 Welcome to the Leading with Purpose. Each episode is an exciting journey, offering an exclusive opportunity to hear from Vermont's impactful leaders. Whether from the fields of business, government or the nonprofit sectors, these leaders share their personal and professional experiences, unveiling the challenges and achievements that have shaped their paths. Leading with Purpose elevates itself by providing viewers with an insider's look at dynamic organizations that promote positive change throughout Vermont. Join us on this transformative journey as Leading with Purpose unveils the stories of leaders shaping organizations and transforming Vermont with purpose-driven leadership. Discover the power of leadership that goes beyond success, leaving a legacy of positive change in its trail. Hi, we have Montpelier, a live board director, Katie Troutes with us today. So thank you for coming to our show, Katie, and I will ask you some questions so you can explain and express your leadership vision and all the wonderful things you did for our community. Ready? I'm ready. Thank you. Great. Welcome again. So, Katie, can you provide a brief overview of your leadership journey and how it led you to where you are today? Sure. So, growing up, I was actually a very shy child. I loved performing, singing, dancing, music in my house. And I wouldn't have thought that I would have found myself in leadership positions throughout time. But over time, it became clear that I was a community player, that I was a social person, and that I enjoyed academics and often went my own path, exploring different interests of mine. So I think that independence kind of led me into jobs where I was a manager or in charge of a project. I went to college at Bates College and graduated with a degree in anthropology because of my interest in all the many countries and cultures around the world, and I loved to travel. But shortly after that, I started pursuing music more heavily, and I became a music teacher, a private fiddle instructor. And I had been going to some workshops and classes across the nation to study the fiddle and the violin. And that led me to coming back to my home state of Vermont. I grew up in Cabot, Vermont, and I found some partners to start a non-profit music school. So this is where I think I really stepped more into the leadership position. That school is called the Summit School for Traditional Music and Culture, and it still exists here in Montpelier. I was the director for eight years, and then I became the director of Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph, Vermont. And I took some time off when I started a family. I have two young children. And as I was re-entering the workforce, I was performing music and I was teaching a little bit on the side. But I decided I really wanted to work for a community non-profit, and I saw the opportunity of a vent coordinator come up at Montpelier alive. And I really enjoyed working alongside Dan Groberg, who was the director at the time. And Dan really helped me get to know Montpelier alive and how the structure of that organization worked enough that when he left and I applied for the director position, I felt pretty comfortable with the prospect of leading that organization. So now I am the executive director of Montpelier alive. Yeah, great start for us to know you a little bit better. So how would you describe your leadership style and how has it evolved over the course of your career and how your leadership contributes to both organizational success and also community impact? Those are great questions. I have thought about this quite a bit, and I do think that my leadership style has evolved tremendously since my time at Montpelier alive and as I've matured and grown as a parent and a community member. I think I've always been very collaborative, and even though I grew up being an independent young girl, I always, as I said, have been very social. And I've played with a lot of bands in my music career. I've collaborated as a teacher with other instructors in different programming. And then I've always just really enjoyed and respected other people's perspectives. Maybe it's a little bit of my anthropology background. I'm a listener, I'm an observer. So I think that's really bled into my work as a leader. And it's been really beneficial, especially with working with a community organization to be a good listener and to really hear what the community need and desire is and to collaborate with my staff and colleagues. So I think that's been very beneficial, although I do believe that I've gained a lot of confidence in the past couple of years. As a human being, as a parent having two children, you really have to step into that confident role at times in leading the way for them and guiding them. But also in recent events with Montpelier Alive, I've been forced to really stand up in front of the community as a public face for Montpelier and for Montpelier Alive and to have confidence in my knowledge and skills. So it's evolved into maybe a stronger leadership position that I feel like I'm taking on now and I continue to be a collaborator, a social person, a team player, but I also think I've developed this new confidence. Yeah, so I've heard like listening skills, collaboration skills and also having self-confidence, which help you to have great projects for Montpelier, right? So can you share a specific initiative or project where your organization has made meaningful contribution to the local community? Yeah, I mean I think that Montpelier Alive historically has always had a lot of impact, but it's fallen under the radar a little bit. It's behind the scenes. We're always doing projects to beautify and make our town more vibrant and attractive, including distributing flowers and hanging baskets and engaging with volunteers to help us with public art initiatives and murals. There's a lot that we have done, but in recent time during COVID and now just following a massive flood event in downtown Montpelier, Montpelier Alive has had even more impact in the support it's offered businesses and we have started a lot of new initiatives that address community resiliency, rebuilding and adapting our downtown so that it can endure climate events in the future. So I would say that a lot of our work more recently and that I've played a big role in that's been impactful involves this business support, fundraising for businesses, marketing businesses and meeting their needs as they've recovered from the flood. Yeah, so in what ways do you believe purpose-driven leadership can transform not only organizations, but also entire communities? I think that Montpelier Alive is a great example of that purpose-driven leadership model. We love the community we live in. We have a lot of heart and soul and passion behind the projects we do, behind our everyday activities. The people who work for Montpelier Alive are active community members who care a lot about their downtown and that creates the most impact that we can have. Our investment in our community and our neighbors and our businesses is so strong and so I think it makes our impact very visible because we put all of that heart and soul and purpose behind what we do. So can you share a success story with us that highlights this purpose-driven leadership approach? I know you have many. Yes, well once again, following the disaster that we have recently encountered in our downtown, the success story that's come out of it is that 80% of the businesses that were shuttered in the first place after the flood have reopened and a lot of the businesses are very determined to do their business in downtown Montpelier. And I think that proves that Montpelier Alive has been effective and our leadership and my leadership has been effective in bringing them back to Montpelier, in encouraging them in those results of all the businesses being open. And also the state of our downtown, it's a beautiful place to live and work and right now there's art in many storefront windows including empty storefront windows. There are illumination projects across downtown and Montpelier is getting a lot of recognition on a national scale despite the flood and despite what's happened there. So I think that that is a success story unto itself and has in large part happened because of the people who have been involved. So I ask questions to learn about your region as a leader so far. So do you want to add anything else that I haven't asked you? Just that I think that when you can find as a leader something that you can really get behind with that purpose with that meaning and that passion and heart and soul then as a leader you will become closer to your greatest potential. So aligning those skills of leadership and finding the work that really drives you can have really impactful results. And I'm finding that along the way with my work with Montpelier Alive. It's great to hear. So for last thing can you please share a leadership quote with us that inspires you in your leadership journey? Well when I think about those who have inspired me, who I consider leaders, I think of my parents. And they were also very collaborative and social and just delightful human beings and their leadership was not called out by everyone. But to me as a child growing up with them they were leaders in all sorts of ways and they really created a path for me and encouraged me along that path. So something that I think of all the time is the way that they encouraged their children was by telling us to always just do your best and that's all you can do. And I think that's important to recognize. You know we're human beings, we have limitations, but if you try your best and you do your best and that's sort of my mantra then there will be good results and they may not be perfect but you will be living up to your potential if you are trying to do your best. So I think of that. Yeah it's a great statement and mindset that we should teach this more to our kids so they will trust themselves as future leaders. So I really enjoy our chat. Thank you for sharing all these wonderful insights with us and thank you again for being with us today. Thanks for having me. As we conclude another inspiring episode of Leading with Purpose we want to express our appreciation for joining us on this transformative journey. Throughout this series we have had the privilege of delving into the lives and leadership styles of Vermont's most impactful individuals. The exclusive journey we have shared have allowed us to hear firsthand from influential leaders across the business, government and nonprofit sectors. We have gained a unique understanding of what it truly means to lead with purpose. The heart of Leading with Purpose lies in its commitment to showcasing leaders who are committed to giving back to their communities, demonstrating how leadership extends far beyond office walls. We hope you have been inspired by the generous actions of these extraordinary individuals seeing firsthand how leadership can make a lasting impact on the community. We invite you to continue on this journey with us as Leading with Purpose explores the stories of leaders who are not only shaping their organizations but also transforming Vermont through purpose-driven leadership. Thank you for being a part of this inspiring community and we look forward to sharing more impactful stories of leadership and purpose in the episodes to come.