Bobbie D. Bagley, MS, MPH, RN, CPH - City of Nashua, Director of Public Health and Community Services 

Bobbie D. Bagley is the Director of Public Health and Community Services in the City of Nashua, New Hampshire. She has over 25 years of experience in public health, with a focus on improving public and community health practice, advocating for health equity and policy setting, reducing socio-cultural barriers to health, and enhancing population-based health promotion and disease prevention. As the Director of Public Health, Bobbie leads the city's efforts to protect, promote and preserve the health of the citizens. She is well-versed in building a competent and diverse public health workforce, and has extensive experience in program development, management, and leadership positions in both academic and governmental settings. She's also been actively involved in various boards and initiatives locally, regionally and nationally level.

Bobbie graduated from Montclair State University in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Minor in Chemistry. She received an Associate’s degree and a Bachelor’s degree from Rivier College in 1996 and 1997 respectively. She earned a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Social and Behavioral Health, Disease Prevention and Health Promotion from Boston University School of Public Health in 2002. She earned a second advanced degree from Rivier University’s Master of Science degree in Nursing Education in 2013. Bobbie is currently enrolled in a DrPH Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago to complete a terminal degree in Public Health Leadership.

Jocelyn Desmarais - The Community Kitchen, Director of Development & Advocacy    

Masters in Community Development Policy & Practice from UNH. Capstone project bringing trauma informed community work to the Monadnock Region. Served as Executive Director of two local non-profits. Personal mission to ensure voices of people with lived experience are elevated when policy and practice is being developed that impacts them.

Elaine Michaud, JD, MPH - City of Manchester Health Department; Supervisor, Neighborhood & Family Health Branch

Elaine Michaud, JD, MPH, is the Supervisor for the City of Manchester Health Department’s Neighborhood and Family Branch.  She works alongside a team of committed public health specialists, nurses, dental providers, and community health workers in the development and implementation of community projects and programs with a focus on nutrition, oral health, maternal/infant health, homeless/displaced students, chronic disease prevention, and health equity.  Ongoing nutrition-related projects include development of a Healthy Food Access Strategic Plan for the City of Manchester and the implementation of the Healthy Corner Stores initiative “Fresh Choice Manchester.”

Elaine received a BA in Sociology from Dartmouth College, a JD from the University of Maine School of Law, and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.  Elaine came to her work in public health with 25 years’ experience as a health care attorney, providing litigation and counseling services to medical institutions, non-profits, and individual providers throughout New England.  She is also an Adjunct Professor of Health Law & Policy at UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, and serves as Chair of the Board of Directors  for the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester.

Mike Apfelberg - United Way of Greater Nashua, President    

Mike Apfelberg is President of United Way of Greater Nashua. In that capacity he helps to lead the organization in fulfilling its mission of fighting for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in every community. Over the past few years United Way has become a strong partner of the Nashua Schools, working to distributed wi-fi hotspots, creating a school supply pantry, refurbishing and distributing thousands of chrome books, and establishing a strong volunteer-based tutoring program called LEARN UNITED. Additionally, United Way raises and distributes hundreds of thousands of dollars for making grants in the community and partners with dozens of local nonprofits to help them to fulfill their varied missions. Mike Chairs the local Youth Homelessness Committee and is also a commissioner appointed by Governor Sununu on the State Board of Higher Education. He is also a member of the Nashua Rotary West. Mike is also glad to be a grandpa and enjoys reading, hiking, sailing, traveling, and scuba diving.

Heidi Barker - UNH Extension, Extension Field Specialist - Health & Well- Being

Heidi enthusiastically serves the UNH Extension Health & Well-Being Team where she provides statewide leadership to the SNAP-Ed Food Access Project. Project highlights include: developing the Master Wellness Volunteer Food Access Pathway, Regional Farm to School Coalition coordination, emerging work with North Country Food Council, and on-going investigation of food access policy, system and environmental change strategies. For Heidi, it is all about creating healthy relationships and building strong networks.

Laura Milliken - NH Hunger Solutions, Executive Director

Laura Milliken leads NH Hunger Solutions, a statewide advocacy non-profit organization working to end food insecurity, improve access to nutritious food, and address hunger’s root causes for all New Hampshire residents. 

NH Hunger Solutions works to increase participation in federal nutrition programs like SNAP, WIC, school meals, child care and afterschool meals, and summer meals, and builds partnerships and coalitions to support our vision that hunger is eliminated in New Hampshire.   

Jess Wojenski - New Futures, Training Manager

Jess manages New Futures training program, organizing and delivering trainings both statewide and virtually for organizations, nonprofits, and individuals interested in advocating for policy change in NH. She has delivered over 100 trainings in her time at New Futures, and has been a member of the Community Engagement team supporting and mobilizing advocates to participate in the legislative process since 2018.

Jess received her BA in Communication and Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of New Hampshire. She interned at organizations dedicated to advocating for healthcare access, women’s rights, and social justice. She has also served on the board of the Equality Health Center and is an alumna of New Leaders Council NH. 
 

Jess enjoys watching comedy and doing creative projects in her personal time. She grew up in NH and continues to reside in the Granite State.

Socials to follow: Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewFuturesNH; Instagram and Twitter: @NewFuturesNH; LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/new-futures/
 

Jillian Andrews Dubois -  New Futures, Community Engagement Coordinator, Early Childhood / Children’s Behavioral Health

Jillian works part-time as a community engagement coordinator for New Futures. She focuses on the issue areas of early childhood and children’s behavioral health. Her responsibilities include engaging, mobilizing, and training individuals and organizations to advocate on policy priorities.

A lifelong Granite Stater, Jillian joined New Futures in April of 2022. She earned both her bachelor's degree in history and master's degree in teaching from the University of New Hampshire. She came to New Futures with over ten years of experience in non-profits, including as Executive Director at the New Hampshire Women’s Bar Association and as Grassroots Advocacy Manager for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network in New Hampshire. Her proudest career accomplishment before coming to New Futures was spearheading the successful campaign to pass a new state law to protect minors from cancer-causing indoor tanning devices. She has also volunteered with many political campaigns.

Jillian lives in Concord with her husband and two small children. She volunteers with the Junior Service League of Concord, which raises funds for local women and children in crisis.

Socials to follow: Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewFuturesNH; Instagram and Twitter: @NewFuturesNH; LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/new-futures/
 

Alyson Foote, RD -  NH Hunger Solutions Child Nutrition Director

Alyson Foote serves as Child Nutrition Director for NH Hunger Solutions, working in partnership with diverse stakeholder groups to improve nutrition security and eliminate hunger for K-12 students throughout New Hampshire. She is a Registered Dietitian and Project Manager who has dedicated her 20+ year career to supporting community health initiatives, focusing mainly on maternal, infant and child nutrition. Alyson is a firm believer that collaboration, relationship-building and a culture of collective decision making are imperative when working to strengthen school wellness environments.

Jeanne Pierce, SNS - Exeter Region Cooperative School District, Director of School Nutrition

My career in the foodservice industry starting over 40 years ago, my first job was working in a taffy/ice cream stand from there I’ve worked in all faucets of the hospitality industry with 30 of them in school nutrition. I received my Bachelor’s in Hospitality management from Johnson and Wales University and continue throughout my career to develop my education for the betterment of my career. I was introduced to the school nutrition career with one of the largest management companies in the world where I received great training and after 15 years of services I left to oversee my own self-opt school district.

I have served in many roles within the School Nutrition Association both at the state and nation level. I served has President of SNA NH for 2 terms receiving each time the national award of (President’s Award of Excellence) Professional Development Chair , Public Policy Chair all at state level. I served on the National task force to develop the Professional standards for all School Nutrition professionals. I served on the national committee for SNA for Professional Development and I have also work on a task force for the Institute of Child Nutrition.

I continue to advocate for feeding our children in schools, to remove the barriers for families to feed their children. I also serve on the board of Key Collective a nonprofit which assist families for children to take part in after school hour’s activities.

Jessica Gorhan, MPH - NH Hunger Solutions, Deputy Director

Jessica serves as Deputy Director for NH Hunger Solutions and is a facilitative leader who is passionate about improving the health of all people through creating access to healthy foods. She implements the Collective Impact Model to foster collaboration between community members, organizations, institutions, businesses, and government. The collaborative efforts of her work help improve access to federal nutrition programs and other food programs for all people in New Hampshire.

Raymond Burke - NH Legal Assistance, Benefits Project Co-Director 

Ray is an attorney at New Hampshire Legal Assistance (NHLA) where he co-directs the Benefits Project. In this work, he represents clients who are trying to access critical safety net programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. His work also includes policy advocacy before the legislature and state agencies as well as litigation in state and federal court to ensure low-income households have access to benefit programs that provide crucial economic support to help meet their basic needs. Ray started working on benefits issues as a paralegal in 2009 for Legal Aid of Western Missouri and has continued to work in legal services since graduating from Boston College Law School in 2014.

Trinidad Tellez, MD - Health Equity Strategies, LLC, Principal

Dr. Trinidad Tellez is a family physician, community-based health disparities researcher, educator, and public health / health policy professional with over 20 years’ experience operationalizing diversity & inclusion and organizational cultural effectiveness to address health disparities, improve access and quality, and advance health and equity for all.  She has worked in both the private and public sectors at the local, state and regional levels in California, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.  Dr. Tellez has partnered with NHHS for the NH State Partnerships to Improve Nutrition Equity (SPINE) work to center equity in all the work, and to help organizations improve their capacity to serve everyone equally well with the highest quality care, programs and services.

Chelsea Laguerre - NH Hunger Solutions, Regional Community Engagement Coordinator    

Chelsea Laguerre is the Regional Community Engagement Coordinator for NH Hunger Solutions dedicated to improving the health of all people through creating access to healthy food.  In this role she co-facilitates the Manchester Food Collaborative and Greater Nashua Food Council, and coordinates the team of Community Engagement Coordinators. 

Ms. Laguerre works in partnership with a range of partners and stakeholders to educate, liaise and connect them to resources and each other, including school leaders, public health workers, and community organizations to improve access to food and nutrition for NH families.  She also works closely with a team of community engagement coordinators to work alongside community members to address barriers and improve access to food and other supportive resources and to support their capacity to navigate systems and advocate for systems improvement. Her work centers around three functions: education to increase awareness of the problem of hunger in New Hampshire and how to allow all people to have access to food and nutrition despite barriers; raising the importance of prioritizing community engagement and hearing the voices of people with lived experience who report barriers in accessing existing food and nutrition programs; and working to improve access through policy and advocacy.
 

Analena B. Bruce, PhD - UNH Department of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, Assistant Professor of Food Systems

Analena Bruce is the Director of the UNH Food Systems Lab and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems at the University of New Hampshire. She is a sociologist with a research program on the development of sustainable livelihood strategies for New England farmers and Values-Based Food Supply Chains designed to increase equity, transparency, and resilience in the food system.

Chelsea Canavan - Dartmouth Health; Manager, Center for Advancing Rural Health Equity      

Chelsey Canavan, MSPH, is the Manager of the Center for Advancing Rural Health Equity at Dartmouth Health, where she builds partnerships to address health inequities across New Hampshire and Vermont. Chelsey has worked in the design and evaluation of public health programs in New England and globally for over 10 years with a focus on food and nutrition security. She is an adjunct instructor in public health at The Dartmouth Institute and an affiliate in the Department of Global Health and Population at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Chelsey was an Allan Rosenfield Global Health Fellow at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and has a MSPH from UNC Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Beth Gustafson-Wheeler, MS - Foundation for Healthy Communities, Director of Population Health     

Beth Gustafson Wheeler, Director of Population Health at the Foundation for Healthy Communities, is at the forefront of state-wide efforts to unite leaders in population and community health improvement to advance equity and well-being in New Hampshire. 

Nadine Lamontagne - Unite Us, Community Engagement Manager 

Nadine Lamontagne is the Community Engagement Manager at Unite Us. Based in Manchester, NH, Nadine brings a diverse body of knowledge with her most recent experience being the Director of Outreach, Admissions, and Career Transition Services with the NH Job Corps Center.

Anne Hayes - Gather, Executive Director    

Anne Hayes is the Executive Director at Gather in Portsmouth, NH.  Anne joined Gather five months ago from The Food Project in Lincoln, MA, where she served as their Executive Director.  In this role, Anne led The Food Project across two regions, including 6 farms and 4 greenhouses where they annually grow ~200,000 lbs. of fresh, healthy food to help address food insecurity in the region. Prior to this role, Anne served as the Chief Operating Officer at Trinity Boston Connects, leading operations, programming, and evaluation work within this organization focused on changing the odds for youth of color in Boston.
 
Anne received her BA from Dartmouth College and her MBA from Harvard Business School.  Through the HBS alumni association, she has provided pro bono consulting services to many nonprofits over the years, focusing on strategic planning and board development.
 

Socials to follow: Instagram @gather.nh and Facebook @gathernh

Paul W. Pouliot

Paul W. Pouliot has been the Sag8mo or Chief Speaker for the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook and Abenaki People and president of COWASS North America and the Abenaki Nation of Vermont since 1990. Paul is an Indigenous historian, lecturer, Federal Religious Advisor, and a founding member of the Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective. He is also an Affiliate Faculty member of the UNH Native American and Indigenous Studies Minor and a founding member of the New Hampshire Commission of Native American Affairs.

Denise K. Pouliot

Denise K. Pouliot is the Sag8moskwa (Female Head Speaker) of the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook Abenaki People and traditional artist. She currently serves on the New Hampshire Commission on Native American Affairs, the DOJ Violence Against Women Act Steering Committee and the NH Public Health Association. Denise is a Federal Religious Advisor and a founding member of the Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective. She is also an Affiliate Faculty member of the UNH Native American and Indigenous Studies Minor and is the treasurer for COWASS North America and the Abenaki Nation of Vermont.