MELINDA MOULTON, FILM MAKER, WRITER, POET, MUSICIAN, COMMUNITY LEADER, ACTIVIST, AND TROUBLE MAKER.
Melinda Moulton has partnered with her husband, Rick Moulton, and Rick Moulton Productions (www.rickmoulton.com) to produce Historic Documentary Films and Legacy Films that highlight and honor individuals and organizations that have made a difference in our world. She co-founded this company in 1974 and is now serving as the Executive Producer in her new role. Currently, they are working on a PBS documentary titled: Ethan Allen - The Man & The Myth. This project has the support of The Vermont Historical Society, The Ethan Allen Homestead, The Vermont Humanities Council, Vermont Public, and The Fort Ticonderoga Museum. Its release is expected in 2026 to coincide with the 250th anniversary of our country's independence. Melinda and Rick are also producing three Legacy Films: Vermont Academy 150 Years of Learning & Leadership, Mad River Glen - The Skiers' Mountain, and a film for Eaglebrook School. They annually create and produce award-winning films for The Vermont Ski Museum and the International Ski History Association.
In 2022, Melinda stepped down after 40 years as CEO of Main Street Landing, an environmentally and socially conscious redevelopment company dedicated to the development of Burlington, Vermont's waterfront. She created a new development model that embraces a “team approach to design, development, and construction.” She led the development of 250,000 square feet and thirty million dollars worth of infrastructure along Lake Champlain’s shores. Main Street Landing aims to support the arts and local culture, provide incubator space for start-up businesses, promote social responsibility, and educate about environmental and social consciousness. Her sustainability agenda, focusing on ecological integrity, economic security, individual empowerment, and social well-being, is recognized across the country as a future-oriented approach to design, development, and responsible business practices in built-environment development.
Melinda has chaired boards including the Burlington Parking & Transportation Council, Burlington Business Association, Vermont Retail Association, The Intervale Center, College Steps, and the Vermont Folklife Center. She has served on boards such as The Greater Burlington YMCA, Lund Family Center, Chittenden East School District, Special Olympics Vermont, Opportunities Credit Union, Vermont Public Interest Research Group, the Orton Family Foundation, ACLU-Vermont, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, Audubon Vermont, Main Street Alliance, and the Vermont Arts Council. She also served nine years on the Board of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and 15 years on its Action Fund. As a member of the Vermont Business Roundtable, she co-chaired capital campaigns for the Lund Center and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.
Currently, she sits on The Vermont Historical Society Board. Melinda is a co-founder of the Burlington History & Culture Center and chairs their Advisory Council. She also serves on the Howard Center's Arts Collective Council. Governor Shumlin appointed her to the Vermont Pathways From Poverty Council in 2014 and to the Vermont Commission on Women in 2015. She co-chaired the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Campaign in 2011. Melinda has been active on the Regional Affairs Committee of the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce and advocates for restoring passenger rail service to Union Station in Burlington, which resumed in June 2022 to New York City.
Her involvement extends to advisory councils including the Vermont Green Building Network, UVM’s 2020 “Leading By Design” Sustainability Task Force, the Childhood Hunger Council of Chittenden County, Spectrum Youth Center, and Patient Choices Vermont. She also participated in developing the Burlington Legacy Project and serves as a Trustee for the Community Sailing Center.
For over twenty-six years, Melinda has hosted a TV show on CCTV’s Channel 17, interviewing Vermonters who serve their community through visionary, committed, and hard work to improve Vermont. The show is syndicated statewide, and she continues to feature notable change-makers who influence the world through their writing, music, poetry, business, or personal lives. Videos of these interviews are available on this website under "Moments with Melinda."
Melinda received the Nathan Harris Award from the Burlington Business Association for her contribution to downtown Burlington’s economic vitality, as well as the Vermont Business for Social Responsibilities’ Terry Ehrich Award. Her work at Main Street Landing has won numerous awards, including the Energy Star for Small Business from the U.S. EPA, the Hertzel Pasackow Award for Architectural Excellence, the Chittenden County Historical Society Award, the Burlington Historic Preservation Award, the AIA Excellence in Architecture Award, LEED Silver from the U.S. Green Building Council, and the Burlington Development Award. In 2026, she will be honored with Preservation Burlington's Community Improvement Award.
Melinda has lectured nationwide on her work, leadership, women’s empowerment, and sustainable development practices. She recently authored and published a children's book, "Bobby Blue," which is featured on this website. She writes commentary for Vermont Digger and essays for the New York website "Writing About Our Generation.” Melinda and Rick plan to produce a documentary titled "Minds of Autism," exploring the work of gifted non-speaking individuals with autism, with a scheduled completion date of 2028.