Over a decade ago, Jennifer Scott Beck’s relationship with the Town of Wilton was minimal, limited to driving through to work or making an annual Christmas shopping trip on Main Street.

Before she retired from the corporate world, Beck assumed she would sit by a pool anywhere outside the U.S. with a full glass of wine in hand. Through happenstance, the opposite happened.

After retiring in 2015, Beck founded and chaired the Wilton Economic Development Leadership Team, joined the Wilton Conservation Commission and eventually served as a board director for the N.H. Association of Conservation Commissions, among other commitments.

Her leadership and collaboration in town have led to the completion of multiple projects, including the Wilton Riverwalk with the gazebo along the Stoney Brook River near the police station, the Wilton Falls building development, an updated town Master Plan and more.

Now, with a long list of accomplished projects and strong relationships built over the years, Beck wants to spend the next 10 years continuing that work.

“My life’s work is now about getting people to care. Because once people care, truly care, then you can start actually educating and you can inform,” she said. “I believe one person can make an enormous difference, and that’s something that’s almost replicable. It becomes infectious.”

‘Something to do’

Beck’s love of nature stems from climbing trees in the forest around her house and fishing in the reservoir on her family’s property in Kisco, New York.

“I’ve always been someone that watched clouds go by,” she said. “I just spent all my time outdoors, and now, as an adult, everything is better if I’m outside.”

So, years later, when she decided to buy a house, it’s no wonder Wilton charmed her.

After disappointment after disappointment, Beck finally found a small farmhouse surrounded by 250-year-old sugar maples, with an orchard on the property. Before she even entered the house, she knew she had made a decision.

“I looked around, and I said, ‘I’m home,'” Beck recalled.

Over the years, Beck’s career as an industry analyst kept her busy and often away from Wilton. Once she retired, life slowed down, and she decided she needed to get out of the house.

Years later, Beck remembers the day that set off the domino effect that changed her retirement plan.

On a snowy day in early February, Beck had spent the afternoon cleaning her closets when her cousin called about the primary election. Though she had never voted in a primary before, she stood there sorting her cloth napkins by color and said aloud, “You need something to do.”

After casting her vote, on the way out of the town hall, she picked up a flier about revitalizing Main Street through a SWOT analysis — strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats — something she had done throughout her career. Beck remembers pulling a corporate suit from her closet soon after and presenting her takeaways to the select board.

“Next thing I know, I’m heading up economic development,” she said.

Take the risk

Beck’s superpower is organizing diverse teams to get a job done.

Gail Hoar, a local artist and writer, worked closely with Beck in the early days of the Economic Development Leadership Team and has seen her talents firsthand over the last decade.

Hoar called Beck a “master at building long-term plans.”

With her team’s help, Hoar said, Beck’s organizational skills and knowledge of business and municipal government have led to many successful projects over the past decade, including the Riverwalk, historic mill building development, the infrastructure capital reserve fund, Wilton Alliance and more.

“She has respect for every town institution and she knows what the town needs to function,” Hoar said. “There’s so much admiration for what she’s accomplished.”

Beck’s work in economic development and conservation often overlaps, giving her a strong understanding of both priorities in Wilton and across the state.

“I like surrounding myself with people who are a lot smarter than me. At this point in my life, I figured out what I’m good at, what I’m not good at and I try to stick to the stuff I’m good at,” she said.

And, when helping plan the town’s future, Beck isn’t afraid to take a risk.

“You design for the best care scenario in my world, and you manage the exception,” she said. “Nothing good happens without some risk, but you have to be willing to take that risk and mitigate where you can.”

Initially, Beck had little knowledge of her town or municipal government, so she went out and asked questions. In talking with neighbors and fellow residents, Beck learned to separate personal agenda and necessity.

“I was not only asking residents what they wanted, but then finding out what they actually needed, and those are two very different things,” she said.

When Beck starts a project, she focuses on the big picture, which she can’t do without collaboration or data.

“It doesn’t really matter how other people get there. They can take the winding country road, they can get on an eight-lane highway, they can paddle up a river. I don’t really care, but that’s where we’re going,” she said.

Beyond the successful projects, Beck has seen the slow pace of municipal government curtail goals, but her faith in her teams and the work they do keeps her going.

“It takes longer to do with a diverse group. It’s harder. It’s much harder, but ultimately the end product is so much better,” she said.

Why does she take on so much in town? Beck’s response: “I was put on a path to do good work.”