A New Deal For A Great Society 

Presenters Biographies 

Sunday, February 4, 2024

"New Deal or Raw Deal: Why it Matters.

Gene Martin is the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute. Prior to NHFPI, he served as the Associate Director of Development and Director of Government Relations at Plymouth State University. He previously held various roles in the NH State Senate as the top policy and communications staffer in the Senate Minority Leader’s office, overseeing a policy portfolio of the state budget, education, economic security, and tax policy; as well as a Legislative Aide, staffing the Senate Transportation and Ways & Means Committees. Gene is an active community member serving on the Board of Trustees for Leadership New Hampshire, President of the Manchester Lions Club, and a Finance Committee Member of the Black Heritage Trail of NH. Gene has served on the Board of Directors of the Manchester Historic Association and Plymouth State University's Alumni Association (as the youngest chair). Gene is a Ph.D. student in Leadership & Policy at the University of New Hampshire, where he received his Master of Public Administration from the Carsey School of Public Policy. Gene also holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Plymouth State University and is a proud graduate of Manchester Public Schools. Gene lives in Manchester with his wife and two daughters.

Dr. Lowell C. Matthews (Chris) serves as professor of Business Administration & Management, founding director of Project AIM, and director of the University Honors Program at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU).  As director of Project AIM, he leads the initiative in creating a pathway for incarcerated learners to receive a college degree. His research interests include organizational culture, global leadership practices, and social justice and equity. His current research involves exploring post-secondary learning opportunities for youth that chose not to attend college. In his role as faculty member at SNHU he is known for his experiential class delivery and project-based learning. Outside the classroom he serves on the board of several nonprofit organizations including the Endowment for Health, World Affairs Council of New Hampshire, Reaching Higher NH, and the Racial Unity Team. He volunteers locally with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Manchester and the Hooksett Area Rotary Club.

Simon Delekta is the vice president of community engagement and impact at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. He oversees the Foundation’s work in grantmaking, community partnerships and strategic initiatives.

Moderator:

Michele Holt Shannon is director and co-founder for New Hampshire Listens at the UNH Carsey School of Public Policy. Her work on and off campus is focused on inclusive civic engagement, community problem-solving, and building coalitions for community-initiated change efforts. She joined Carsey in 2011 to focus on process design to ensure fair, inclusive, and informed outcomes for local and statewide projects. She works to bring people together across perspectives and backgrounds to solve problems and create equitable solutions for their communities. Michele is consulted on navigating controversial community issues, addressing racial inequality, and fostering organizational and community cultures of sustainable and authentic civic engagement. Sample projects include Learning Exchanges on racial equity, statewide conversations on the American dream and NH’s kids, mental health and substance use, community police relations, and water sustainability

Sunday, February 11, 2024

Home Sick: Attaining the American Dream

Elissa Margolin serves as director of Housing Action NH, a statewide organization of 80 organizations and businesses working to improve state and federal policy so everyone in New Hampshire has a place to call home. Since its founding in 2009, Housing Action NH has successfully secured major appropriations for the development of affordable housing, increased funding for eviction prevention and homeless services, increased federal resources for housing, established a new Medicaid benefit for supportive housing services, helped pass accessory dwelling unit legislation, created the Housing Appeals Board, secured funding for a new statewide Housing Champions municipal incentive program and protected the Workforce Housing Law. Elissa holds a J.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law and a B.A. from McGill University. She resides in Portsmouth with her husband and miniature dachshund.

Zachery Palmer is the Enterprise Development Officer at Strafford Economic Development Corporation. He focuses on building relationships with small business owners looking to strengthen their business through guidance with a community development financial institution. A transplant from Southern New England, Zachery attended Southern New Hampshire University and upon graduating chose to call New Hampshire home. He has always had a passion for entrepreneurship, affordable housing, and financial equity from a young age. In 2021 Zachery was selected for the Union Leader’s 40 under Forty list and in 2022 was honored with the Eastern Bank Foundation’s Community Advocacy Award. A graduate of Leadership Greater Manchester’s Class of 2020 and the Equity Leaders Fellowship Cohort of 2018, he has understood the importance of civic duty and sits on the board of Neighborworks Southern NH, Waypoint-NH, and NH's Small Business Development Center

Dr. Wildolfo (Will) Arvelo is Executive Director of Cross Roads House (CRH) in Portsmouth, NH. CRH is the second largest homeless shelter in NH and only low-barrier emergency and transitional shelter serving the Seacoast. Prior to CRH, Dr. Arvelo served as Director of the Division of Economic Development for New Hampshire. In this role he worked on state-wide issues related to economic development and strategy; business recruitment, expansion, and retention; and workforce training and development. Dr. Arvelo served 33 years in leadership positions within higher education at public and private colleges in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York. From 2007-2017, Dr. Arvelo served as president of Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth, NH where he grew programs and enrollment and transformed the college to be outwardly focused and developed programs to meet the needs of business and industry. In 2012, the City of Portsmouth Business Chamber selected him the Citizen of the Year, citing his strong support of business and education, and in 2018 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Granite State College for his work in partnerships in the areas of education and workforce and economic development. In 2023 by two New Hampshire-based business publications as one of 40 and one of 200 most influential leaders in NH. Dr. Arvelo is also a founder and Chair of the Business Alliance for People of Color (BAPOC-NH). Dr. Arvelo serves on the boards of BAPOC-NH, NHSPCA, NH Learning Initiative, Virtual Learning Academy Charter School, and the National Center for Competency Based Learning.

Moderator:

Anthony Poore has worked in support of transformative systems change and equitable and sustainable communities for more than 30 years as a community organizer and economic development practitioner, academic, workforce housing and public health advocate, policy analyst, researcher and executive addressing the needs of New Hampshire’s urban and rural low-and moderate-income communities.  He launched AP Consulting Group in 2021, working with traditional and non-traditional financial institutions and community-based organizations to identify and develop mutually beneficial public-private community economic development projects. From 2018 to January 2021, Poore served as the Executive Director of New Hampshire Humanities, an affiliated organization of the National Endowment for the Humanities. From 2010 – 2018, Poore worked with Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, in a variety of leadership roles, directing research and policy initiatives of the Boston Fed’s Regional and Community Outreach Department. Prior to that, Poore, served as the Assistant Dean for Southern New Hampshire University’s School of Economic Development. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority, and Walden Mutual Bank.

Sunday, February 18, 2024

A Question of Access and Quality: Health Care in New Hampshire 

Bobbie D. Bagley is the Chief Public Health Official for the City of Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services. She has served the city in role of Director since 2016, helping the Division achieve national accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board. Director Bagley oversees four departments at the Division that collectively serve as the Chief Public Health Strategist for the Greater Nashua Public Health Region. The Nashua DPHCS provides a range of services and engages community partners as well as members of the community in strategic initiatives to meet the health and well-being of the community using a population-based approach. Director Bagley serves on a number of boards and commissions. She is currently on the Board of Trustees for Solution Health, Southern NH Health System, Boys and Girls Club and the NH Charitable Foundation. She is a commissioner on the Opioid Abatement Trust Commission and the Opioid Abatement Fatality Commission and serves on the State Health Assessment/State Health Improvement Plan Advisory and is a member of the Nashua Lions Club. Bobbie is a minister for the New Fellowship Baptist Church and a Co-Pastor of The Blue Print Ministries. She is married with two young adults that have grown up to be fun and independent thinkers. She loves to travel, read books and is always sharing what she learns with others. 

Dr. Marie-Elizabeth Ramas is a family physician activist with over a decade of experience practicing full-scope family medicine with obstetrics in both rural and urban settings. Raised in New Hampshire, she returned in 2016 to practice medicine in Nashua and currently is the regional  medical director for Aledade Accountable Care Organization. 

Dr. Ramas is an avid advocate for high-quality, affordable care for all, focusing on how disparities interface between the patient wellness experience and public health. Dr. Ramas began her career in organized medicine as a New Physician member on the National Board of Directors of the American Academy of Family Physicians and currently serves as the National Convener of the AAFP National Conference of Constituency Leaders. Locally, she is the President-elect of the NH Academy of Family Physicians and a member of the NH Medical Society Council. She serves on the Board of the NH Endowment for Health, the NH State Health Assessment Advisory Council, and the Healthcare Voices of NH Advisory Board, and she is a member of the Leadership New Hampshire Class of 2021. 

She is a contributor to both local and national media outlets, including The AAFP Leader Voices Blog; and she founded The Lighthouse NH at the end of 2020.

Nicole Sublette (she/her) MA, LCMHC, CH, CHIMP is a licensed psychotherapist in NH. She is the owner and founder of Therapists of Color New England, the first BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) psychotherapy group in New Hampshire. She seeks to provide holistic care for mind, body, and spirit also while offering culturally responsive mental health practices. In partnership with NAACP, Nicole is bringing racial healing circles to the state of NH, to support folks in healing from incidents of racism.  Nicole serves as a board member of NAMI, NH.  Recently, Nicole won a scholarship from Harvard Kennedy School's Social Innovation and Change Initiative to attend Harvard Business School's Power and Influence for Positive Impact. She has been featured as a guest several times on WMUR, NHPR, several national podcasts, and a highlighted therapist in Counseling Today.  Nicole also developed a culturally responsive training for behavioral health care providers in the state of NH. She is a public speaker and has also done several Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice training for organizations throughout the state.  Her practice recently won the NH Business Review's Business Equity Award in the category of Social Equity.

Moderator:

Josephine (Jo) Porter, MPH, has over 20 years’ experience public health, program development, grant management, and leadership experience. She spent 15 years with the Institute for Health Policy and Practice at the University of New Hampshire, serving as the Director for over seven years. She was part of the leadership team that guided IHPP through periods of significant growth in team and portfolio. Jo has served nationally as the co-chair of the All-Payer Claims Database Council and part of Academy Health’s State-University Partnership Learning Network (SUPLN). She was on the SUPLN steering committee, serving a term as the Chair. Jo has held appointments at the state and federal levels on a variety of committees. Jo is a self-proclaimed data geek with a passion for health data collection, dissemination, and using data to effectively inform effective decision and policy making. Jo earned her Master of Public Health degree with dual concentrations in Epidemiology/Biostatistics and Social/Behavioral Health from Boston University, with honors. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and a minor in Health Management and Policy. Jo currently sits on the Board of Directors for the NH Fiscal Policy Institute and the Leadership Team for the NH Food Alliance.

Sunday, February 25, 2024 

Close to the Edge: Policing and Criminal Justice in New Hampshire 

John Scippa is a retired police chief and 40-year veteran of New Hampshire law
enforcement. He presently serves as the 6th Director of New Hampshire Police Standards and Training.During his law enforcement career, John has served as a patrol officer, detective, DARE instructor, patrol sergeant, law enforcement training specialist, NH Police Academy Commandant, executive lieutenant, and police chief. John was the police chief for the town of Stratham NH for 9 years and during his tenure, he served as the vice president of the Seacoast Emergency Response Team and as the president of the Rockingham County Police Chiefs Association. In 2018 John retired from full time NH law enforcement and worked briefly for the United States Senate as a public policy analyst. In 2019 John was hired as the Director of Police Academies for the Northern Essex Community College/Methuen Police Academy and then in March of 2020, he returned to New Hampshire law enforcement when he was appointed to his present position. John presently serves on the Executive Board for the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training, (IADLEST) as the Northeast representative. He was appointed by Governor Sununu to serve on the New Hampshire Commission on Law Enforcement Accountability, Community, and Transparency. John is an active member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police, and the FBI- Law Enforcement Executive Development Association. John has taught as an Adjunct Instructor at NHTI in the Criminal Justice Department and has been a guest lecturer at Roger Williams University Justice System Training & Research Institute, the University of New Hampshire in Durham and at the UNH School of Law in Concord. Prior to becoming a police officer, John worked as a nationally registered paramedic in the city of Nashua New Hampshire for over 10 years. John is a graduate of the 88th session of the New Hampshire Police Academy. He holds an Associate of Science degree in Emergency Medical Care from New Hampshire Technical Institute, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of New Hampshire, and a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Western New England University. John has successfully
completed a number of police management and leadership classes to include the New England Association of Chiefs of Police Command College, the Southern Police Institute Chief Executive Leadership course, and the FBI-LEEDA Executive Leadership Institute.

Rochelle Jones  Rochelle Jones is a Portsmouth native, Portsmouth High School graduate, and was hired by the Portsmouth Police Department as a full time police officer in September 2002.  Prior to becoming a police officer she served in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps as a corrections specialist at the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, and shortly after worked as a corrections officer at the Strafford County Department of Corrections.  She later received a degree in Criminal Justice from Hesser College, while working as a residential counselor at the Chase Home for Children.  She was the 2015 recipient of the Martin Luther King Community Service Award in recognition for representing community policing.  In 2019 she was the recipient of the Women Leaders in Alzheimer’s Policy Award, presented by the Alzheimer’s Association, in 2020 she was the recipient of the HAVEN Life Changer Award, 2022 received the NAMI NH Law Enforcement Award, and the Portsmouth Police Department Life Saving Medal, and in 2023 she received the Child Advocacy Center Champion for Children Award, New Hampshire Heroes Award, and the Rotary Vocational Award for Public Service.

Hon. David Ruoff

is the Co-Chair of the New Hampshire Judicial Branch’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, a founding member of the National Center for State Courts Rural Justice Collaborative, and is a faculty member of the Rural Justice Institute.  He also runs the Rockingham County Recovery Court and working towards the establishment of a mental health court.

He is married and lives in Weare, NH with his wife Anna and his three adult children.

Moderator:

Julian Jefferson specializes in criminal law and served as an attorney for 11 years at the New Hampshire Public Defender. He handled a wide range of cases from juvenile delinquency matters to allegations of murder. Over the years, he has participated in 32 jury trials ranging from misdemeanor appeals to aggravated sexual assault and murder, resulting in several acquittals. In addition, Professor Jefferson engaged in extensive litigation in both the Circuit and Superior Courts. He has received the Robert E. Kirby Award for excellent advocacy from the NH Bar Association and the Champions of Justice Award from the NH Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Sunday, March 10, 2024 - Keene

Equity and Adequacy: Public Education in New Hampshire 

Dr. Darrel Hucks is an Associate Professor of Elementary Education at Keene State College. He received his Ph.D. in Teaching & Learning from New York University. His research interests are in the reading, thinking, and writing experiences of first-year students during linked-courses their first-year in college and in the literacy beliefs and knowledge development of pre-service teachers in teacher education programs. He is also interested in the schooling experiences of Black and Latino males, collective achievement, teacher education, culturally responsive pedagogy, college student retention and development, and literacy enrichment and technology integration. He is also the author of New Visions of Collective Achievement: The Cross-Generational Schooling Experiences of African American Males. He is also one of the editors of Literacy Enrichment and Technology Integration in Pre-Service Teacher Education, published by IGI Global. He was a New York City public school teacher for several years at the Ella Baker School.

Christine Downing has worked for 30 years in education. Her roles include NH ED consultant in mathematics, school improvement, Common Core, and state assessment systems. She is a former middle school math and science teacher in Nashua School District and has held various SAU roles in the upper valley (Newport, Lebanon, Claremont) related to superintendent and CIA duties. In the last 5 years she has had dual roles as K-5 Principal and PK-12 Curriculum Director (KRSD). Her current role is Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for SAU 32 (Plainfield), SAU 75 (Grantham), and SAU 100 (Cornish). She is volunteering on a project gathering specific feedback on ED 306 from school leaders and educators. Christine is passionate about supporting public schools and competency-based learning in NH. She lives in Goshen with husband, David, and 2 terriers (Dusty - Cairn Terrier, and Frankie - Jack Russell Terrier).

Sunday, April 21, 2024

Envisioning the Future

Nate Giffard (he/him) is a Concord native with Caribbean roots who combines his passion for data science with his dedication to social justice. Educated at St. Paul's School and Dartmouth College, he specializes in statistics, computer programming, and data analytics. In his current role as the New Hampshire State Data Director for America Votes, Nate applies his expertise to not only enhance voter outreach strategies but also to champion equitable and just political engagement across the state. His recent analysis of New Hampshire voting districts, for example, has further highlighted the inequity in creating large, multimember electoral districts. An avid outdoor enthusiast, Nate cherishes our state’s natural beauty and works with the New Hampshire Audubon as a Volunteer Data Analyst to help preserve it. Nate is deeply honored to contribute as a panelist in the "Envisioning the Future" discussion.

Hon. Jonah Wheeler is an American politician and advocate currently serving as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, representing Hillsborough County District 33, which encompasses Peterborough and Sharon, for the Democratic Party. Wheeler assumed office on December 7, 2022.

[This text is for formatting purposes only]

Grace Kindeke is an artist, activist and the NH Program Coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee. She is a fierce advocate for justice, healing and liberation, grounding her work in a Black feminist, African-futurist and anti-oppression practice. She is the recipient of the 2017 MIT Infinite Mile Award for Community Building, the 2022 NAACP Youth Excellence in Service award, and the 2023 NH Martin Luther King award. She is also an avid reader, a B.A. student of Africana Studies and Sociology and a dancer and costume designer with Benkadi: West African Drum & Dance Company. She was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and raised in New Hampshire where she currently resides with her family.

Moderator:

Hon. Linda Gathright is a distinguished public servant and advocate in New Hampshire. Her tenure of over 39 years in public service and civil rights has made her a respected voice in areas like family, youth, employment, and criminal justice. As President of the Greater Nashua Area Branch NAACP, and a New Hampshire State Representative, she showcases her unwavering commitment to community and public service. Her roles extend to education, as a substitute teacher in Nashua, and active participation in discussions on race and justice. Additionally, her contribution as a board member of the NH Women’s Heritage Trail exemplifies her dedication to preserving and promoting the state's historical legacy.