EDUCATION
Plymouth State University has named Lourdes Avilés the university’s associate provost. Avilés is an expert in atmospheric science, with an emphasis on light and color effects in the atmosphere. Avilés will maintain the title of professor of meteorology and continue her research, though she will take a step back from teaching.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Tim Allen has joined Ledyard National Bank as a new senior financial advisor within the Ledyard Financial Advisors division. Tim has over nine years of experience in the financial services and wealth management industry, most recently at NH Trust Financial Advisors and Bar Harbor Wealth Management. Rise Private Wealth Management, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services LLC, announced that Karen O’Rourke has become an Ameriprise Financial Private Wealth Advisor. O’Rourke works in the Bedford office and has become part of the 18 percent of approximately 10,000 Ameriprise financial advisors to achieve this status.
Bank of New Hampshire’s board of directors recently elected Tim Naro, the former EVP/COO of Granite State Credit Union, and Susannah Chance, the senior vice president of human resources at Work Opportunities Unlimited Inc.
Meredith Village Savings Bank (MVSB) has promoted Tina Simpson to assistant vice president, commercial loan officer, after serving in various roles since 2014. She is a graduate of the Northern New England School of Banking, and is currently studying at the New England Center for Financial Studies at Babson College.
Mascoma Bank welcomed Kelly Dorsey as senior vice president and treasury & business services manager. She will be primarily responsible for supporting large business and municipal accounts in Maine and Central/Southern New Hampshire. Dorsey also serves as an advisor to the Maine Business School’s Women in Business initiatives and recently cofounded the Say Hello Foundation, a nonprofit serving Maine’s hospitality industry.
Carolyn Silverthorn has joined Sanborn, Head & associates as the new senior vice president of finance. She has over 20 years of experience working with companies such as McMahon, a Bowman Company. Carolyn holds an MBA from West Chester University, a BS in accounting from The Pennsylvania State University, and a certificate in HR management from Villanova University.
Elizabeth Newcombe has joined NHTrust as a financial advisor in the firm’s Keene office. Previously, she worked as a financial advisor at Fidelity Investments and has held a real estate license since 2014.
HEALTHCARE
Jay Hayston, CEO of Cedarcrest Center, has been chosen by the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) as a national, future leader in longterm and post-acute care. Hayston will join AHCA/NCAL’s Future Leaders program, a year-long program that offers training and guidance for industry professionals.
Kate Luczko — the founding president/CEO of Stay Work Play NH — has joined HealthForce NH as their new senior director. She was most recently the president/CEO of the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce.
Harbor Care recently welcomed their new COO, William Belecz. Previously, he served as the CEO for Regional Health Reach, a FQHC Healthcare for the Homeless program, and was the executive director for Regional Health Services.
ENGINEERING
After 34 years, Ken Koornneef has retired as president/CEO of Nobis Group — an engineering and environmental services consulting firm — and hired Chris Adams as his replacement. Adams is a civil engineer with over 24 years of service with Nobis Group, holding various roles over the years including VP of operations and a member of the board of directors.
LAW
McLane Middleton, PA, has hired two new attorneys: Sean M. Leonard and Madeline S. Lewis. Leonard joins the firm’s Family Law Practice Group in Manchester, focusing on family issues. Lewis is an associate in the firm’s Corporate and Tax departments, advising businesses and individuals on employment matters and corporate transactions. Additionally, Susan E. Cannon has joined the firm as a trust officer in the firm’s Trust Services Department.
Nixon Peabody has expanded its Government Investigations & White-Collar Defense practice with the addition of S. Amy Spencer, who joins the law firm as counsel. Based in the firm’s Manchester office, she represents organizations and individuals in investigations, regulatory inquiries, and criminal and civil cases involving securities and financial fraud, Title IX, and other federal and state law matters.
Devine Millimet Attorneys at Law has welcomed three new attorneys to the firm. Associate Alex Manocchi joins the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions Team and Corporate Practice; attorney Peter Leberman, a JD graduate of Washington & Lee University School of Law with a master’s in laws in taxation from Boston University of Law; and attorney Jeffrey Weinstein, a graduate of Villanova University Law School with 48 years of experience in trial work.
MARKETING & ADVERTISING
Jason Boucher has joined Cookson Communications as the director of social marketing, where he will serve as the lead on all social marketing efforts, contributing to the growth of the team and its resources. Previously, he worked as the communications director of social media at UNH, and earned an advanced social media strategies certificate from Syracuse University, as well as a bachelor’s from Franklin Pierce University and an MBA from UNH.
MANUFACTURING
The New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership — part of the National MEP System under the Department of Commerce and the National Institute of Standard and Technology — has welcomed Tony Fernandez as its new center director/president. He spent over 45 years in the manufacturing sector.
NONPROFITS
The TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, recently donated $10,000 to The Capitol Center for the Arts as part of the foundation’s commitment to giving back to the community. The funds will allow the center to expand access to the arts in the community.
The NH Community Development Finance Authority has awarded more than $11.5 million in Community Center Investment Program resources to New Hampshire nonprofits and municipalities to support the enhancement of current indoor and outdoor facilities, as well as the construction of new spaces.
Recipients included the Hannah Grimes Center Inc. in Keene; Arlington Street Community Center in Nashua; Exeter Multigenerational Community Center; GALA Community Center (Makers Mill) in Wolfeboro; and many others.
The NH Women’s Foundation has added two new members to its team: intern Mackenzie Timbrell and research fellow Caitlin McMonagle. Timbrell is helping the nonprofit with administrative projects and event support, and is currently working towards a BA in women and gender studies from Sarah Lawrence College. McMonagle is currently a candidate for a master’s of public health and a graduate certificate in health data science from UNH, and has already been helping the nonprofit to research projects, including their Status of Girls in New Hampshire publication.
The American Cancer Society appointed Melanie Shokal of Alexandria as the 2023 Volunteer Event Chair for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of NH 2023-2024 event. Shokal, a three-year breast cancer survivor, has been volunteering with ACS for 23 years. This year’s event takes place Oct. 15 at Memorial Field in Concord, where it aims to raise $500,000.got breast cancer research.
REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
Meredith Village Savings Bank will open a new branch office located at 2 Meeting Place Drive in Exeter early next summer, with construction scheduled to begin late this summer or early fall. The new building has been designed by Warrenstreet Architects Inc., and construction will be managed by Conneston Construction Inc.
Foxfire Property Management, a property management company in Concord, added three new members to its team: Nathaniel Brown, commercial property manager; Victoria Poland, legal intern; and Cynthia Provencher, staff accountant. Commercial real estate broker Mansard has announced the sale of 28 Lord Road, Suites 225 & 255, in Marlborough, Mass., to Yi Zhou for a 3,633-square-foot, multi-use medical office condo. The sale price was listed at $450,000.
The NH Center for Nonprofits has added three new members to its Board of Directors: Kendra Bell, a CPA with Cohos Advisors; Joshua Meehan, executive director of Keene Housing; and Charla Stevens, of Charla Stevens Consulting.
TECHNOLOGY
The NH Tech Alliance has announced the inaugural program participants for Ascending Leaders in Tech, a hands-on program presented by Big Network designed teach leadeship skills to tech professionals. They are: Matthew Morley, url2png; Sean Jellison, Marcum Technology; Carson Taylor, Samsung Electronics America; Andrew Ryder; student; Samuel Williams, IDEXX Laboratories; Kevin Lawrence, operations/business development; Dale Ohsberg, Marco Rubber; Scott Lagios, Morgan Records Management; Michael Franzino, Warfighter Systems Elbit Systems of America; Del Pierson, XMA Corp.; Joshua Gomez, SNHU; Zack Mattor, Minim; Andrew Curioso, Curioso Industries LLC; Robert Gibson, ConStrata Consulting; Craig Taylor, CyberHoot; Pau-Ling Low, EMRLD; Erin Martin, Hypertherm; and Diana Bourns, Ascendle.
Keith Scally was named chief product officer of Cariloop, a caregiver support platform that combines cloud-based tools and coaching services. He has held senior leadership roles at Sun Life, Maxwell Health and Choicelinx.
Brenton Fraser joins Dept. of Military Affairs & Veterans Services
The New Hampshire Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services announced retired U.S. Army Colonel Brenton K. Fraser has been appointed as the director of the division of community-based military programs. In his new role, he will lead the division in its mission to deliver quality services to New Hampshire veterans, service members and their families by partnering them with military and civilian provider groups across the state. Col. Fraser brings over 30 years of experience to the department, with a vast career working with the Space and Missile Defense Command at Fort Eustis in Virginia, including serving overseas as chief, provincial security force advise and assist team, 101st Airborne Division, as well as advising the Kunar provincial governor, chief of police and director of Joint Operations Center on all aspects of civil-military relations.
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