Names to Know: Meet the new professionals on the Seacoast

Dover Chamber welcomes new board members at annual meeting

DOVER — The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce recently held its annual meeting at Sassy Biscuit Co. to welcome incoming board members and pay tribute to outgoing board members.

The three incoming board members are Benjamin Lord of Chapel + Main, Benjamin Bradley of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, and Kevin Foley of First Seacoast Bank.

Ben Lord is a restaurateur with over 25 years in foodservice and hospitality. Ben is the co-owner of Chapel + Main Brewpub in Dover and Black Birch in Kittery. He has served on several seacoast nonprofit boards, including The Dance Hall and Kittery Block Party. Lord grew up in Dover. He is an alummus of St. Thomas Aquinas (1995) and Keene State College (2001).

Ben Bradley currently serves as Director of Government Relations and Public Policy for Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, a Mass General Brigham community hospital. Ben is the vice chair of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital’s senior management council and was an integral parti in the Hospital’s Incident Command during the peak of COVID-19. He has been a member of the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce’s Government Affairs Committee since 2017 and currently serves as the chair.

Kevin Foley is the Vice President and Director of Retail Banking & Sales at First Seacoast Bank. Kevin has devoted his career to making a positive difference for the customers and communities that he and his teams serve. He regularly attends civic and professional networking events and values the collaboration of community. He has volunteered for organizations such as the Special Olympics of Maine, Ending Hunger in Maine and Wreaths Across America.

The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce also thanked outgoing board members Dennis Burke of Mr. Electric and Jeff Hughes of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, and introduced Renee Touhey-Childress of the Dover Children’s Home as board chair.

Bill Stevens joins St. Mary’s Bank’s Board of Directors

MANCHESTER — Bill Stevens, president and owner of Harvey Construction Corporation, has been selected as the newest member of St. Mary’s Bank’s Board of Directors. Appointed by the Board at their September meeting, Stevens fills the vacancy created when a former director resigned due to ill health.

“Bill, a long-time member of St. Mary’s Bank, is genuinely committed to the mission of our credit union,” noted Steve Grzywacz, chairman of the board. “With his business acumen and deep roots in New Hampshire, he will make a great addition to our board.”

A graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering, Stevens oversees Harvey’s business and construction operations. Under his leadership, Harvey has become one of New Hampshire’s leading commercial construction firms.

In the past two years, the American Institute of Architects has recognized Harvey’s work for construction of the Boyce Thompson Field House at Phillips Exeter Academy and St. Paul’s. Other well-known structures for which Harvey has received recognition include Currier Museum of Art, Palace Theatre, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, University of New Hampshire, Smuttynose Brewing Co., Anheuser Busch, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, Catholic Medical Center, and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

Currently serving on the Catholic Medical Center Cabinet, Stevens is a member of the

Manchester Country Club Finance Committee and NH Associated General Contractors Building and PAC Committee. He also serves as Palace Theatre Trustee Emeritus.

Prior to his career at Harvey, Stevens worked as a project manager for Holden Engineering and VHB Engineering. Stevens and his wife, Jayna, have three children and reside in Hookset, N.H.

Hampton United Methodist Church welcomes new Pastor and Choir/Music Director

HAMPTON – Hampton United Methodist Church, located at 525 Lafayette Road, Hampton, N.H., announces that with the retirement of the Reverend Dr. Steven Notis this summer, the Reverend Susan M. Frost was appointed, effective July 1, 2022. She is the first female pastor to lead the congregation.

“Pastor Sue” most recently served as pastor of St. John’s United Methodist Church in Dover, N.H. She grew up in Anchorage, Alaska and is a graduate of Williams College and Yale Divinity School. In addition to her pastor role, she is involved with the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church and currently serves as a Spiritual Director at Neighborhood Seminary, a program of spiritual direction and theological education for laypersons who want to better understand God's plan for their lives and the neighborhood they live in. Pastor Sue also participates in the NEUMC Foundation’s Jump Start program, which collaboratively provides creative ideas on how to invigorate churches and their outreach programs. Pastor Sue is married to Mike Bennett, a retired United Church of Christ pastor; they have two adult children, Beth, and John.

Hunter Harville-Moxley has also recently joined the HUMC as Choir/Music Director. Hunter grew up in Las Vegas, went to college in New York state, and currently lives in Medford, Mass. He has an associate degree in Pipe Organ Performance and a bachelor's in Music Composition; he is currently working on a master's in Conducting at Tufts University. Hunter was most recently the Music Director at a Presbyterian Church in upstate New York. Previously, he served as an accompanist for a gospel choir, where he learned to play piano by ear, and taught piano and vocal lessons to children.

Michael Skelton is appointed to the New England Legal Foundation New Hampshire Advisory Council

BOSTON - Michael Skelton, President and CEO of the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire, has been appointed to the New Hampshire Advisory Council of the New England Legal Foundation (NELF, www.newenglandlegal.org), the leading non-profit public interest law firm in the region dedicated to addressing policy and constitutional concerns related to free enterprise.

The BIA is the state's leading business advocate and statewide chamber of commerce. Before joining the BIA, Mr. Skelton served as President and CEO of the Greater Manchester Chamber, the state's largest regional Chamber of Commerce. In total, he has more than 12 years of leadership experience in the Chamber of Commerce industry and a background in public relations, media relations, economic development, and government affairs.

Skelton is also a member of the Board of Directors of Amoskeag Industries, a member of the Board of Trustees of Manchester’s historic Palace Theatre, and he was appointed by Governor Sununu to serve as a Board member of the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority. Skelton lives in Bedford, N.H. with his wife Emily and their two children, Colin and Eleanor.

“Michael’s long experience in promoting the Granite State’s business affairs, his great appreciation of the societal role of commerce, and his extensive personal network,” NELF President Dan Winslow said, “will further strengthen our already impressive New Hampshire Advisory Council.”

“Our state Advisory Councils,” he added, “help develop our Foundation’s positions on matters in the judicial branch, and they often recommend legal advocacy for consideration by our Board of Directors on issues of importance to the region’s economy. The Advisory Councils also host speakers of interest to their particular sector of the economy at locations convenient to members in each state.”

The Granite YMCA welcomes Ryan Gadow as Chief Operating Officer

MANCHESTER — The Granite YMCA welcomes Ryan Gadow to the position of Chief Operating Officer. Michele Sheppard, President and CEO states, “Ryan will be an extraordinary new member of our leadership team with his 25 years of Y experience and he understands the intricacies of optimizing operations and staff development in areas such as youth development, member experience, community and volunteer engagement.”

Ryan Gadow holds a Bachelor of Art from North Carolina State University. He began his YMCA career in 1994 and earned YUSA certifications in Organizational Leadership and Fiscal Management. By 2005, Gadow was serving as a Senior Program Director/ Operations Director for the Tampa Metro YMCA where he successfully managed a multimillion-dollar budget for the first time. His steady leadership and success for the programs under his purview earned him positions as Director of Operations at the Desert Foothills YMCA and later a Senior Executive role at Valley of the Sun YMCA. Most recently, Ryan was asked to serve as a Senior Vice President for the Y in Central Maryland where he has served for the past six years.

“I have a deep commitment to servant leadership for the community, members, program participants, donors and volunteers. Most importantly, I bring attention to Y employees with deep empathy and compassion; guiding, supporting, and driving them to success,” Ryan Gadow, COO explains.  “I am very excited to join the leadership team at The Granite YMCA and I look forward to having a positive impact across all six branches as we strive to enhance our connection to community and our offerings to meet the changing needs of the youth and families we are so privileged to serve,” added Gadow.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Names to Know: Meet the new professionals on the Seacoast