Dear Sterling Community,

We are delighted to share that Tracy Zschau ‘93 will deliver the Commencement Address for Sterling College’s 26th graduating class on Saturday, May 17, 2025.

This year’s graduates shared what’s been most important to them as they prepare for life beyond Sterling: being resilient, facing challenges with integrity, and staying true to their environmental and community values while building meaningful lives. Tracy’s story speaks to all of these.

A Sterling alumna and long-time champion of land conservation, Tracy has spent over 25 years with the Vermont Land Trust (VLT), where she currently serves as President & CEO—the first woman to hold this role in the organization’s history. Beginning her journey in 1998 as the Northeast Kingdom Director, she went on to lead VLT’s statewide conservation efforts and has helped steward the protection of over 635,000 acres of Vermont’s cherished lands. Her leadership is marked by a deep commitment to transparency, ecological care, and community trust.

Tracy lives with her husband, Kurt, in St. Johnsbury, where they raised their two children and remain deeply rooted in civic life. She serves on the St. Johnsbury Selectboard and the Board of Passumpsic Savings Bank, and has been recognized with the 2019 Community Catalyst Award by the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board for advancing community-based conservation in the Northeast Kingdom.

A graduate of Sterling College and Colby College, Tracy also holds a master’s degree in forestry from the University of Maine, Orono, and is a fellow of the Vermont Leadership Institute at the Snelling Center for Government.

​In our conversations with Tracy she shared the following, “I am honored to return to Sterling to help celebrate the Class of 2025.  I value the dedication to environmental stewardship and commitment to community-based action that Sterling instills in its graduates. In this time of dynamic change, that is exactly what the world needs right now.”

We look forward to welcoming Tracy back to Sterling—where her journey in environmental leadership began. Her story is a compelling reminder that principled, place-based action can shape both the land and the lives of those who steward it. We look forward to the inspiration she will bring to the Class of 2025 as they prepare to carry forward Sterling’s mission into the world.

Best,

Scott L. Thomas, President
Allison Hooper, Chair, Sterling College Board of Trustees