STEVE Peters
33 | Downtown Rutland Partnership | Executive Director
Residence: Rutland
Career highlight(s): Three highlights stand out to me. First was the year I volunteered with AmeriCorps when I first moved to Vermont. It gave me a perspective on the impact you can have in a community and was part of the reason why I chose to stay here afterward and get involved. Second is when I ran a nonprofit cooking education program teaching my community about local foods and their value in 
Vermont’s economy. And third is the downtown strategic planning process I worked on for several months over the past year that will shape future goals and progress for downtown Rutland.
Community Involvement: In the past several years, I’ve spent most of my volunteer time with two organizations – the Rutland Young Professionals and the Rutland Area Food Co-op. They represent two aspects of life in Vermont that I find most important, particularly in Rutland County: connecting young people and supporting local farms and businesses.
In both instances, I got involved at the committee level. Over time, I came to fill leadership roles and eventually served as board president for each. In the five years I spent with RYP, I helped the organization develop from a casual meet up group to one with a strong brand and statewide recognition. With the Rutland Co-op, I’ve supported more effective processes that help this community-owned business
modernize and grow stronger.
What motivated you to live and work in Vermont? I’m motivated to live and work in Vermont because I appreciate the countless ways in which you can have a real impact here. We’re a small state made up of small communities. We don’t have as many people or resources as other places, which is often seen as a detriment, yet it is also an opportunity. If you want to see something happen or be improved upon, you can get involved to help make it a reality. It’s always easy to complain or think you know better; it’s less so to spend the time planning, having conversations, and figuring out the details to make something work. But I’ve learned that getting involved and working through those details, even the most mundane, can lead to progress.
Tell us something fun about yourself that few people know: I’m a bit obsessed with the show Twin Peaks. I have art inspired by the show, have held donut and cherry pie themed parties, have visited filming locations, proposed to my wife at the show’s famous waterfall, and my dog's name is Cooper after the show's quirky FBI agent protagonist.
What three words best describe you: Three words that best describe me are: introspective, passionate, and practical.
Favorite Vermont escape: My favorite Vermont escape is my garden. As an introvert, I appreciate the solitude of being surrounded by plants and nature. It’s fascinating to watch everything grow as a vegetable gardener and contemplate how I’ll cook or preserve everything to last through Vermont’s long winters.
Favorite downtime activity: My favorite downtime activity is cooking. I spend just about all my free time in my kitchen trying out new recipes, canning food from my garden, or spending hours trying something I’ll only do once, such as making my own puff pastry dough or attempting a croquembouche.
Person you would most like to share a Vermont beverage with: It’s a tie between David Lynch and Alton Brown.