The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) recently announced that Jenna Whitson is its new community and policy senior associate. She will be supporting VCRD’s Community Visit program as well as its climate change economy initiative.
The Huntington resident brings experience in outdoor education, environmental law and policy, community development, and food security. For three years at the Green Mountain Club she coordinated education programs and led the design of Long Trail Bound, a website and curriculum dedicated to bringing Vermont’s young children outdoors. She joined Hunger Free Vermont in 2012 as a Child Nutrition Advocate. Whitson holds a BSc. in Conservation and Biodiversity from McGill University, and a master’s degree in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School.
“I am excited to work with Vermont communities to build capacity to create a sustainable future through collaboration and building common goals and initiatives”, Whitson says. “I look forward to supporting collaboration between local citizens and leaders in the state, federal, nonprofit, and private sectors to help ensure a prosperous future for rural Vermont.”
The Vermont Council on Rural Development is a non-profit organization charged by the federal farm bill to act as a neutral convener at both the local and policy level supporting the progress of Vermont communities.
Its Community Visit Program offers a way for towns to engage and bring together their residents, set common goals and directions, and access resources that will help them take action on those goals. The Climate Change Economy initiative will frame a platform of practical action designed to rally business, policy and community leadership to advance policies and investments to grow jobs and nurture innovative business development in sectors ranging from clean energy to recycling, transportation systems, and thermal efficiency.