Community Leadership Award
The VT Community Leadership Award is presented each year at VCRD's annual Summit to celebrate Vermonters who exemplify “dedication, integrity and honorable service to community and to rural Vermont,” and who have had a “transformational” effect on their communities. The awardees are:
2009 - Vermont Center for an Agricultural Economy
Board members Monty Fischer, Annie Gaillard, Tom Gilbert, Pete Johnson, Andy Kehler, Andrew Meyer, Warren Rankin, Linda Ramsdell, Tom Stearns, and Neil Urie make up this special team who have together accomplished something that no one could do alone. They have built a vision for the Hardwick area as a dynamic center for the future of agriculture in Vermont. They are making this vision come true through hard work, partnership, collaboration and enthusiam. They have included a strong respect for the work of rural people, and the tradition of self-reliance and interdependence. Visit their website to learn more about them.
2008 - Robert McBride and Richard Ewald, Bellows Falls/Rockingham
With their leadership and inspiration, Bellows Falls has reinvigorated
its village center, improved downtown amenities, and built recognition
throughout Vermont and beyond as an dynamic center of
innovation. Bellows Falls has become a very special Vermont model of
the creative economy — it has used arts and cultural events as partial
foundations of its revitalization efforts, and done it in a uniquely
Vermont way — not trying to be something it’s not to appeal to
tourists, but really celebrating what is it and bringing people
together. The successful downtown and surrounding core of innovative
businesses is testimony to the success of the whole community, but
Robert and Richard deserve special credit as motivators, guides, and
organizers.
Robert McBride is the Founder and Executive Director of the Rockingham Area Museum Partnership (RAMP).
Richard Ewald, planning and development director for the Connecticut
River Watershed Council, was employed for nine years by the Town of
Rockingham first as Historic Preservation Coordinator and then as
Community Development Director. In addition to his work for the town,
Richard served as the Executive Director of two non-profits – the Bellows Falls Downtown Development Alliance, and the Bellows Falls Area Development Corporation.
Together, Robert and Richard have brought people together. They have
also told their story to other towns throughout Vermont and helped them
look at starting points for their own redevelopment.
2007 - Monica Greene, Alburgh
As Alburgh was struggling to redefine it's identity, and thanks to
Monica's leadership, folks came together to accomplish several
community projects that have resulted in improved quality of life for
the people in Alburgh. Monica’s dedication has been instrumental in the
efforts of the Alburgh Revitalization Committee, the 8th Grade Parents
Committee, and After School Teen Project. Monica possesses an amazing
range of business and interpersonal skills that allow her to see the
problem, need or big picture; to analyze it, come up with viable
solutions and move forward by motivating others.
Monica Greene is the President of Vermont Precision Tools, Inc., providing 130 jobs to people of Franklin County.
2006 - Edgar May, Springfield
Mr. May was the visionary force behind the Southern Vermont Recreation Center in Springfield, mobilizing, fundraising, and leading volunteer efforts to transform the neglected and abandoned Foundry Building into a vibrant community asset. His leadership has inspired a group of more than 150 individuals to become active volunteers in a project that will provide a space for heath, recreation, and community gatherings in an affordable public facility that will serve as gateway to Springfield.
Edgar May, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, has been deeply committed to serving the state of Vermont and his community of Springfield. After a full career in journalism and national leadership in the Peace Corp and Vista program, Mr. May became a leader in the Vermont State Senate, where he acted as chairman of the Appropriations Committee before he retired in 1991. Altogether, he served 16 years in the State House, including 8 years in the House of Representatives where he was chairman of the Committee on Health and Welfare. A respected statesman, he has served on numerous boards including the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, and as a trustee of the University of Vermont.
