Alyssa Johnson
27 | Community Projects Associate, Vermont Council on Rural Development
Residence: Waterbury
Career highlight(s) you are most proud of:
1) Being hired as an economic development director as a recent undergraduate and later by the team at VCRD; 2) the relationships I’ve been able to develop with business owners who moved to or expanded in Waterbury and assisting with grant applications that 
have helped move community projects forward; and 3) being elected to the select board in a town I did not grow up in; it was an amazing validation of the relationships I’ve been able to form in my community.
Your community involvement:
While working as economic development director, I attended over 100 community meetings and volunteered as a steering committee member for the Central Vermont Young Professionals. After transitioning to a statewide role, I was appointed as a member of the Waterbury Planning Commission and served as chair for a year. I also joined the board of the Waterbury Land Initiative, which is a nonprofit organization that supports land conservation in Waterbury. I was elected to the Waterbury Select Board in March and have volunteered with additional roles as a representative on a parks planning steering committee and housing task force as well as on the Vermont League of Cities and Towns Equity Committee.
Inspiration for living and working in Vermont:
I came to Vermont to attend UVM and never left, including staying summers to work as a research assistant, Youth Conservation Corps crew leader and campus tour guide. Vermont’s mountains, beautiful natural environment, local food, small-scale accessibility and sense of community keep me here.
Favorite part of your job:
Connecting with community leaders across the state. I love community meetings and am grateful for the opportunity to travel around the state and engage with people who care so deeply about where they live. I value the networks of colleagues and leaders in Vermont and appreciate that even statewide decision-makers are folks you can engage with.
Most inspiring mentor:
I’ve been lucky to be surrounded by strong, smart, inspiring women throughout my life: my mom, my cousin Colleen, my college suitemates and past and present colleagues. I’m grateful to Kelly Hamshaw for introducing me to the field of community development and inspiring me with her dedication to the work professionally and in her community.
Best career advice you have received:
Every job is a learning opportunity; learning what you don’t enjoy is valuable information.
Something fun about yourself that few people know:
I took four years of technical theater in high school because my high school didn’t offer a shop class and I wanted to learn woodworking. I also almost enrolled in the CREAM program, which is UVM’s student-run dairy farm (thankfully my friends knew I wouldn’t have enough time and talked me out of it).
Three words that best describe you:
Confident, enthusiastic and ambitious.
Favorite Vermont escape:
Anywhere outdoors. The Cross Vermont Trail and Mount Hunger are two of my favorites in Waterbury.
Favorite Vermont season:
Summer, if I had to pick, but I love the variety of seasons. Well, anything but mud season.
Favorite downtime activities:
Spending time outside, especially hiking, and anything food-related (cooking, baking, eating, gardening).
Person you would most like to share a Vermont beverage with:
Elizabeth Warren. I love plans and public policy!
Cause(s) you would support if you had unlimited funds:
It would be amazing to be able to provide funding to folks doing the challenging and time-intensive work of inclusive community engagement and to support grassroots community projects. And though I wish it didn’t need to be said, to ensure that everyone has access to adequate food, housing and health care.
A song on your playlist you are embarrassed to admit to your best friend:
A tie between random Broadway songs and animated Disney soundtracks.
Where you see yourself professionally in the next five to 10 years:
I hope to be able to support and witness the completion of community projects that I have been involved in the early stages of. Locally, I hope to be able to continue to serve my community on the select board.
Goal(s) you’d like to accomplish in the next five to 10 years:
I would like to have developed the infrastructure for a program that can outlive my management of it and then to pivot into learning more about designing user-friendly systems that solve social problems.
How your community service has changed since the pandemic:
I became most involved in my community during the pandemic, when almost all of my involvement was through virtual meetings. While we’ve transitioned back to in-person meetings, maintaining hybrid access has been an important shift in accessibility.
How your job has changed since the pandemic:
Virtual meetings have made it possible to connect more easily with partners and leaders across the state, while also highlighting the value and challenges of in-person gatherings. Many folks have reevaluated their priorities and capacity because of the pandemic, which has required new ways of thinking about how to support community volunteers and projects.
