DURHAM, N.H.—In the spirit of its ongoing commitment to serve as a trusted resource for small businesses—offering guidance, assurance and straight answers—the NH Small Business Development Center has announced new members of its advisory board to represent the diversity of the state and the demand for assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The advisory board members are our ambassadors, our eyes and ears across the state,” said Liz Gray, state director of the NH SBDC. “They are chosen to represent the variety of businesses and industry throughout New Hampshire as well as for their diverse perspectives and experiences in different regions of the state.”

In its 36-year history NH SBDC has advised or trained more than 106,000 New Hampshire entrepreneurs, helping them to start 2,100+ businesses, access 18,000+ online courses, support 14,000+ jobs and raise more than $261 million in capital. The organization’s annual economic impact on the state is $166 million.

“UNH and NH SBDC have been working together closely in support of our state’s small businesses and I’m pleased to continue this important work in a leadership role on the board,” said Deborah Merrill-Sands, dean of UNH’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics and incoming chair of the board. “Our faculty are developing online courses and webinars for businesses, the UNH Survey Center is conducting a three-part comprehensive survey that looks at the impact of the pandemic on small businesses and Cooperative Extension is a strong partner in SBDC’s work to help those same businesses build resiliency.” Members of the SBDC Advisory Board include:

• Deborah Merrill-Sands, dean, UNH Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics
• Will Arvelo, director, Division of Economic Development, NH Dept. of Business & Economic Affairs
• Adria Bagshaw ‘96, vice president, W.H. Bagshaw
• Amy Bassett, district director, U.S. Small Business Administration
• Michael Behrmann ‘05, Offshore Wind Industry Development Director, NH Business Finance Authority
• Ed Butler, owner, Notchland Inn, Hart’s Location
• Will Craig, government affairs manager, Eversource
• Tim Dining ‘90G, VP of operations, Jewell Instruments, LLC
• Michelline Dufort, director, UNH Center for Family Enterprise
• Shalimar Encarnacion, NAACP, Manchester
• Wendy Hunt, president & CEO, Greater Merrimack - Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce; board chair, NH Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives
• Geno Miller ‘17, co-founder & CEO, Shtudy
• Sean O'Kane, managing director, Stratögé Partners
• Kimberly Pope ‘85, senior vice president and director of consumer banking, Bangor Savings Bank
• Emily Russman, assistant manager, Hannah Grimes Marketplace
• Andrew Smith, director, UNH Survey Center
• Jonathan Smith, vice president and senior loan officer, Live Oak Bank