylor. Taylor Brothers Farm
The Tuck School of Business. Gina des Cognets, Executive Director, Office of the Dean
Keynote Speaker: Kevin Peterson. New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority
Read Kevin Peterson’s complete keynote speech.
All proceeds from the dinner benefit Leadership Upper Valley,
a program of Vital Communities.
Thank You to our Sponsors
Heroes & Leaders Event Sponsor:
Heroes & Leaders Table Sponsors:
Canaan Hardware and Supply, Claremont Savings Bank, Frazer Insurance Agency, “Friends of The Family Place,” Greater Claremont Chamber of Commerce, Ledyard National Bank, Mt. Ascutney Hospital & Health Center, The Tuck School of Business, and Leadership Upper Valley alumni.
Leadership Upper Valley Program Sponsor:
Photo Gallery
Honorees from 2012-2017
Heroes & Leaders 2017 - Young Leaders
On May 24, 2017, we honored these Young Leaders who have contributed to our region:
Dan McGee, Red River
Elyse Crossman, Greater Claremont Chamber of Commerce
Emily Donaldson, Cultivating Action
Gordon Ehret, Hypertherm
Holly West, Friends of Mascoma Foundation
Merritt Patridge, Tuck School of Business
Nicole LaBombard, Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Noah Crane, Upper Valley Nighthawks
Paul Coats, Lebanon Recreation & Parks
Sam Drazin, Changing Perspectives
Stephanie Thompson, Springfield Prevention Coalition
Keynote Speaker: Markell Ripps, Grossman & Ripps PLLC
Heroes & Leaders 2016 - Mentors
On May 19, 2016, we honored these mentors from our region who have invested time and energy to provide guidance and inspiration to our current and future leaders.
Jim Alexander, Former Lebanon Chief of Police
Barnes Boffey, Aloha Foundation
Tommy Clark, Grassroot Soccer
Carol Dunne, Northern Stage
Peter Faletra, Crossroads Academy
Dan Jantzen, Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Shirley Jefferson, Vermont Law School
Joe O’Donnell, Geisel School of Medicine
Peggy O’Neil, WISE
Susan Reeves, Colby-Sawyer College
Gay Sabin, Grantham Village School
Fred Thomas, SCORE
Keynote Speaker: Elizabeth Sawin, Climate Interactive
Heroes & Leaders 2015 - Visionaries
In 2015 we honored these Visionaries from the Upper Valley whose long-term visions have helped make the Upper Valley the vibrant community it is, rich with local agriculture, arts organizations, nonprofit services, world-renowned businesses, and more.
Barbara Ragle Barnes, Founder, Upper Valley Educators Institute
Matt Bucy, Developer, White River Junction
Dick Cyr, Founder, David’s House
Van Chesnut, Executive Director, Advance Transit
Dick Couch, Co-Founder, Hypertherm
Robert Dean, Founder or Co-Founder of 11 Upper Valley companies
David Goudy, Former Executive Director, Montshire Museum
Jake and Liz Guest, Owners, Killdeer Farm
Carol Langstaff, Founder, Revels and FLOCK Dance Troupe
Jim Varnum, Retired President, Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital (D-H)
Keynote Speaker: Len Cadwallader, former Executive Director, Vital Communities
Heroes & Leaders 2014 - Women Leaders
In 2014 we honored these Women Leaders who made significant contributions to the Upper Valley.
Merilynn Bourne – Executive Director, LISTEN Community Services
Barbara Couch – VP, CSR at Hypertherm, President of HOPE Foundation
Gail Dahlstrom – Vice President of Facilities Management, Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Julia Griffin – Town Manager, Town of Hanover
Jacqueline Guillette – Superintendent of Schools, Grantham SAU #75
Sara Kobylenski – Executive Director, Upper Valley Haven
Jeanie McIntyre – President, Upper Valley Land Trust
Jane Kitchel McLaughlin – The Kitchel-McLaughlin Family Fund
Suzanne Long – Farmer, Luna Bleu Farm
Sue Mooney – CEO and President of Alice Peck Day Health System
Betty Porter – One of the founders of Vital Communities
Allie Quinn – One of the founders of the Montshire Museum of Science
Bente Torjusen, Executive Director, AVA Gallery
Kathy Underwood, President and CEO, Ledyard Bank
Keynote Speaker: Sara Jayne Steen – President, Plymouth State University
Heroes & Leaders 2013 - Military Veterans
In 2013 we honored Military Veterans. This event included a public panel discussion on challenges veterans face coming home and opportunities available to them in the Upper Valley.
Keynote Speakers at the Evening Event:
James Wright, President Emeritus & Eleazar Wheelock Professor of History, Dartmouth College
Deborah Amdur, Medical Center Director, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Panel Discussion Open to the Public in the Afternoon with the goal of bringing a voice to ongoing challenges and solutions for our returning service men and women.
Moderated by Dr. Joseph O’Donnell, Professor of Medicine & Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth & Senior Scholar, C. Everett Koop Institute
Panelists include:
Stoney Portis (Dartmouth MALS ’13, West Point ’04 and Veteran of Iraq War)
Dr. Jim Geiling (VA Medical Center)
Dr. Dan Tobin (VA Medical Center)
Christina Fanitzi (Tuck ’13, Major US Army)
James Sturm (Director of the Center for Cartoon Studies).
Heroes & Leaders 2012 - Olympians
Our first Heroes and Leaders event, honored Upper Valley Olympians for their heroic leadership in our region.
Ski jumpers: Chris & Jeff Hastings and Mike Holland
Nordic skiers: Tim Caldwell and Dorcas Wonsavage
Alpine skier: Edi Thys Morgan
Bi athlete: John Morton
Rower: Rowan Caroll
Ski Jumper: Nick Alexander
Women’s basketball: Yolanda Griffith
Keynote Speaker: Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin
Vital Communities News
2018 Farmer Celebration Mixer
Join us to celebrate the work we did together in 2018! Do your chores early, leave the spreadsheets behind, and come share some beer, crepes, and farm chat with fellow farmers as we celebrate the successful 2017 season. Monday, ...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
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
Farmers' Market Roundtable
Join Vital Communities and NOFA VT for a Farmers' Market Roundtable November 7, 2018 from 4-7 pm at the Wilder Club & Library in Hartford, Vermont The roundtable is an opportunity to network, share market successes and challenges, gain ...more
Celebrate Co-op Month with the Co-op Food Stores!
Celebrate October as Co-op Month, Fair-Trade Month and Co-op Food Stores as the Business of the Month! Visit the Co-op Food Stores during the month of October and save 10% off purchase of Co-op Brand Coffee from ...more
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 — Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized 13 organizations in the supermarket industry for their achievements in protecting human health ...more
Market-Fresh Cooking Demos
Love to shop at the farmers' market, and want to learn a new tip or recipe for cooking with all the great produce that is available this month? Join local chef Holly Pierce for weekly cooking ...more
September Market-Fresh Cooking Demos
Love to shop at the farmers' market, and want to learn a new tip or recipe for cooking with all the great produce that is available this month? Join local chef Holly Pierce for weekly cooking ...more
The Norwich Bookstore is the BOM!
Celebrate The Norwich Bookstore as the September Business of the Month! And as a founding Local First Alliance member, The Norwich Bookstore has been and an anchor business in downtown Norwich providing the community with expert ...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
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
Mascoma Bank is the BOM!
Celebrate Mascoma Bank as Business of the Month August 6-17 and support three nonprofits while you're at it! Mascoma Bank has put community first since 1899 and as their way of celebrating being the BOM, Mascoma ...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 Valley Side-Quest
While Questing is an absorbing hobby in its own right, it opens the door for a number of Side-Quests that you may find enrich the experience. One such Side-Quest is to collect data for any of a ...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
Y'all Curbed the Car!
On Friday, May 18, the Upper Valley celebrated its newest holiday: Curb the Car Day. Riffing off National Bike to Work Day, Curb the Car Day embraces all forms of non-drive-alone commutes: biking, walking, taking transit, ...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
Weatherize Events in January
Weatherize Round Two kicks off this month across the Upper Valley region. What is Weatherize? Vital Communities partners community volunteer teams with local contractors to help Weatherize participants complete cost-effective home energy improvements. These upgrades save residents money on ...more
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.