GOVERNMENT
Mayor Jay Ruais named 15 community partners who will join the City of Manchester’s Continuum of Care to end homelessness in Manchester. They are: the office of Senator Jeanne Shaheen; the office of Senator Maggie Hassan; the office of Congressman Chris Pappas; Katja Fox, director, Department of Health and Human Services Division of Behavioral Health; Chase Hagaman, director, Division of Economic Development Department of Business and Economic Affairs; Joseph Costanzo, Hillsborough County Superintendent of Jail; Toni Pappas, Hillsborough County Commissioner; Kelly Thomas, alderman, Ward 12; Dan Goonan, alderman, Ward 2; Crissy Kantor, alderman, Ward 6; Patrick Tufts, president and CEO, Granite United Way; Phil Tuttle, pastor, Zeal Church; Persephanie Lesperance, owner, Recovery Residence; Courtney Fifield, Members First Credit Union; and Anne Bilodeau, Brady Sullivan Properties.
BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS
Federal insurance and benefits administrator FedPoint has promoted Melissa McLaughlin to chief human resources officer, a newly created position. A certified senior professional in human resources, she has been with FedPoint since 2002, and also served as a human resources director for two regional staff model HMOs, one of which provided patient care and insurance services for a large U.S. Department of Defense contract.
Merchants Fleet has hired Christina Malseed as regional sales manager for the U.S. Eastern region. Prior to joining Merchants, Malseed served as the VP of sales at Element Fleet Management, where she offered comprehensive optimization strategies that spanned from acquisition and financing to program management and vehicle remarketing.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
St. Mary’s Bank recently hired Rebecca Sanborn as the member experience and relationship manager for the Northwest Boulevard branch in Nashua. Additionally, the bank welcomed Marc Bouvier as the senior indirect business development officer, bringing more than 30 years of experience to the role.
Morgan Stanley announced that The Elm Street Group based in Manchester has been named to Forbes Magazine’s 2024 list of America’s Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams. The ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on an analysis of best practices, client retention, industry experience, credentials, compliance records, firm nominations, assets under management and revenue generated.
Andrew Smith has taken over the role of director in Baker Newman Noyes’ tax practice from Michael Stillings, who has served as director of tax at the firm for the last 15 years. Smith began his career at BNN in 1998, after interning with the firm in 1997, primarily serving clients in the hospitality, construction, real estate and professional service industries, and advises his clients on succession planning, like-kind exchanges, cost segregation studies and tax credit deals.
Richard “Rick” Burgess has retired from Meredith Village Savings Bank (MVSB) after nearly 40 years in the banking industry. Rick worked with MVSB for the last six years of his career, serving local businesses with their financing needs. In addition, Tate Miller was recently promoted to commercial loan officer at the bank’s Laconia office, who began his career with MVSB in 2022 as a commercial loan apprentice.
Maine Savings Federal Credit Union recently hired Stacey Young as senior vice president of member experience. Previously in her career, Stacey was a senior registered client associate at RBC Wealth Management, and a branch manager for University Credit Union’s Bangor office. She is a graduate of the Bangor Region Leadership Institute Class of 2012, and a member of the class of 2019 Certified Credit Union Executive CUNA Management School.
ENGINEERING
Sanborn, Head & Associates announced recent leadership changes: Alena De-LosReyes will serve as external director of the firm’s board of directors for a three-year term; Jenn Sanborn was re-elected as an internal director for a second three-year term; Matt Van Rensler joined the company as a developer client service area leader; Otto Rusch has assumed leadership of Sanborn Head’s Health & Safety department; and Jennifer Martinelli has been named the Boston office team lead.
Wilcox & Barton, Inc. — an engineering firm specializing in civil, environmental and geotechnical engineering — has unveiled its new corporate headquarters in Concord, which will house the firm’s many departments including accounting, civil engineering, human resources and marketing.
NONPROFITS
Home health and hospice agency Granite VNA welcomed Monique Lippert, RN, as its new director of clinical support, overseeing paraprofessionals, telemonitoring staff, virtual visit nurse teams, the clinical triage team and operation department. Previously, Lippert served as a homecare clinical manager for Home Health and Hospice Care in Merrimack, a transitional care nurse for Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua, and as an inpatient acute rehabilitation registered nurse at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul held its first annual “Keep Kids Warm” event back in November, giving away winter apparel to Manchester elementary school children. With grants received from The Catholic Bishop’s Charitable Trust and St. Mary’s Bank, they were able to distribute new boots, coats, ski pants, hats and gloves to 90 children. The Knights of Columbus, Council 5163, assisted with procurement of the coats and helped staff the event.
Allyson Ryder of North Hampton has been named the next executive director of NH Civics, a statewide nonprofit that teaches civics for free to people of all ages, political views and zip codes. Prior to joining NH Civics, Allyson worked in higher education at UNH in the Office of Community, Equity and Diversity, and as a fellow for NH Listens through the Carsey School of Public Policy.
Bank of America has selected Manchester-based Friends of Aine as its 2023 Neighborhood Champion in New Hampshire. The nonprofit will receive a $50,000 grant as well as the opportunity to participate in leadership training on topics such as human capital management, increasing financial sustainability and more.
United Way of Greater Nashua has started a laptop donation program, called Tech Connect United, a community-driven effort aimed at addressing digital equity by providing access to technology for those in need. Donated devices will be refurbished for distribution among various segments of the population, including children, job-seekers, college students and seniors.
The KEY Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that Seacoast New Hampshire youth have equal opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities, has launched its revamped website to enhance user experience and support the organization’s growth in 2024 and beyond.
Granite VNA was recently honored by Granite State Independent Living (GSIL) with the 2023 Community Partner award for its dedication to providing home health care and hospice, palliative care, pediatric and maternal child health services to the communities it serves. The award recognizes local organizations and individuals who promote life with independence for people with disabilities and those navigating the natural aging process. All those honored exemplify commitment to the community through their advocacy, provision of information, educational efforts and unwavering support.
CONSTRUCTION
Matt Connors, owner of Gemini Electric of Auburn, was named the president of the Associated General Contractors of New Hampshire. He has been a member of the association since 2002 and has served on the AGC of NH Board of Directors for the past 13 years.
The Associated Builders & Contractors, NH/VT Chapter, has promoted Shari Peracchi to vice president of membership, having previously served as membership director.
Peracchi also serves on the ABC National Membership Directors Council, which shares best practices and ideas among peers across the country.
EDUCATION
Consolidated Communications is now accepting funding applications through March 1 for the Consolidated Connects Educational Grant Program, with grants going to schools serving K-12 students in the company’s service area. For more information, visit consolidated.com/cciconnects. The New Hampshire Department of Education (NHED) has selected Richard K. Sala of Hopkinton as the new director of the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation. Sala is a former member of the State Board of Education and was previously employed by NHED where he served as an attorney from June 2018 to August 2019. More recently, he served as a Professor of Law and Director of the Academic Success Program and Online Learning Program at Vermont Law and Graduate School.
Sara Morris has been selected as the new executive director for the Shoals Marine Laboratory — a remote field station located on Appledore Island, Maine, that is jointly operated by UNH and Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Morris has served as the longtime director for the Appledore Island Migration Station, the lab’s bird banding program, teaching courses about marine science, field ornithology and ecology.
REAL ESTATE
Badger Peabody & Smith Realty, previously located at 180 Main St. in Berlin, has moved its offices to 603 Main St. in Gorham in a newly redesigned office building. The building was renovated by Phil Chabot, an experienced contractor in Berlin, who was the original builder of the building in 2007. Colliers recently shared that Vicson Global, LLC, signed a five-year lease for 14,283 square feet at 1 Wall St. in Hudson. Hugo Overdeput and Andrew Robbins, of Colliers’ Manchester office, represented the landlord, and Jim Goddard, of Coldwell Banker Realty, represented the tenant in the transaction.
HEALTH CARE
Wentworth-Douglass Hospital recently welcomed pediatric neurologist Dr. Priyanka Shekhawat to the hospital’s neurology team. Dr. Shekhawat received a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from Armed Forces Medical College in Pune, India. She completed her residency and chief residency in pediatrics at Harlem Hospital Center in New York City, and completed a fellowship in child neurology from Columbia University Irving Medical Center, followed by an additional fellowship in clinical neurophysiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital.
The American Hospital Association Center for Health Innovation recognized Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center’s Senior Director of Quality, Safety and Compliance Otelah Perry with a Quality Collective Champion award for her contributions to the AHA Quality Collective, a peer-to-peer learning hub for health care quality leaders. Earlier this year, Perry presented to the collective on emergency preparedness and quality improvement efforts within MAHHC and how the hospital incorporated Centers for Medicaid Services (CMS) standards into their practices.
Focused Eye Care recently welcomed Catherine Johnson, doctor of optometry and fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, to its team in a newly created pediatric role. Bringing 16 years of specialized training and extensive experience in pediatric optometry to the organization, Dr. Johnson will expand the practice’s ability to serve young children as well as individuals with disabilities.
COMMUNICATIONS
Lauren Collins-Cline has joined Montage Powers, a full-service public relations and communications firm, as vice president. She brings to the firm more than 25 years of experience working as an award-winning radio and TV journalist at such outlets as WBZ-AM, WRKO, and was the NH bureau chief of New England Cable News. Most recently, she was the director of communications and public relations at Catholic Medical Center.
TECHNOLOGY
The NH Tech Alliance has named Alex Horton as the new director of engagement and events, enhancing member engagement, executing impactful events, and implementing social media and marketing strategies. In addition, Stephanie Baxter, previously serving as director of programming and engagement, has been promoted to the role of VP of membership and operations.
LAW
Shaheen & Gordon, P.A. welcomed attorney Sarah Landres to its criminal defense and DUI practice group in the firm’s Dover office. She will represent clients in matters such as misdemeanor, felony, DUI and juvenile offenses. Landres was a founding board member and currently serves on the governance and finance committees for Hope on Haven Hill.
Plymouth State bids farewell to Donald P. Wharton
Plymouth State University (PSU) announced with great sadness the passing of PSU President Emeritus Donald P. Wharton, of Landaff, NH, who died on January 3. Wharton came to PSU in 1993 after serving as dean of arts and sciences and subsequently as vice president for academic affairs at Minot State University in North Dakota, and then as special assistant to the chancellor of the North Dakota University System. He served as the Plymouth State’s president until 2006 and led the transition from Plymouth State College to Plymouth State University. Wharton was succeeded by Sara Jayne Steen, who served as president from 2006 to 2015.
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