White River Junction— Thirty people graduated from Vital Communities’ Leadership Upper Valley program this month, its largest class yet.

The year-long program aims to inspire, educate, and engage established and emerging leaders to better serve their communities, according to a news release from Vital Communities.

“This program changed the very way we think and interact with one another and with our community,” said graduate Markell Ripps, an attorney who spoke on behalf of the class of 2016 at the graduation ceremony, held June 8 at Harpoon Brewery in Windsor.

“We entered this program as individuals, bankers, nonprofit employees, lawyers, educators, entrepreneurs, CEOs, family caregivers, business owners, Vermont and New Hampshire residents, and we leave as volunteers, future public servants, board members, questioners, and best of all classmates, fellow Upper Valley community members, and friends.”

Established in 2007, the program includes 10 day-long sessions from September through June focused on key aspects of community life in the region, the release said.

The topics include economic development, education, government and politics, arts and the creative economy, communication, health and human services, environment, transportation, and justice.

Here is a list of this year’s graduates, as provided by the Leadership Upper Valley program: Rachel Abendroth, Dartmouth College; Ayeshah Al-Humaidhi, Upper Valley Humane Society; Shawn Bard, Ledyard National Bank; Michael Baymiller, Hypertherm; Tim Condon, of Cook, Little, Rosenblatt & Manson PLLC; Christopher Coughlin, Dartmouth Printing; Jeremy Coylewright.

Terri Decker, Claremont Savings Bank; Brent Edgerton, Kendal at Hanover; Jessie Farnham, Frazer Insurance Agency; Wendy Farnsworth, Dartmouth-Hitchcock; Kyle Fisher, Listen Community Services.

Frank Gould, Mascoma River Greenway Coalition; Irene Green, Northern Stage; Lindsey Klecan; Elizabeth Long, Twin Pines Housing Trust; Daniel McCarthy, Sage Dining Services; Ron Miller, Sustainable Woodstock; Lyn Miller, Our Hybrid Lives LLC; Margaret Monroe-Cassel, TLC Family Resource Center.

Markell Ripps, Grossman & Ripps PLLC; Sue Nadeau, Southwestern Community Services; Diane Reinhardt, Cover; Emily Rogers, Hanover Consumer Co-op; Georgie Sawyer, David’s House; Tina Stearns, city of Lebanon; Marion Steiner, Lake Sunapee Bank; Cynthia Twombley, West Central Behavioral Health; Sadie Wells, Mascoma Savings Bank; and Addy Mae Williams, Mascoma Savings Bank.

                     — Staff report