“Supporting a Conscious, Socially Connected Community”: Reflections from 2024 Southern Vermont Emerging Leader Marissa Peck
Jamaica resident Marissa Peck, co-founder of Earthseed Ecovillage, has been named a 2024 Southern Vermont Emerging Leader, along with 23 other young people from across the Bennington and Windham regions. Individuals were nominated based on their work as community leaders and volunteers, and for their professional accomplishments and commitment to serving the region, and were presented with awards in May at the Southern Vermont Economy Summit in Dover.
Each year since 2018, the Southern Vermont Young Professionals (a program of Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation) and the Shires Young Professionals have sought to highlight and honor young adults in their roles as leaders and change-makers in the Southern Vermont economy and community through the Emerging Leaders awards. Over 170 local leaders have been given an Emerging Leaders award since the beginning of the program, and 38 of those have subsequently been recognized statewide through Vermont Business Magazine’s Rising Stars awards as well.
Nominations for the 2025 cohort are now open. Read more about other awardees and submit your nomination at www.sovermontzone.com/emerging-leaders.
What Marissa’s nominator had to say:
Marissa approaches her work with a commitment to deep listening and aspires to promote change that builds connections and supports the well-being of people and the ecosystems in the region. Through founding an intentional community Earthseed Ecovillage in Jamaica VT, she is working to develop cooperatively owned, land-based businesses and affordable eco-friendly housing in the region. And through her work at NECCA (New England Center for Circus Arts), Marissa launched SilverCircus, a program designed to build balance and memory for older adults through the joys of circus arts.
Marissa’s Reflections
Leading through honest and compassionate dialogue
I worked as a front-line food worker during the pandemic with an organization in upstate NY called Capital Roots. We served vulnerable populations with healthy foods via a mobile market and supported local farms whose markets were disrupted by giving them an outlet for their products. As the virus and our response to it was ever-evolving, I worked with a team to ensure that our workers stayed as safe as possible while our customers received this vital service. This shaped my leadership style of leading by doing and supporting the emotional health of my coworkers through honest and compassionate dialogue. Having hard conversations and addressing fear while finding a way to work with it have become philosophies that I carry with me today.
Supporting a conscious, socially connected community
Through Earthseed Ecovillage and my previous work at NECCA, I am working to support Vermont as a state of residents who live consciously with the ecosystems and who are connected socially with each other.
Affordable housing and support for young and new businesses are two challenges facing Vermont, and I am seeking to support these challenges through the Earthseed Ecovillage project.
Social connections across different demographics is an opportunity as the population of Vermont continues to shift, which was part of the reason I launched the SilverCircus program to build these connections through play and movement exploration.
A deepening connection to land and place
I didn’t know I would love Southern Vermont until I landed here. This region has a special blend of locals and transplants working in creative ways to build community and support the health of the region’s ecosystems.
Being here has deepened my connection to land and supported a shift in my desire to live in place. Knowing that there are others who are living in and seeking the community I aspire to live in has made me want to stay and call this place home.
I want to offer special thanks to Amy Klein, my first professional mentor and grant writing teacher, and Christina King, my motivational mentor who helped me take the leap and land in Vermont. Deep gratitude to Bob Rolen, my co-founder in building community, and Gravy, my feline companion who co-regulates at all the important times.
About Southern Vermont Young Professionals
The Southern Vermont Young Professionals is a workforce initiative of Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) and the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC). Our mission is to attract, retain and support Young Professionals in Southern Vermont by providing engaging opportunities and networking through social and educational events, and volunteer opportunities. The YP initiative is increasingly important to Southern Vermont’s businesses and communities as a strategic approach to growing the size of the region’s workforce and increasing the number of younger households in the region. For more information please visit: https://brattleborodevelopment.com/sovtyps/
