CAROLYN WEIR
Company: Vermont Community Foundation
Title: Senior Philanthropic Advisor
Age: 28
Favorite Part of Job? Working with people whose generosity is unwavering. Every day, I’m energized by conversations with people who care deeply about Vermonters and 
Vermont communities—and who regularly commit their time, talent, and treasure to others.
Most Inspiring Mentor: My work with the J. Warren & Lois McClure Foundation is guided in large part by the ethos of a man I never had the chance to meet who wrote prolifically on the importance of giving: the late Warren “Mac” McClure. He believed that success is helping others succeed and that the most powerful form of giving is done visibly, during one's lifetime, as an example for others.
Favorite Vermont Escape: The Trail around Middlebury (TAM).
Favorite Social Media: I'm the least adept millennial social media user I know; I average two Facebook posts a year.
What is the best career advice you have received? “Don’t spend too much time thinking about what you want to do. Think about how you want to live and what kind of community you want to be a part of. The rest will follow.” – Gaye Symington (paraphrased)
What motivated you to live and work in Vermont? I came to Vermont for college and studied international politics and economics with a goal of landing an international development job somewhere in the Middle East. My path veered—not because that goal became any less appealing but because I found myself rooted in a Vermont community I felt supported by and that offered meaningful opportunities to support others.
Career Highlights: I am a senior philanthropic advisor at the Vermont Community Foundation, where I contribute to grant-making and community investment efforts. In my role, I also advise the J. Warren & Lois McClure Foundation and manage its grant program and partnerships. I have spoken at national conferences about the role of philanthropy in identifying and promoting a state's high-pay, high-demand jobs and about best practices for funding veterans' postsecondary attainment. My prior work with both foundations, I was employed in anti-poverty and community economic development efforts at nonprofits in Vermont and New York, including as a case manager at the John Graham Emergency Shelter in Vergennes. I am a Chartered Philanthropic Advisor (CAP®) and have a Nonprofit Management Certificate from Marlboro College and a undergraduate degree from Middlebury College. My husband and I live in Middlebury with our infant son.
Community Involvement: My job as a philanthropic advisor offers ample opportunities to meet with and learn from organizations and community champions across the state dedicated to improving the health and vitality Vermont and its residents. At the Community Foundation, much of my work centers on workforce development, postsecondary education and training, and issues affecting women and girls—all issues focused to some degree on youth.
Until recently, most of my community involvement outside the office focused on young people: including co-founding a summer day program for children of families living at the John Graham Emergency Center and co-creating an afterschool program at Mary Hogan Elementary School in which students were challenged to create their own superhero identities and accomplish superhero tasks by doing good in the world.
These days, I look around my community and am struck by the growing numbers of isolated seniors. I’m currently participating in an intensive 30-hour training to become a hospice volunteer and when I’m able, I volunteer at the Middlebury Community Care Coalition's weekly Community Supper program, where I've connected with and learned from seniors from all backgrounds.