WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Vital Communities has hired a new executive director.
Ellen Hender, who has served as interim executive director since April, will lead the White River Junction-based nonprofit organization, which focuses on transportation, climate and food resiliency, housing and leadership programs in 69 Twin States communities.
“Her deep knowledge of the Upper Valley’s challenges and opportunities, relationships with organizations and people across the region, values-based leadership, and understanding of the interconnected nature of this work will be valuable for Vital Communities as we move forward,” Vital Communities Board Chair Greg Norman said in a Thursday news release.
Prior to her role as interim executive director, Hender — who joined Vital Communities in 2022 — previously served as a program manager where she focused on housing, transportation, leadership and civic engagement projects, among other responsibilities. She replaces Sarah Jackson, who was hired as executive director in 2020 and announced her intentions to leave the organization in January.
Vital Communities has 12 employees and a $1.7 million annual budget, according to the news release.
“We are in a moment that highlights the critical value of connection, community, and the intentional building of systems to improve the lives of all of us in the Upper Valley,” Hender said in the release. “Vital Communities’ greatest strength is the people who make this work possible, the people who make the Upper Valley the unique place it is.”
