Al's part time career as comedian and ventriloquist

Al Getler is the co-president of the Colchester-Milton Rotary Club. He was featured in Rotary Magazine’s December 2025 - The Happiness Issue - as the “The Specialist” featuring his longtime part time career as a comedian and ventriloquist. He presently is the Executive Director of the world’s largest international convention of ventriloquists.

Al is the Vice President of Market Development of the nonprofit national program Community Heart & Soul after a career in media. He was the last president and publisher of the Burlington Free Press.

Al published websites, newspapers, and magazines where his teams were Pulitzer Prize, Associated Press, and Edward R. Murrow (TV/video) Award winners. He served as a sought-after lecturer at the American Press Institute and is a strong believer in community journalism.

Al formed a non-profit organization restoring a 1928 circa theater in downtown Newark, OH along with building an endowment. He currently serves the New England Newspaper and Press Association on the Lake Champlain Access Television board. In 2025, he was named one of Vermont’s Top 91 Influencers.

Al was a volunteer firefighter and EMT in South Hero, VT where he and his wife Nancy live with their rescue dogs. He credits his parents for raising their family to serve their communities. It is why he believes in the mission of Rotary and of Community Heart & Soul.