The Orton Family Foundation named Gabrielle Smith senior associate for strategic partnerships, Executive Director David Leckey announced.
Smith has joined Orton in this new position created to maintain and expand key regional and national partnerships with private, nonprofit and public sector organizations as the foundation brings its Community Heart & Soul™ method of planning to towns and small cities across the country.
“As a founding member of the Community Heart & Soul project in Essex, Vermont, Gabrielle demonstrated her enthusiasm for and belief in the Community Heart & Soul work Orton does in small cities and towns,” Leckey said. “We are delighted that she has joined the team as the foundation looks to broaden its reach and fulfill its mission to empower residents to shape the future of their communities.”
Smith joins the foundation after having served as a prevention and wellness consultant to local school districts in Essex and throughout Vermont. In that capacity, she helped to initiate a farm-to-school program that provides fresh, locally-grown food to 2,800 students in Essex Junction and Westford, Vt. In addition, she was appointed by the governor to serve on the Vermont Tobacco Evaluation and Review Board representing the K-12 educational community.
Smith established her coalition-building and community engagement expertise in Wisconsin, where she worked for state government as associate director of the Alliance for Wisconsin Youth. She coordinated and supported more than 100 local member coalitions to promote positive youth development and prevent high-risk behaviors.
In Vermont, Smith co-founded Little Free Library of Essex to promote literacy and connect neighbors by building and installing small libraries in yards and businesses throughout Essex. She lives in Essex Junction, Vt. with her husband and twin son and daughter.
The Orton Family Foundation seeks to empower people to shape the future of their communities by improving local decision-making, creating a shared sense of belonging, and ultimately strengthening the social, cultural, and economic vibrancy of communities. The Foundation does this by assisting the residents of small cities and towns in the use of the Community Heart & Soul method. This barn-raising approach to community planning and development increases participation in local decision-making and invites residents to shape the future of their communities in a way that upholds the unique character of each place.