NONPROFITS
The board of directors of New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) announced that Alyssa Clemsen Roberts has resigned her position as president and CEO of NHEC. Michael Jennings, who currently serves as the vice president for energy delivery at NHEC, will assume the role of interim president and CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Stephen Tavella has been named the new executive director for Monadnock Peer Support (MPS), which provides mental health support for individuals seeking wellness through a mutually supportive peer community. Lantern Light Camps has received a $25,000 grant from the Theodore Edson Parker Foundation to support Nature’s Gateway: Lowell Youth to Wah-Tut-Ca Overnight Camp, directly benefiting disadvantaged youth from Lowell, Mass., by providing a one-week overnight camp experience at Lantern Light Camps in Northwood, NH, to help children foster a connection with the natural world.
The Saint-Gaudens Memorial (SGM), a nonprofit that promotes the legacy of American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907) and partners with the Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, has appointed Jackie Schalk as the
organization’s first full-time executive director, effective January 2,
2025. Schalk’s career includes time spent working in New York at
institutions such as the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, the
American Family Immigration History Center, the Brooklyn Children’s
Museum, American Ancestors, and most recently, the Handel and Haydn
Society in Boston.
Meredith
Village Savings Bank purchased $10,000 in tax credits from the NH
Community Development Finance Authority to be awarded to Great Bay Services in
Dover, a nonprofit that works with adults with intellectual and
developmental disabilities, to support the purchase of 12
wheelchair-accessible minivans to help meet the transportation needs of
the organization’s clients in Rockingham and Strafford County.
New Hampshire Humanities (NHH)
has received a $5,000 grant from the Ella F. Anderson Trust/BNY Mellon
to support the NHH Connections adult literacy program — a program
designed to promote English language skills, cultivate conversations
about ideas, reinforce family literacy, and support a culture of reading
to more than 500 adult learners across the state each year.
Granite United Way’s board of directors has named Nichole Martin Reimer as Granite United Way’s new President
and CEO, succeeding Patrick Tufts, who has served more than 20 years in
the role. Reimer most recently served as the chief engagement officer at
the nonprofit.
Pope Memorial Humane Society-Cocheco Valley has appointed Renée Couture as
its new executive director. With over 20 years in nonprofit leadership,
Couture worked as the executive director for the David Krempels Brain
Injury Center in Portsmouth, and before that, she was outreach program
director at Rockingham Community Action and executive director of Fair
Tide in Kittery, Maine.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
St. Mary’s Bank has promoted Auburn Herrgesell to
AVP, associate regional manager for the Seacoast region. Auburn joined
the bank in September 2021 as business development and retail sales
manager for the Portsmouth location.
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust has
selected Michael Kenney of Hillsborough as the winner of the Bank’s
Honor a Veteran Contest. The contest gave members of the public the
opportunity to nominate a veteran living in Maine, New Hampshire or
Vermont who deserves recognition for their service to our country.
Kenney, who served in the U.S. Navy for 18 years, received $1,000 as
winner of the contest and also selected Liberty House in Manchester to
also receive $1,000 from the Bank.
Granite State Credit Union has promoted Bill House to
senior vice president of technology. House joined the credit union’s IT
team in 2007, prioritizing security and finding innovative ways
technology can help credit union members and staff.
Melissa Sellars has
been promoted to branch service supervisor for Meredith Village Savings
Bank’s North Conway office, where she will oversee day-to-day
operations and customer service at the branch. She joined MVSB in 2017
and, prior to her promotion, served as a universal banker at the Bank’s
Wolfeboro office.
Savings Bank of Walpole (SBW)
was named a 2024 Best Bank to Work For in the U.S. for the eighth
consecutive year by American Banker Magazine. SBW ranked No. 44 out of
90 banks named on the “Best Banks” list, which represents the top 2% of
community banks in the country.
Granite Bay Wealth Management was
one of only three NH firms to be listed as America’s Top Financial
Advisory Firms for 2025 by Newsweek. The publication highlights the
companies’ guidance, transparency and personalized support for its
customers.
Isaac Davis has
joined the Merrimack County Savings Bank as vice president commercial
loan officer for the Greater Concord area. Prior to joining The
Merrimack, Davis served as a small business relationship and small
business banking manager in the Capital Region.
NHTrust recently welcomed Jason Belyea to
the company as a financial advisor, responsible for overseeing the
development and implementation of financial plans for individuals,
businesses and organizations. Belyea most recently worked as a financial
advisor for Citizens Investment Services and for Merrill Lynch, as well
as a district manager of an advisory team for Ameriprise.
REAL ESTATE
Real estate agent Laura Usher has
joined Badger Peabody & Smith Realty as a sales associate, working
out of the firm’s Holderness office. Usher has been a licensed Realtor
since 1993, with a background in mortgage lending, real estate law,
commercial property management, residential sales, second home and
resort sales.
EDUCATION
The New Hampshire College & University Council (NHCUC) board of directors has appointed Mica Stark as
the organization’s new president and chief executive officer. Stark
will also serve as executive director of the Education Alliance for New
Hampshire (EANH), formerly known as Campus Compact for New Hampshire.
Stark has over 20 years of experience in higher education, including
work at the NH Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College and the
University of New Hampshire. Most recently, Stark served as senior vice
president at Brodeur Partners, where he helped grow the agency’s higher
education and nonprofit clientele.
Andrew Houtenville has
been named the fourth director of the Institute on Disability (IOD) at
the University of New Hampshire. Since 2009, he has served as research
director, and founded the IOD’s Center for Research on Disability, which
has become a trusted source of data on employment, public programs, education, health, and other areas for people with disabilities.
LAW
Timothy C. Doherty, Jr., a
partner in Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC’s Government Enforcement and
White-Collar Defense Group, has been appointed to the Vermont Superior
Court by Governor Phil Scott as a Superior Court Judge for the Northwest
area of the North Region, covering Chittenden, Franklin, Grand Isle,
Lamoille and Washington counties.
Debra Vanderbeek has
joined McLane Middleton Government and Public Strategies as a senior
advisor. She most recently served as chief of staff for the New
Hampshire Senate from 2021-2024, and also served as Senate chief of
staff and chief of staff for Congressman Jeb Bradley.
Vanderbeek also owned and managed her own government and public affairs consulting business for many years.
The law firm of McLane Middleton has announced that Cameron J. Cantelmo, Andrea Hellrigel, and Alexis A. O’Hanlon have
been admitted to the Massachusetts State Bar. Cantelmo is an associate
in the firm’s Litigation Department based in the Manchester, NH, office;
Hellrigel is an associate in the Corporate Department based in the
Boston office; and O’Hanlon is an associate in the Trusts and Estates
Department based in the Manchester office.
ENVIRONMENT
GZA
GeoEnvironmental, Inc. (GZA) — a firm providing environmental,
geotechnical, ecological, water, and construction management services —
has named Amy Renzi, P.G., as a senior consultant in its Bedford
office. Renzi has served since 2018 as the state sites section
supervisor of the New Hampshire Waste Management Division Hazardous
Waste Bureau, and first joined the state in 2017 after more than 15
years at GZA.
HEALTH CARE
Concord Hospital Health System (CHHS)
has received ISO 9001 Quality Management System certification— a
quality management system that serves as a foundation for quality and
patient safety — by DNV Healthcare USA, Inc. ISO 9001 certification
helps staff create clear and consistent processes of patient care, and
ensures that progress is being made toward specific quality objectives.
Granite VNA recently presented hospice medical social worker Maria Babineau with
the organization’s annual peer-nominated “Living Our Values” award,
given to an employee who best demonstrates the organization’s values of
respect, compassion, culture of excellence, leadership and stewardship
with patients, families, community members, donors and volunteers.
Babineau has been with Granite VNA for 30 years.
Home health and hospice agency Granite VNA recently promoted health care specialists Kris Nesheim, OT, Letitia Borelli, PT, DPT, and Kristen Hayes, to
home care managers. Nesheim will help oversee the home care team in the
Capital Region; Borelli will help oversee the home care team in the
Lakes Region; and Hayes will help oversee the home care team in the
Manchester area. They will also mentor and supervise patient care teams,
comprising certified nursing assistants, nurses, therapists and social
workers.
BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS
Diane Fitzpatrick, CEO
of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Manchester, has been named the
recipient of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the
Year Award. Her career spans over 30 years in education, higher
education and nonprofit leadership, with a focus on empowering youth and
fostering resilience.
Fitzpatrick will be
celebrated on March 6 at the annual Citizen of the Year celebration,
taking place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown.
For the ninth consecutive year, the NH Liquor Commission (NHLC)
has been named one of the top control states in the country by
StateWays in its annual Control State Best Practices Awards. NHLC was
recognized for its retails sales innovations and for its stakeholder
communication and education efforts around a new ordering and inventory
system.
ECL Entertainment —
the owners of The Lucky Moose Casino & Tavern, The River Casino
& Sports Bar and The Nash Casino — will open a free Dealer School at
The River Casino at 53 High Street in Nashua, dedicated to training new
and existing employees of The River and The Nash on all traditional and
electronic table games as well as brand new games that will only be
offered at The Nash. The new Dealer School began operations on Dec. 2.
HOSPITALITY
Amanda Wihby, co-owner
and chief operations officer of the Red Arrow Diner, has been elected
to the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association’s (NHLRA)
board of directors — the NHLRA works to advance the state’s lodging,
food service and tourism industry in New Hampshire. Wihby has been a
member of the NHLRA for more than a decade, and was named the
organization’s 2017 Stars of the Industry Restaurant Employee of the
Year.
NEW HAMPSHIRE 200
Editor’s
note: NH Business Review is spotlighting selected 2024 New Hampshire
200 honorees from various industries. See the entire list and book at nhbr.com
Julie Demers, Executive Director NH Tech Alliance
Education: High Point University (BA), University of New Hampshire (MPA)
Career history: After
being Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce’s program director, Julie
pursued a master’s degree at UNH while working full-time, co-owning a
small business in downtown Manchester. Her public relations work at UNH
led her to serve as a technology sector workforce advisor for the NH
state government. She is NH Tech Alliance’s first full-time executive
director, starting in 2019. During the pandemic, Julie maintained the
organization’s financial viability through innovative revenue-generating
programs and budget management.
Business lesson: In
NH, you’re likely never more than a degree of separation (or two) away
from a major decision-maker, so strong relationships are key to
professional success.
Biggest challenge: Rethinking
our value-add to our membership and the state as a whole. We reimagined
programming and were very mindful of fostering more community-driven
collaboration within the sector, growing and evolving amid the pandemic.
Most excited about: Becoming
the epicenter for the manufacturing of tissue and organs. ARMI’s goal
is to advance tissue engineering, and the bioeconomy nationally has the
potential to completely transform this sector and NH’s economy.
Hobbies/passions: Hiking; running; wakeboarding; snowboarding; meeting gym friends; watching my kids discover their passions.
Industry advice: Be
authentic and learn from the success of others. Some of the most
meaningful professional relationships I have were forged because I
wasn’t too prideful to ask for help.
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