To provide a sounding board for our planned activities, expand our network of personal connections, and increase our awareness of opportunities and resources, we have assembled a group of community leaders to serve as an Advisory Board. These individuals strengthen our connections with our communities and community-serving organizations.

Julia Griffin, M.B.A., currently is the Town Manager of Hanover, NH. She previously served as Assistant City Manager and City Manager of Concord, NH. Ms. Griffin also previously oversaw the budget for the New York City foster care system as a Budget Analyst for the NYC Office of Management and Budget. She is a member of the Friends of the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD) and serves on the Board of the Grafton County Economic Development Council.

Michael Leuctenberger, is a minister at Concord Unitarian Universalist Church of Concord, NH. Michael previously worked at Abt Associates Inc., in Bethesda, MD, for thirteen years as a Risk Assessment Analyst. His work included modeling in support of lead-based paint regulations, arsenic in drinking water regulations, mercury dispersion modeling, and public access to environmental data collected under federal statutes.

Pierce Rigrod, M.R.P., is an environmental analyst for New Hampshire DES’s (Department of Environmental Services) Drinking Water Source Protection Program for the last six years. He is the program manager for the state’s Groundwater Reclassification Program, organizes statewide conferences and contributes to strategies, policies and rules related to source water. He leads, or is involved with, a variety of projects associated with academic, governmental or stakeholder entities to implement actions protecting NH’s drinking water resources.

Barry Smith, M.D., OBGYN, is Chairman Emeritus of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), and Professor Emeritus, Dartmouth Medical School. Dr. Smith participated in the initial planning and organization of the Northern New England Perinatal Quality Improvement Network (NNEPQIN). Now retired, Dr. Smith serves on the NH PRAMS (Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System) committee, the ACOG MOMS (Making Obstetric Maternity Care Safe) Task Force, the Trustees of The Hitchcock Foundation, and is President of the New England OB/GYN Society.

Jennifer Stainton, M.Ed., is the Science Department Chair and teaches Integrated Environmental Science, AP Environmental Science, and Chemistry at Woodstock Union High School in Woodstock, VT. At Woodstock Union, she is implementing authentic science experiences for ninth graders through the Twin State Mercury Project. Ms. Stainton spent the first two years of her career at The Lab School of Washington, DC, where she learned how to reach students with learning disabilities through science.

Renee Thresher, M.S., is Vice President of Manufacturing at Lundberg Family Farms. She is currently responsible for all food safety, regulatory, and quality programs at Lundberg Family Farms. Renee serves on the Board of Food Allergen Research and Resource Program (FARRP), the Organic Trade Association Arsenic Task Force, the California Rice Commission Research and Technology Committee, and is the technical lead for Lundberg Family Farms Arsenic in Food initiatives.

Hannah Webber is the Education Research Manager at the Schoodic Education and Research Center (SERC) Institute. Her main role is to manage the “Mercury in Watersheds” project. Project management includes developing teacher workshops and interviewing project teachers. She uses interview responses, workshop feedback, teacher requests for information, and student artifacts to refine project materials and processes. Ms. Webber has taught kindergarteners to adults in a variety of formal and informal programs, including a term as Director of an Audubon Field Center.

Steve Wingate is a volunteer member of the Conservation Commission for the Town of Tuftonboro, NH, who helped originate and manage a town-wide private well water testing program. Steve retired from the US Forest Service in 2006 after many years of forest and wildlife habitat planning and management. He has worked part time as a consultant after retiring, most recently working on a Forest Management Plan for the New York City watershed.