Former Champlain Housing Trust CEO Brenda Torpy, former Vermont Housing Finance Agency Executive Director Sarah Carpenter and NOTCH Executive Director Pam Parsons will be honored by the Vermont Council on Rural Development at the organization's 2022 Vermont Community Leadership Summit Aug 10 at Vermont Technical College in Randolph. Torpy and Carpenter will be presented with the Vermont Lifetime Leadership Award, and Parsons will receive the Vermont Community Leadership Award.
The Community Leadership Award is presented each year 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 Lifetime Leadership Awards are given less frequently and celebrate a career dedicated to these same ideals.
“Brenda Torpy, Sarah Carpenter and Pam Parsons have had a transformational impact on their communities and beyond,” said VCRD Executive Director Brian Lowe. “They have used their exceptional talents to support their communities, neighbors and people all across Vermont. It is an honor to recognize these great leaders.”
Torpy was CEO of Champlain Housing Trust from 1991 to 2020 and now leads the organization's new consulting arm, TA\CHT, which provides comprehensive support to community-based organizations working for social change.
Carpenter led the VHFA from 1998 to 2018 and now serves as a Burlington city councilor and as chair of the Vermont Rental Housing Advisory Board.
Parsons was hired as executive director of the Northern Tier Center for Health in 1999. She has served on several boards of directors, including those of OneCare VT, Bi-State Primary Care Association, Vermont Rural Ventures, Richford Economic Advancement Corporation, Richford Renaissance Corporation and Pharmacy Network.