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
New Brownsville VT Quest
I’m happy to announce that we have a new Quest! With the help of Mr. Butler’s 3rd & 4th grade class at the Albert Bridge School, there is a new Quest in Brownsville, VT. The ...more
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 Heroes & Leaders Celebration. The following are the event’s keynote remarks ...more
West Lebanon Feed & Supply is Committed to Community
A strong work ethic, a passion for helping others, and a sincere love of animals have been at the core of Curt and Sharon Jacques’ life and their business. West Lebanon Feed & Supply's success ...more
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 make significant contributions to the Upper Valley. In 2019, we are pleased to honor ...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
Keeping Your Dollars Multiplying in the UV!
When you spend money at locally owned businesses, it is pretty easy to understand that those dollars directly impact the local economy as they keep local businesses in business. The local multiplier effect is less ...more
12th Annual Roundtable - May 7
You're Invited! The 12th Annual Upper Valley Energy Committee Roundtable is Tuesday, May 7, 5-8 pm in West Lebanon! This annual gathering of local energy volunteers is open to all, whether you serve on an energy committee, wish to ...more
Eat. Meet. Buy. Flavors of the Valley 2019 Vendors are here!
Check out the hottest new vendors and returning favorites! Samples are listed if the vendor has provided sampling information. Vendors will also have many delicious items for sale! April 7, 11 am - 3 pm at Hartford ...more
April Meet-Up Series for Beginning Farmers
We have an exciting project for new farmers in the White River valley portion of our region! The High Meadows Fund is supporting a series of free peer-to-peer gatherings for beginning farmers to build community and learn. ...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
Flavors of the Valley Vendor List
Check out the hottest new vendors and returning favorites! Samples are listed if the vendor has provided sampling information. Vendors will also have many delicious items for sale! All the details on Flavors of the Valley ...more
The Benefit of B Corps
Certified Benefit Corporations are a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. Society’s most challenging problems cannot be solved by government and nonprofits alone. The B Corp community works toward reduced inequality, lower levels of ...more
Intern with Valley Quest!
Are you passionate about the Upper Valley? Do you feel motivated to share our region’s special places with the community at large? Love working with people of all ages? Vital Communities is looking for a ...more
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
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
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
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
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.