Many government commissions tend to generate a lot of hoopla, a report that gathers dust and little else. The Governor's Commission on NH in the 21st Century could have been in the same vein. Instead it led to the formation of Leadership NH, which has educated and challenged more than 600 of the state's top leaders to face NH's issues and help find solutions.
The organization was first conceived in the early '90s when Gov. Judd Gregg asked a commission to examine the characteristics that make NH unique and develop approaches that will help assure the protection and promotion of those characteristics. In its report, the commission stated, Volunteerism is strong in New Hampshire. But we need to expand the pool of New Hampshire leaders who are willing to take on statewide issues and who bring to local issues a perspective and commitment to the entire state of New Hampshire. The Business and Industry Association and the New Hampshire Charitable Fund will develop Leadership: New Hampshire to identify and recruit emerging leaders from the corporate, public and nonprofit sectors to take on statewide responsibility. Leadership NH was established in 1992 and graduated its inaugural class in 1993.
Over the last 20 years, a who's who of NH leaders has gone through the program including: Gary Long, COO of Public Service of NH; Alyson Pitman Giles, former president and CEO of Catholic Medical Center; Tom Raffio, president and CEO of Northeast Delta Dental; Mary Ellen Jackson, executive director of the NH Center for Nonprofits; Susan Strickler, director and CEO of The Currier Museum of Art; Ron Covey, president and CEO of St. Mary's Bank; Betsy Gardella, president and CEO of NH Public Radio; and Jeremy Hitchcock, CEO of Dyn.
I looked at LNH's past and was intrigued by the quality of the people who went through the program and the impact they were having on the state, says Kirk Leoni, managing director of Nathan Wechsler & Company, PA in Concord. Leoni, who has served as board chair for more than two years and ends his term in June, was so impressed by what he saw, he participated in the program and is a graduate of the Class of 2009.
What is Leadership NH?
A common misconception is that Leadership NH trains people to be leaders. The fact is people are accepted into the program because of their impressive accomplishments. It's an opportunity for people already invested in our state and their community to go through a year of looking at the issues, challenges and resources in New Hampshire so they will be better informed and better engaged in the issues that are important to them, says Stephen Reno, former chancellor of the University System of NH who now serves as executive director of Leadership NH. He took the reins in 2010 after the retirement of Edda Cantor, who led the organization for eight years.
Reno compares leading LNH to being president of a small, selective liberal arts college with ferociously loyal alumni. He says for many people going through the program, it's their first time gaining a holistic viewpoint of the state. He adds that when surveyed, many alumni describe their experience with Leadership NH as life changing.
Each year, Leadership NH receives applications from every corner of the state. Only 35 applicants are selected to go through the 10-month educational program. Participants come from a variety of professional, educational and geographic backgrounds and have ranged in age from 25 to 71. The class meets one day a month (plus three overnight programs during the year). Classes meet with about 70 presenters, from top state officials to NH Supreme Court Justices, educators, prison inmates, artists, corporate leaders and other decision makers.
As a business person, there is a huge value to sending an employee through the program. It makes them better. It sparks their interest. They are going to get involved. At some level, the state will be a better place, Leoni says.
Leadership NH is the second oldest leadership program in NH after Leadership Manchester. About one-third of the inaugural class of LNH had also participated in Leadership Manchester. Among them was Bradford E. Cook, an attorney and shareholder with Sheehan Phinney Bass + Green and co-chair of the LNH 20th anniversary committee.
Its staying power is because the curriculum has been kept sharp, focused and pithy. There is a continuing need to develop a group of people with enhanced knowledge of the state, says Cook, who is also a regular presenter to LNH classes. If you are from Lyme and have an issue and you get into Leadership New Hampshire, you see they have the same problem in Gorham or Portsmouth. It really builds a sense of community.
The Future
Reno says surveys show alumni want Leadership NH to increase alumni interaction and to connect them with statewide initiatives. We need to find a way to make our pool of alums a talent pool that is more accessible to draw from for organizations looking for board members, speakers, experts and for government commissions, Reno says.
As such, Leadership NH is partnering with the NH Charitable Foundation, the NH Humanities Council, the NH Business and Industry Association and the NH Center for Public Policy Studies to bring to fruition another recommendation from the Governor's Commission on the 21st Century: The NH Civic Forum.
The NH Civic Forum will train people to be facilitators in their communities to have a constructive dialogue around difficult issues the state is facing, says Leoni.
Leadership NH also launched Leadership College this past fall with participants from 12 NH colleges and universities for a two-day program that introduced students to issues facing the state. And it connects students with LNH alumni for mentoring. Leoni hopes to have 15 to 17 colleges participate in this year's program.
As we think about our 20th anniversary, people are looking for a way to engage with one another and reengage with the organization and share a sense of pride, Reno says.
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