President - Dick Winn, NextEra Energy Seabrook Station
Dick Winn directs communications and government affairs in the northern U.S. for the NextEra Energy Resources nuclear fleet – operator locally of Seabrook Station. NextEra Energy Resources operates power plants in 26 states and is the largest producer of both wind and solar powered electricity in the U.S. Prior to his current position, he operated his own consulting practice for more than 10 years, providing strategic counsel to a wide variety of companies facing regulatory and political challenges. Previously, he was senior vice president and Chief Operating Officer of BMc Strategies, a full-service strategic communications agency based in Lexington, MA. He also held executive leadership positions at the National Fire Protection Association, where he was the architect of the Learn Not to Burn public service campaign featuring well-known television public service ads with Dick Van Dyke. He has served as a volunteer advisor to several regional non-profit organizations, including Odyssey House and the United Way of the Greater Seacoast. A former television news reporter and U.S. Navy Flight Officer, Dick earned both bachelor and master’s degrees from the University of Washington in Seattle. He is married to Corinne Broderick and they have one daughter, Kristina, a recent graduate of James Madison University in Virginia.
Vice President - A. Robert Thoresen, President, The Thoresen Group, Ltd.
Bob is a real estate planning and development consultant and a principal in a real
estate holding company. He has been active in the Portsmouth community for almost
40 years. He served as Portsmouth Planning Director in the 1970s and was responsible
for its downtown revitalization and planning efforts. He also has been a planning
consultant around the country on community planning, downtown revitalization, historic
preservation and economic development. He has served on numerous local and
statewide non-profit organization boards of directors in leadership and fund raising
capacities. For the Seacoast Rep he has chaired a Task Force on Capacity Building
and serves on the Finance Committee and a facilities task force. Bob earned a BA in
sociology and a MRP in planning from Syracuse University and a MPA from UNH. He
resides in Portsmouth with his wife Sue, and they have two married children and four
grandchildren.
Treasurer - David Dulong, Owner & President - Access Manufacturing Systems, Inc.
Secretary - Melissa Foy Civic Leader
Melissa has a BA in Political Science from University of New Hampshire and a Master of Science in Library and Information Services from University of Rhode Island. She is also a NH certified elementary school teacher. Melissa was formerly a banker working as a Commercial Loan Officer then consultant for Indian Head Bank and Fleet Bank. After many years in banking, she switched gears and is currently an elementary school Librarian teaching the importance of reading and researching. Melissa's husband, Jeff, is the COO of Foy Insurance Group. They have two daughters who love theatre and enjoy acting and singing.
Stefany Shaheen - Civic Leader and Theatre Champion
Stefany Shaheen is a social entrepreneur working with private and non-profit organizations to achieve strategic goals and navigate challenging transitions. A graduate of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, Stefany was a student delegate to the International Academy of Achievement. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Fairfield University while competing as a Division I scholarship athlete for the women's volleyball team. She currently serves as Chair of the NH Commission on the Status of Women. Stefany and her husband, Craig Welch, live in Portsmouth with their four outstanding and irresistible children.Alan E. Gold - Marketing Executive
Alan is a career marketer with over 25 years of experience as an executive in software, hardware and other technology companies spanning many industries in North America, Europe, Asia-Pac and Latin America. He has a successful track record of improving visibility, expanding market awareness and growing revenue in both large companies and smaller organizations. Alan is an expert in strategy, e-marketing and social media and has been, over the years, a frequent speaker and has been published on topics relating to new technology integration, business process improvement, and thinking outside the box. Alan is also on the board of directors of a Midwestern US-based software company, and provides strategic guidance to several other technology and services companies in the US and Canada. He also is a member of the Rep’s marketing committee. He enjoys spending time with his horse, his family, the arts, and of course, the Red Sox (but not necessarily in that order). Alan resides north of Boston but spends as much time as possible in Portsmouth, and hopes to settle there in the future.
Steve Marchand Managing Director, The Marchand Group
Steve Marchand is the Managing Director of The Marchand Group, a public affairs and strategic communications firm. He is the former mayor of Portsmouth, NH, serving as the youngest mayor in the state during his term. Marchand's experience in government and politics includes auditing cities and states, and working with public policy organizations on such issues as health care, education, Social Security, and the aging of America. He has also managed or consulted with numerous state and federal political campaigns, and was a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2007.
Marchand was named by the national periodical Politics magazine as one of "America's 25 Rising Stars in Politics" in 2008. Marchand was named one of New Hampshire's "Forty Under 40" young statewide leaders in 2006 by the New Hampshire Union Leader. He was also selected as the 2008 "Young Democrat of the Year" by the NH Young Democrats organization. Read more..
Ex Offcio
Helen Goransson Elbrys Networks
Over the years, I have been the treasurer and corporate administrator of high tech companies founded by my husband Paul and myself, including Qosnetics, Q/A Robotics, Meetinghouse Data Communications and, most recently, Elbrys Networks. I also work for our family's Bondgarden Farm in Eliot, ME, producing beef cattle, poultry, hay and other natural farm products. My husband and I are very much involved in the conservation of farms in the region. I graduated from Simmons College with a degree in education and foreign languages and received an M.B.A. through coursework at Boston University and the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administracion (IESA) in Caracas, Venezuela. I spent a number of years as an educator, worked in management consulting, and was executive director of a non-profit organization involved in educational reform in Massachusetts before devoting my full-time energies to our companies. Our children, Jennifer and Peter, were born while we lived in Caracas, and we have also lived in Algeria and Mexico before finally settling down in Maine 22 years ago. As a family, we still love to travel and have adventures whenever we can. Among my favorite escapes though, are when I am at Seacoast Repertory Theatre enjoying their fabulous productions. My children became involved with Babes on Stage at the Rep when my youngest was around 3 years old, and my daughter has performed in a number of productions both at the Rep and elsewhere. I attribute their self-confidence, poise and success to the great start they got at the Rep! I have been a Board member for several years because I want to help keep this treasure alive in Portsmouth, entertaining us and providing young and old the opportunity to grow in so many ways.
Jen Sayre-McKiernan, Civic Leader
Ex Offcio
Lou Gargiulo, Great North Property Management
Helen Goransson, Elbrys Networks, Inc.
Sumner Winebaum, Bow Street Theatre Trust
