On August 6, 2024, hundreds of community builders from across the state came together with over 100 presenters and panelists to engage with each other, make new connections, celebrate community successes, build leadership skills, talk through challenges facing communities, and think proactively about the future. The day was an opportunity to dig into what it takes for a community to thrive – capacity, economic vitality, emergency preparedness, youth engagement, inclusion, and more – and offered a diverse range of topics tailored to support and connect people in all aspects of local vitality and resilience through workshops, panels, and networking sessions. New this year were optional participation pathways which attendees could choose to follow:
- Climate Resilience and Long-term Recovery
- Youth Leadership and Engagement
- Understanding and Solving Our Persistent Challenges
We also presented the Vermont Council on Rural Development’s 2024 Community Leadership Award to Charlie Hancock, and closed with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream!
Participants included youth; community organizers and volunteers; people with lived experience with critical challenges facing our communities; experts and technical assistance providers; regional, municipal, state, & national leaders; and others working to improve the economies and quality of life of their communities. Nothing gets done in Vermont communities without the people who put themselves on the line for their town and for the issues they care about.
- 4th Vermont Community Leadership Summit Program (agenda, speaker bios, sponsors)
- Agenda with Session Descriptions
- Summit Participant List
- Photo Album
- Video produced by GNAT TV
And here are some slides and resources shared by Summit presenters and panelists:
- W1. Project Management 101: From Vision to Planning to Implementation
- W4. Community Engagement: Building Trust and Impact
- W6s. Increasing Housing Options in Your Community
- W7. Moving Through Conflict: Difficult Conversations in Complex Situations (presenter was not able to attend, but shared her slides)
- P6s. Water, Wastewater: Building Community Support, Decision Points, Innovative Solutions
- Lynette Claudon of the VT Dept of Environmental Conservation offered these resources:
- P11(c). Planning, Adaptation, Action! Strategies for Community Implementing Resilience
- P12. Universal Accessibility in Your Community
- P16. Small Towns, Big Challenges: Exploring Regional Collaboration
- Leslie-Ann Dupigney-Giroux of UVM offered these ways to connect if you have questions for her:
- N3. Connecting with Resource Leaders to Discuss YOUR Project
- Kevin Lambert from USDA RD shared these resources:
- Website: https://www.rd.usda.gov/vt-nh
- Program Menu: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services
- Agency Listing: https://www.usda.gov/our-agency/agencies
- Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant (CF): https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/community-facilities/community-facilities-direct-loan-grant-program
- CF Technical Assistance & Training grant (CF TAT): https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/community-facilities/community-facilities-technical-assistance-and-training-grant
- Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG): https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/business-programs/rural-business-development-grants
- Rural Energy for America Program loan and grant (REAP): https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/energy-programs/rural-energy-america-program-renewable-energy-systems-energy-efficiency-improvement-guaranteed-loans
- REAP Technical Assistance Grant (REAP TAG): https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/energy-programs/rural-energy-america-technical-assistance-grant-program
- Electric Infrastructure Loan & Loan Guarantee (EIL): https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/electric-programs/electric-infrastructure-loan-loan-guarantee-program
- Water & Waste Disposal Loan & Grant (WWDLG): https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-environmental-programs/water-waste-disposal-loan-grant-programN3. Connecting with Resource Leaders to Discuss YOUR Project. Kevin Lambert from USDA RD shared these resources:
- WWDLG TAT: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-environmental-programs/water-waste-disposal-technical-assistance-training-grants
- Kevin Lambert from USDA RD shared these resources:
2024 Community Leadership Award – Charlie Hancock
VCRD’s Vermont Community Leadership Award celebrates Vermonters who exemplify “dedication, integrity and honorable service to community and to rural Vermont,” and who have had a “transformational” effect on their communities. We present the award to highlight the work of community heroes who epitomize the best spirit of local community service, who volunteer their time, and who have made their community better.
This year, the Vermont Community Leadership Award was presented to Charlie Hancock of Montgomery Vermont. Charlie epitomizes the best of service to community. His contribution of time, energy and skill, and his unwavering commitment to Montgomery and to Vermont has been extraordinary. While on the Selectboard in Montgomery, he helped lead the community through several critical community development initiatives including a major village streetscape improvement project and municipal wastewater system, a project prioritized in Montgomery’s 2018 Community Visit process. Charlie shows up for his community and Vermont in so many ways. He has been chair of the Montgomery Selectboard since 2016, is vice-chair of the Vermont Land Trust Board of Trustees, sits on the Vermont League of Cities and Towns Board of Directors, and is vice-chair of the State of Vermont’s Working Lands Enterprise Board. Charlie also served as the chair of the Future of Vermont Action Team, a group convened by VCRD to advance the elements of the Vermont Proposition. All that while working as a full-time forester, currently serving as the Franklin and Grand Isle County Forester with the Vermont Department of Forest, Parks, and Recreation.
It’s an honor to recognize Charlie for his tremendous community leadership and celebrate all of the skills, talents, and dedication he brings to Montgomery and to his work and volunteerism across Vermont.
Diamond:
Platinum:
Gold:
- Ben & Jerry’s Foundation
- Leahy Institute for Rural Partnership and UVM Office of Engagement
- National Life Group
- Northfield Savings Bank
- VELCO
Silver:
- The Alchemist
- The Alchemist Foundation
- Cabot Creamery
- Evernorth
- Mascoma Bank
- Union Mutual of Vermont
- Vermont Economic Development Authority
- Vermont Humanities Council
In-Kind Supporters:
- Ben & Jerry’s
- Cabot Creamery
- Vital Leadership Coaching
Thanks to our Outreach Partners who got the word out across the State!
- AALV
- AARP
- Addison County Economic Development Corporation
- Bennington County Regional Commission
- Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation
- Burlington City & Lake Semester
- Burlington Community Justice Center
- Burlington Young Professionals
- Capstone Community Action
- Center for an Agricultural Economy
- Center for Women in Enterprise
- Central VT Chamber of Commerce
- Central VT Economic Development Corporation
- Central VT Regional Planning Commission
- Central VT Young Professionals
- Chamber and Economic Development of the Rutland Region
- Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission
- Common Good VT
- Efficiency VT
- Energy Action Network
- Franklin County Industrial Corporation
- Front Porch Forum
- Governors Institutes of VT
- Green Mountain Economic Development
- Hunger Free VT
- Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce / Leadership Champlain
- Lake Champlain Islands Economic Development Corporation
- Lamoille Economic Development Corporation
- Lamoille Chamber of Commerce
- Local Motion
- Main Street Landing
- Mentor VT
- Milton Artists Guild
- Mount Ascutney Regional Commission
- NEK Collaborative
- NOFA-VT
- North Country Hospital Community Health Team
- Northeastern VT Development Association
- Northern Forest Center
- Northwest Regional Planning Commission
- Out in the Open
- Preservation Trust of VT
- ReLeaf Collective
- Rutland Area NAACP
- Small Business Administration
- Southern VT Young Professionals
- Springfield Regional Development Corporation
- The Root Social Justice Center
- Two Rivers – Ottaquechee Regional Commission
- United Ways of VT
- Up For Learning
- Urban and Community Forestry Program
- UVM Center for Rural Studies
- UVM Community Development and Applied Economics
- UVM Extension
- UVM Extension 4-H Program
- UVM Office of Engagement
- VT 211
- VT Agency of Education
- VT Arts Council
- VT Chamber of Commerce
- VT Commission on Women
- VT Community Development Association
- VT Community Foundation
- VT Community Justice Network
- VT Community Loan Fund
- VT Creative Network
- VT Department of Housing and Community Development
- VT Energy and Climate Action Network (VECAN)
- VT Energy Education Program – Leadership Program
- VT Futures Project
- VT Green Building Network
- VT Housing and Conservation Board
- VT Land Trust
- VT Law & Graduate School
- VT Leadership Institute at the Snelling Center for Government
- VT League of Cities and Towns
- VT Natural Resources Council
- VT Office of Racial Equity
- VT Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC)
- VT Partnership for Fairness and Diversity
- VT Professionals of Color
- VT Racial Justice Alliance
- VT State Colleges
- VT Sustainable Jobs Fund/VT Farm to Plate Network
- VT Trails and Greenways Council
- VT Works for Women
- Windham Regional Planning Commission
- Winooski Working Communities Challenge