ENGINEERING
Keith Christopher, PE, has joined Weston & Sampson as a federal program manager in its Portsmouth office. He most recently served eight years with Naval Facilities Engineering System Command (NAVFAC) as the design director for the Public Works Department in Maine. In addition, Weston & Sampon welcomed Jennifer Kady, AIA, to the firm’s Manchester office. An architect and BIM leader, she has over 15 years of experience in the design, documentation, and coordination of a variety of commercial and institutional projects. A former guest lecturer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and former adjunct faculty at Roger Williams University, Kady is a registered architect in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
LAW
Bernstein Shur has named Ali Worster as the firm’s first ever chief people officer, helping the firm to deepen employee engagement, enhance workplace culture, and retain and attract top-tier talent. She most recently served as the vice president of human resources at Northern Light Health in Bangor, Maine.
Shaheen & Gordon, P.A. has added a Keene office through a partnership with Bragdon, Baron & Kossayda, P.C. With this addition, Shaheen & Gordon can serve clients from six offices across New Hampshire and eight offices in total across New England. The firm is joining Shaheen & Gordon “Of Counsel,” with team members Stephen Bragdon, Elana Baron, Adam Kossayda and Peter Heed. The Keene group will continue to operate from their office at 82 Court Street in Keene.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Merrimack County Savings Bank (The Merrimack) welcomed Elizabeth “Beth” Mulleavey as the new branch and business development manager of its Bow branch. Mulleavey has eight years of banking experience from mortgage lending to retail banking, and serves as the VP of Intown Concord’s board of directors as well as board director for Red River Theatres, among other appointments. In addition, the Bank has promoted Shantelle Sutkus to assistant vice president business development officer. Sutkus joined The Merrimack in 2019 as a branch services representative before being promoted to other leadership roles over the years.
The U.S Small Business Administration (SBA) has designated the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund as a new SBA microlender, which will enhance access to capital for small businesses across New Hampshire and Vermont. As an SBA microlender, the Community Loan Fund will provide loans up to $50,000 to help entrepreneurs with working capital, equipment, purchases and more. This partnership aligns with the mission of both organizations to empower individuals and businesses through financial support and technical assistance.
Heather Whitfield has joined Bar Harbor Bank & Trust as senior vice president, commercial portfolio manager in the Bank’s Manchester office. Most recently, Whitfield served as senior vice president, commercial loan officer at M&T Bank.
Merrimack County Saving Bank (The Merrimack) has supported The Friendly Kitchen and its goal to serve all food-insecure families in Merrimack County by pledging $50,000 over two years to cover the costs of The Friendly Kitchen’s expansion project. In 2023, The Merrimack financed The Friendly Kitchen’s 1,000-square-foot expansion project to house a new preparation kitchen, additional storage for food and refrigeration and office space.
Franklin Savings Bank recently granted $9,000 to the Franklin Outing Club so that they can expand their snow-making capabilities. The Club has operated the Veterans Memorial Recreation Area for over 60 years, and the award will help offset the cost of their recreational opportunities which have always been offered free of charge or for a very low cost. The grant will go directly toward their piping to transport water from their pond to key locations within the ski area.
Sunipa “Toon” Devito has been promoted to oversee the Meredith Village Savings Bank’s Moultonborough office as branch and business development manager. Devito initially joined the Bank in 2017 as a teller in the Center Harbor office and was promoted to branch services representative and then teller supervisor at the same location. In 2024, she was promoted to branch services supervisor at the Bank’s main office.
Baker Newman Noyes (BNN), a top 100 tax, assurance, and advisory firm, announced that they have won the Best of Accounting 5 Year Diamond Award for providing superior service to their clients. The firm has received the Best of Accounting recognition for the past seven years in a row and the Diamond recognition for the past three. Diamond award winners have won the Best of Accounting award for at least 5 years in a row, demonstrating consistent industry-leading client satisfaction. The firm received satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 86% of their clients, averaging 9.4 out of 10 for client satisfaction across all client survey responses.
CONSTRUCTION
Sullivan Construction has appointed Logan Johnson, PE, as vice president of business development. Johnson brings over 15 years of experience in the construction and engineering sectors, with a focus on business development and project management. Before joining Sullivan Construction, she worked for the nonprofit Neighbor-Works Southern New Hampshire, where she managed the development of over 200 units of affordable housing for New Hampshire families.
NONPROFITS
Maine-based Camden National Bank announced it will donate $100,000 in unrestricted funding to Avesta Housing, the largest nonprofit affordable housing developer in Northern New England, to help address homeownership and housing stability. Avesta Housing is the largest nonprofit affordable housing provider in northern New England that works to improve lives and strengthen communities by promoting and providing quality affordable homes for people in need.
The Winchester Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) has received an award of $500,000 from the Northern Borders Regional Commission, and will apply for $130,500 from the NH Business Finance Authority’s revolving loan fund program to amplify the impact of this award, in order to offer loans to Winchester-based businesses. The WEDC will prioritize projects that create or retain jobs while expanding the local tax base.
Dr. Daisy Pierce and Brian Presti have been elected to the board of directors for Endowment for Health — which aims to improve the health and reduce the burden of illness for the people of New Hampshire. Dr. Pierce is executive director of Navigating Recovery of the Lakes Region, and Presti is the chief investment officer for TFC Financial.
Bring Back the Trades (BBTT) recently welcomed Shana Brunye as its new administrative director. With over 20 years of executive leadership experience, Brunye will help streamline operations, strengthen partnerships and ensure long-term sustainability for the nonprofit. Her passion for supporting the trades and building a skilled workforce aligns with BBTT’s mission to empower the next generation of tradespeople through education, mentorship and scholarships.
Meredith Village Savings Bank (MVSB) recently welcomed Sue Smulski as assistant vice president, branch and business development manager, to lead the Bank’s Exeter office at 2 Meeting Place Drive. She has more than 40 years of retail and business banking experience to guide her as she supports customers, employees, businesses and expands on community involvement initiatives. Clean Energy NH (CENH) recently welcomed five new members to its board of directors: Carleton Simpson, vice president of energy transformation for Unitil’s Massachusetts Utilities; Dulcie Madden, CEO and co-founder of Dig Energy; Matthew Mailloux, senior program manager at ClearPath; John Gargasz, managing partner at Aspire Residential and cofounder of 10X Ventures; and Dori Drachman, co-chair of the Monadnock Sustainability Hub.
Baker Newman Noyes (BNN), a top 100 accounting and advisory firm, has promoted Chris Hussey, CPA, to principal in the Manchester office. He initially joined the firm in 2014, serving high-net-worth individuals and family groups with generational family businesses. Hussey also leads the firm’s recruiting efforts for the tax department.
Merrimack County Savings Bank (The Merrimack) has pledged $9,400 to expand capacity-building efforts for Overcomers Refugee Services — a nonprofit that empowers refugees and new Americans to become contributors to New Hampshire’s society. Funded through the NH Community Development Finance Authority, the contribution will go toward expanding the social services necessary to help newly resettled refugees fully integrate into the community.
HOSPITALITY
Aroma Joe’s has opened its newest location in Loudon, NH, at 31 Route 106. This 900-square-foot drive-thru location features handcrafted coffee and espresso drinks, unique flavor infusions, AJ’s RUSH Energy Drinks and all-day food options. The shop will be open daily from 5:15 a.m. to 9 p.m. and will employ approximately 20 local residents, managed by Tammy and Glenn Amnott of Pittsfield.
The Spa at The Lake Estate on Winnisquam, a 5,000-square-foot, full-service spa, is scheduled to open this summer as New Hampshire’s newest luxury destination in Tilton, NH. Located on Lake Winnisquam, the resort will offer massages, facials, body treatments and wellness therapies as well as a heated mineral spa, meditation garden, fire pit and much more. The spa will be led by New Hampshire-native Martha Zyla, director of spa and wellness.
HEALTH CARE
Northeast Delta Dental made 10 awards totaling $901,495 to support dental loan repayment in Maine (Augusta, Falmouth, Harrington, Portland and Presque Isle), New Hampshire (Conway, Keene, and Nashua) and Vermont (Richford and Swanton). The Recruitment Center at Bi-State Primary Care Association administered the program which was governed by a tri-state steering committee. By providing an avenue to help dentists with student loan debt through loan repayment, the program attracted more dentists to Northern New England and retained existing dentists. Each qualifying dentist was able to receive up to $150,000 reimbursed over a multi-year period.
Two Catholic Charities NH health care facilities – Mt. Carmel Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Manchester and St. Ann Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Dover – were each recognized as a Best Nursing Home for short-term rehabilitation for 2025 by U.S. News & World Report. Ratings are based on various quality of care and performance metrics from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services including safety, infection rates, staffing, health inspections and resident outcomes. Both facilities were also recognized for excellence in preventing falls, avoiding serious infections and ensuring residents can return home confidently after their rehabilitation stay.
EDUCATION
The board of trustees for the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) recently announced its officers for 2025: chair, Katharine Bogle Shields of Canterbury; vice chair, Edwin “Smokey” Smith of Hinsdale; treasurer, Alison Stebbins of New Castle; and secretary, Sharon Harris of Exeter. Board members are drawn from business and industry, education, health care, law enforcement, career and technical education, mechanical trades, technology, CCSNH employees, students and alumni, the community service sector and the public. The 24 voting members of the board are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the NH Executive Council.
BUSINESS SERVICES
The Greater Manchester Chamber (GMC) announced the promotion of Lauren Clark to director of operations, where she will continue to direct staff execution on key objectives, foster a culture of individual accountability, and drive collaboration and efficiency across teams.
The Cheshire County Conservation District is now accepting nominations of an individual or organization for its annual Educator of the Year award, which celebrates the recipient’s conservation ethic and awareness through their personal and professional work. Nominations are due by April 1 by emailing benee@cheshireconservation.org.
Merchants Fleet appoints new CEO
Merchants Fleet — a nationwide fleet management services company with an office in Hooksett, NH — has appointed Matt Dyer its new CEO, succeeding interim co-CEOs Brad Burgess and Kirk Hoffman, who will return to their roles as SVP of sales and marketing and SVP, CFO, respectively. Dyer’s career includes four years as CEO of LeasePlan USA, CEO of LeasePlan U.K., including senior roles as chief commercial officer in the U.K. and managing director of LeasePlan International. In addition, Dyer also served as chairman of the U.K. trade association for the vehicle rental and leasing sector. Dyer holds a bachelor’s degree in managerial and administrative studies from Aston University in the U.K. and currently resides in Atlanta, Ga.
Please send items for possible publication in The Latest to EDITOR@NHBR.COM Include a color photo if available.
