Vermont Council On Rural Development Inc

VCRD works toward a future for Vermont in which its communities are healthy and resilient; economy is innovative and vibrant; citizens are engaged in community-building and governance, working closely with their neighbors; communities attract youth, entrepreneurs, and healthy diversity; young citizens are fully prepared to contribute to their communities and participate successfully in a changing economy; rural character and open lands are conserved and managed productively and profitably; communities, businesses and citizens prosper by designing and building economic solutions to climate change; and communities serve as a models for other communities throughout rural America. VCRD has built a reputation for integrity as a neutral, non-partisan mediator of public processes, and a catalyst for decisions by communities and by policy leaders that lead to direct and practical results in addressing fundamental challenges at the local and state level.

VCRD meets its mission in 2 ways:
A. Community Programs build unity, set task forces around priorities, and rally state/federal/non-profit/private support for community revitalization. These programs include Community Visits, strategic convenings with agendas fully determined by towns; the Climate Economy Model Communities Program that helps towns advance energy generation and efficiency, and other locally-determined priorities for action; and custom galvanization of local town/economic projects.
B. Policy Councils address issues of historic concern across political lines and governmental boundaries, building platforms for implementation and coalitions to advance them. Current efforts include the Climate Economy Action Team, the Working Lands Coalition, and the Vermont Community Leadership Partnership.
VCRD uses deep invitation, stakeholder inclusion, democratic decisions, and local empowerment. We help communities and policy teams form collective spear points to drive success.

As a State Rural Development Council, VCRD holds authority in the Federal Farm Bill to convene to coordinate policies and programs to support the self-directed progress of rural communities. VCRD has built a reputation for rural policy leadership grounded by work in local communities and extending to collaborative partnerships with the highest levels of state and federal programs. The VCRD board includes federal program heads, four members of the Governor’s cabinet, Vermont business leaders, staff liaisons to each congressional office, non-profit directors, regional and local leaders. VCRD’s Executive Director, Paul Costello, has 20 years of experience in facilitating community conversations, and building policy councils. VCRD’s efforts ubiquitously connect with key regional and local leadership, and legislators, and our role as a convening hub builds unique ties between local and statewide policy efforts.

VCRD’s portfolio includes strategic planning in 100 communities; 8 Governor's Summits, 9 rural conferences, 3 national convenings; and 9 policy councils on agricultural viability, value-added forest products, the creative economy, the planning system, in-state energy generation, a unified vision for the future of Vermont, the working landscape, and the climate economy. Our digital economy efforts helped 1,250 businesses and organizations, built 40 Wi-Fi zones, brought local social networks to all towns. Today, Vermont towns are building bike paths, improving transportation and water/sewer infrastructure, building community centers, stores and cafés, improving broadband and cell connection, boosting recreation revitalizing downtowns, driving economic and business development, and enhancing tourism. We are just at the beginning: building unity for the renewal of Vermont as a center for food systems, rural innovation, clean energy, and the climate economy.