A Place That’s Wild … and Full of Committees

After leaving city life behind, Zoe Contros Kearl found both wilderness and civic responsibility in Shaftsbury, Vermont.

“I moved to Southern Vermont after a life spent largely in cities—both in Texas and on the Eastern Seaboard—because it’s like nowhere I’ve ever been,” says Zoe Contros Kearl. What stood out immediately was the balance she found here. “There’s a sense of independence here, of natural beauty and possibility, of New England stoicism paired with fierce neighborliness.”

“Quality of life, access to wilderness, and an abundance of water and land paired with a sparse population make this a state that still feels wild, unbridled in 2025.”

What ultimately anchored Zoe was how people take care of one another. “There’s a fierceness of community and an abundance of generosity in my little town,” she says, something she sees echoed across the region. That sense of shared responsibility shapes how she lives and works here.

Zoe works for Power Guru, where she supports renewable energy projects that align closely with Vermont’s values around land stewardship and long-term sustainability. But she also quickly found herself drawn into public service, first through work on the Planning Commission, Development Review Board, Community Center Development Committee and now as an elected town leader.

In her role as Chair of the Shaftsbury Selectboard, Zoe has been involved in concrete, often time-intensive work that shapes everyday life in her town. This has included reviewing and voting on everyday matters, participating in town plan and land-use discussions, and helping navigate decisions around infrastructure, services, and community priorities. 

She’s also spent significant time in public meetings and one-on-one conversations with residents, listening to concerns and helping translate them into policy decisions. The work is slow and sometimes difficult, but for Zoe it reflects the same ethic she sees throughout Southern Vermont: people stepping up to take care of one another and the place they share.

“I’m proud to call Vermont home and will serve my community as best I can. I’m just lucky to be here.”

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