VITAL COMMUNITIES
Heroes & Leaders - our annual celebration of leaders in the Upper Valley.
Heroes & Leaders Honorees 2019
Liza Bernard & Penny McConnel
Len Cadwallader
Delia Clark
Ivy Condon
Edgewater Farm
Jarvis Antonio Green
Curt & Sharon Jacques
Prudence Pease
Monique Priestley
Stan Williams
Doug Wise
Chuck Wooster
Keynote Speaker: Jenny Levy, Vice President of People, Community and Environment, Hypertherm
Read more about all of our honorees.
All proceeds from the dinner benefit Leadership Upper Valley,
a program of Vital Communities.
Thank You to our 2019 Sponsors!
Leadership Upper Valley Program Sponsor:
Heroes & Leaders Event Sponsors:
Heroes & Leaders Table Sponsors:
Photo Gallery
Honorees from 2012-2018
Heroes & Leaders 2018 - Long-standing Stewards
On May 3, 2018, we honored 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.
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
Favorite Upper Valley Bicycle Rides
For “Get Out & Bike” Week we asked the Vital Communities network to submit their favorite hometown bike rides, ideally 10 miles and under. Here are some of the submissions! ENFIELD: Around Mascoma Lake (7 miles) Start in downtown ...more
Upper Valley Housing Update
A quick update on Upper Valley housing from our Workforce Housing Coordinator, Mike Kiess: Support for people experiencing homeless and housing insecurity has been expanded on both sides of the river. In Vermont, the state has ...more
Isolate and Create: Local restaurant recipes, right from your kitchen
Ever wanted to cook a meal from a local restaurant in your own kitchen? Now you can! Released last Friday, the “Isolate and Create” digital cookbook features delicious recipes from 15 Vermont restaurants. All profits ...more
TLC 4WARD Crowdfunding for Businesses
Do you own an Upper Valley business that is suffering due to the effects of the pandemic and could use a little help from your friends? TLC 4WARD Upper Valley is here for you. The Local ...more
Questing During Stay at Home Orders
Getting outdoors is good for your mental, physical, and spiritual health, especially during this time of added stress due to COVID-19. We are closely following our state government recommendations in Vermont and New Hampshire regarding ...more
Raise Money while Working from Home
Work from home and help raise $500 for Vermont Foodbank. Simply record your telecommute trips in your Go! Vermont account every day that you work from home and when 500 telecommutes have been recorded, we'll ...more
A Letter To Our Upper Valley Schools
I hope this note finds you all healthy and adjusting to the routines of remote learning and teaching. I know my family and I are starting to feel a rhythm in our days and finding ourselves to be ...more
Family Project: Write a Quest for your House!
Over these past few weeks I have experienced waves of anxiety and sadness, and at the same time such gratitude. I can’t imagine going through this crisis in any other part of the world. The ...more
Donation Platform for UV Businesses
Do you own an Upper Valley business that is impacted by Covid-19 and could use a little help from your friends? TLC/4WARD is here to help. Vital Communities launched The Local Crowd (TLC) Upper Valley in ...more
Give to the Businesses You Love!
Wendell Berry once said that by choosing to support a local business in your community, you're essentially telling that business owner, "I want you to exist. I acknowledge that you and I are neighbors and ...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
13th Annual Roundtable - September 15
You're Invited! The 13th Annual Upper Valley Energy Committee Roundtable will be held Tuesday, September 15, 5-8 pm in West Lebanon! This annual gathering of local energy volunteers is open to all, whether you serve on an ...more
Upper Valley Farm to School Forum: Trauma & Nutrition
Event Postponed We will be rescheduling the forum to the late spring or next fall Upper Valley Farm to School Forum: Trauma & Nutrition March 19 4:30-7pm Sharon Elementary School 75 VT Route 132, Sharon, VT 05065 Join the Upper Valley ...more
Climate and Community Resilience: Lessons from the Soil
Climate and Community Resilience: Lessons from the Soil Spring Community Webinar Series to Unpack What Creating Our Future Looks Like What is good for the soil is good for our communities. Deep healthy soil governs flood resilience, ...more
Efficient Heating in Vermont
Check out this newly produced, six-minute YouTube video on Efficient Heating in Vermont, created by Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission. The video describes the types and benefits of home heating options and describes the current rebates ...more
Fall Guided Quest: Trees of Dartmouth Quest
Join Vital Communities' Valley Quest Coordinator Beth Roy on a guided treasure hunt of the trees of Dartmouth. Celebrate fall as we discover many exotic trees around the Dartmouth College Campus and learn about their ...more
2nd Annual Curb The Car Day - Friday, May 17!
On May 17, 2019 the rest of the country is celebrating National Bike to Work Day, but here in the Upper Valley we’ll be taking it a step further with our second annual Curb The ...more
Dazzlingly Reflective, 80's Style
We love pairing style with nighttime visibility, so we've ordered REFLECTIVE SLAP BRACELETS to reward people who bike or walk to Flavors of the Valley on Sunday, April 7! If you bike and walk to the ...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.