New Hampshire Board of Trustees

New Hampshire Board Chair
Concord, New Hampshire

A resident of Concord, Rob recently retired as a partner at WilmerHale LLP, where he spent 34 years and chaired the firm’s national environmental practice. Rob is a Fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers and Vice Chair of the Board of the Environmental Law Institute. Between 2004 and 2015, he led a WilmerHale pro bono team representing six men interned at the US Naval base at Guantanamo Bay — receiving a favorable decision before the U.S. Supreme Court, a favorable decision in the first Guantanamo habeas corpus trial, and the only ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in favor of a Guantanamo prisoner out of the more than 20 such decisions to date. Before becoming a lawyer, Rob worked as a weather observer at the Mount Washington Observatory at the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. He serves as Vice Chair of the Observatory’s Board of Trustees. He is passionate about making the great outdoors known and available to all, time in mountains for himself and human rights. Rob holds a B.S. from Middlebury College and a J.D. from the Cornell Law School.

New Hampshire Vice Chair
Canterbury, New Hampshire

Emily is a retired wildlife biologist who worked in NH Fish and Game’s Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program. Emily was the NH Wildlife Action Plan Coordinator, working with communities, conservation organizations and agencies on implementing actions outlined in the plan. She also worked on species assessments and conservation actions for several species in decline including bats, native bees, loons and tiger beetles. Emily worked for the Massachusetts Audubon Society for 13 years as a wildlife sanctuary director including founding a new sanctuary in Attleboro, MA. Emily has a BA in zoology and wildlife management and a MS in entomology.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Martha is an architectural historian and preservation consultant, and served as a NH elected official from 1990 -2020. She served as a Member of the NH House of Representative from 1990-2004, and as a Member of the NH Senate from 2004 – 2010 and from 2012 - 2020.

During her time in the Senate, she served as President Pro-Tem as well as Chair of the Energy, Environment and Economic Development / Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Vice Chair of the Senate Health and Human Resources Committee, Vice Chair of Executive Departments and Administration Committee, and as a member of Education, Transportation and Ethics committees. In the House she served on the Commerce Committee for ten years and as a member of the House Democratic Leadership for six. Among her legislative accomplishments are the Land & Community Heritage Program, the Conservation and Heritage Mouse Plate, the Scenic and Cultural Byways Program, and numerous bills protecting our natural and historic resources, including clean water and protection of Great Bay as well as playing a major legislative role in advancing clean energy.

Senator Clark earned a Master’s degree in Art and Architectural History from Boston University, and an undergraduate degree in Art History from Mills College in Oakland, CA. For many years she was a practicing architectural historian and preservation consultant and taught at the University of New Hampshire. Martha has extensive board experience including Strawbery Banke, Portsmouth Historical Society, Portsmouth Advocates, The Music Hall, New Hampshire Historical Society, NH Preservation Alliance, Scenic America and the Seacoast Land Trust.

Elkins, New Hampshire

Hop ran a 250-acre farm in Pennsylvania while building a career in the renewable energy industry. He founded Springhouse Energy Systems to support the development of wind energy and in 1984, performed the sitting work for the first wind farm east of the Mississippi.

In the early 1990’s Hop began working with the Environmental Defense Fund and the National Wildlife Federation on energy and climate programs. His grandfather established the J.M. Hopwood Family Foundation, which Hop has now passed on to his children. He also manages An Environmental Trust. In addition to his family foundations, Hop was a founding board member of PennFuture, an environmental advocacy organization in Pennsylvania. He also served as chief financial officer for the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund and was honored in 2001 with the Winds of Change Award for lifetime commitment and contributions to renewable energy.

Hopkinton, New Hampshire

Ann McLane Kuster represented New Hampshire’s Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 until her retirement in January 2025. First elected in 2012, she quickly became known for her pragmatic approach and commitment to breaking through partisan gridlock. Throughout her tenure, she worked across party lines to deliver results for Granite Staters, focusing on issues that strengthen families and communities.

Before serving in Congress, Annie built a distinguished career as an adoption attorney and community advocate. She championed programs that expanded educational opportunities and improved access to health care, including helping establish New Hampshire’s UNIQUE College Savings Program and the Medication Bridge Program for low-income families. Her dedication extended to seniors, veterans, students and working families, always prioritizing fairness and opportunity.

In Washington, Annie concentrated on creating jobs and boosting economic growth in New Hampshire. She developed her Jobs and Opportunity Agenda to address workforce training, college affordability, infrastructure investment and family support programs like paid leave and childcare. She also hosted job fairs across the district to connect employers with job seekers.

A graduate of Dartmouth College and Georgetown University Law Center, Annie practiced adoption law for many years, assisting hundreds of families. She grew up in Concord, inspired by her parents’ legacy of public service—her mother, Susan McLane, was a trailblazing state senator and her father, Malcolm McLane, served as Concord’s mayor and on the Executive Council.

Today, Annie lives in Hopkinton with her husband, Brad, an environmental attorney. They raised two sons, Zach and Travis, and remain deeply connected to their New Hampshire roots. Her legacy as a tireless advocate for Granite Staters and a champion for opportunity continues to inspire future leaders.

Greenfield, New Hampshire

Monica received her MA from the School for International Training in Vermont. She subsequently worked and volunteered overseas and in the states in the non-profit education sector. In the early days of the Monadnock Conservancy, she, along with Jeff Timmons, brought Greenfield neighbors together and they collectively conserved ~1,000 acres in Greenfield, NH. She chaired the board of the Monadnock Conservancy from 2017 to 2019. As a trustee of the Himalayan Education Foundation, she, prior to Covid, traveled regularly to Uttarakhand, an Indian state in the Himalaya to visit schools and women’s cooperatives. She has been an active member of Mothers Out Front, a grassroots environmental organization mobilizing for a livable planet.

Center Harbor, New Hampshire

Bob Pinkard has spent 45 years in the commercial real estate business in the Washington, D.C. area, founding The Pinkard Group, setting its strategic direction and overseeing all aspects of the firm. He also co-founded Cassidy & Pinkard, which grew to be the largest locally-owned real estate services company in the Washington D.C. region.

Alongside his professional achievements, Bob and his wife Tricia have been deeply involved in nonprofit work, particularly with the Bishop Walker School for Boys and the France Merrick Foundation. He has also served as the Board President at Camp Pasquaney in New Hampshire.

Bob's commitment to environmental organizations is notable, having served on the boards of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and The Nature Conservancy in Maryland/DC, where he helped form international partnerships with Belize and Panama. A recipient of TNC's Oak Leaf Award, Bob is a graduate of Williams College. He and Tricia live in Center Harbor and enjoy outdoor activities with their children and  grandchildren.

Bedford, New Hampshire

Leila Samii is an Associate Professor of Marketing and oversees the social media minor which is the second largest minor in the school of business. She has been a full time professor in the marketing department at SNHU since 2016 and shortly after empowered a group of students to start the American Marketing Association at SNHU.

Dr. Samii completed her Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology at Southern New Hampshire University. She then completed course work in Forensic Psychology at John Jay College a City University of New York college. From there, she returned to SNHU, where she received her Master of Science (MS) in International Business and completed her Ph.D. in International Business with a Marketing concentration in 2013. Dr. Samii’s dissertation focused on "The Disruption of Social Media: Branding in a Cultural Context." The dissertation was a mixed model that examined social media, cross cultural factors and brand image to define theoretical concepts.

Most notably, Samii and a team created the first ever SNHU Business of Mindfulness Conference that drew in over 200 people from across all divisions of SNHU and 32 had speakers, some internal and some external to SNHU. She is also the faculty advisor for the SNHU Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA). Samii is the President Elect for the Marketing Management Association.

Prior to becoming a full time professor at SNHU, she has taught at SNHU (adjunct), Harvard Extension School (adjunct), Harvard Summer School (adjunct) and Aurora University (Assistant Professor). Dr. Samii has publications and presentations, the most notable is a book chapter titled, “Engaging your Global Social Media Audience: A Framework for E-Retailers” (2016).

Randolph, New Hampshire

Samarjit Shankar is an investor, global macro strategist and economist. Over the years, he has worked in senior leadership positions at Mariner Investments, BNY Mellon in Boston, J.P. Morgan in New York, State Street in Boston and Barclays BZW in London, Hong Kong and Singapore. He has traveled globally, presenting on macro investments to portfolio and pension managers, hedge funds, governments and central banks. He has spearheaded numerous thought leadership initiatives with global money managers and policy makers, having worked closely with the International Monetary Fund and on World Bank projects over the years. He is the Chair of the Appalachian Mountain Club's Investment Committee, having served on it since 2015, and he is also on the AMC's Board of Directors and Board of Advisors. Samarjit has passionately supported and closely followed important developments in the areas of conservation and environmental protection in several countries including India and the U.S.

Samarjit feels fortunate to have been able to travel extensively for business and pleasure; journeys that have allowed him to experience the natural beauty of six continents.  

Lancaster, New Hampshire

Rob Sokol has spent much of the last the last 25 years leading transformational change in cultural institutions in Washington DC and New York City. Rob has worked with and on boards to stand up, sustain and turn around organizations, departments and multi-year projects. He has extensive experience building and leading teams to create brand identities, strategic and financial plans, revitalize productivity and morale, and in general, turn around challenged programs to thrive again.

Most recently, Rob stood up the nonprofit, Side3, leading international conflict negotiation and training practices with the goal of awakening human capacity to transform the most difficult conflicts into creative negotiations. Before that, he was at Trinity Wall Street, where he served as the Chief Administration Officer. While there, he oversaw the construction of a LEED certified high-rise in the Financial District, renovated an historic church and turned around a struggling retreat center in Connecticut. Before that, in a similar role, Rob served as the Chief Operating Officer at the Washington National Cathedral. And before that, he served in the Office of the Librarian at the Library of Congress as the Creative Director and Senior Advisor to the COO, among other roles. 

Rob received his Humanities and International Relations degrees from Seattle University and Nanjing University (China), with focuses on economics and Chinese history. He lives in Washington DC with his wife and two boys. Other than spending time with his family, his favorite pastimes are swimming and photography.

Lancaster, New Hampshire

Lori is a geologist with over 30 years of experience in geoscience, basin analysis research, and petroleum-systems evaluation. She retired as a senior technical consultant with ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company in 2016. In this position, she advised corporate management on strategic geoscience issues to ensure appropriate research was performed in support of
business objectives.

Lori is currently an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Geosciences at Rice University and a research collaborator at the University of Texas, Jackson School of Geosciences. Her background is in basin analysis and numerical modeling, but she also has broad experience with exploration in offshore marine environments.

Lori earned a B.S. in geology from the University of Rochester and a Ph.D. in geology from the University of California, Davis in 1985.

Lifetime Trustee
New Castle, New Hampshire

Barbara "Bobbie" K. Sweet has lived in New Hampshire for more than 50 years. She has been a director of the family manufacturing business, Intermatic Incorporated, for 40 years. Bobbie is a former director of the Ocean Conservancy. She has been a trustee and Chair of the Island Institute and will rejoin that board in September.  She is presently a member of the Chairman's Circle of the Ocean Conservancy, the National Council of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Council of Strawbery Banke. She has been a Fellow of the National Tropical Botanical Garden for 45 years and is presently Co-Chair of the Garden Planning Committee.

Rye, New Hampshire

Kurt Swenson is the former owner of Swenson Granite Co. in Concord, NH. Kurt’s family has been in the granite business since 1883, when his great-grandfather started John Swenson Granite Co., Inc.

Kurt graduated from Colby College in 1967 with a degree in business and received a law degree from Boston College Law School in 1970. He joined the firm of Wiggin and Nourie in Manchester, NH, practicing corporate law, and handling mergers and acquisitions. He then became CEO of Swenson Granite Co. in the late 1970s and acquired Rock of Ages in 1983.

Kurt has been on that board on several nonprofits, including the New England Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation and the New Hampshire Historical Society.

Dublin, New Hampshire

Cynthia Thomashow directed the Masters program in Environmental Education at Antioch University New England (Keene, NH) from 1983 to 2007. She simultaneously directed the Center for Environmental Education, an online teacher resource center in environmental and sustainability education at Antioch from 1995 to 2008.   

From 1995 to 2000, Cindy developed and managed an Urban Environmental Educational Program for NPR’s Living on Earth. She worked as a consultant for the Chicago Zoological Society developing the Hammill Family Play Zoo and worked as a consultant to National Wildlife Federation and US Green Building Council.   

Cindy served as an adjunct professor at Unity College where her husband was President from 2007 – 2011. She worked to bring the Arts, Humanities and Sciences together in interdisciplinary curriculum design. While at Unity, Cindy worked with Bensonwood Homes to help design the educational features for the zero-carbon LEED Platinum College President’s residence on the Unity campus. Cindy served as the Education Manager for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) from 2010-2013.   

In 2014, Cindy designed and directed the Urban Environmental Leadership and Education M.A.Ed. at Antioch University Seattle. Moving back to New Hampshire from Seattle in 2019, she became the Academic Coordinator for the same UEE graduate program, working remotely during the pandemic. Cindy currently teaches three UEE courses: Urbanizing Environmental Education, the Professional Learning Community and the Portfolio. 

Wilton, New Hampshire

David is CEO of Worthen Industries, Inc., a third/fourth generation family business headquartered in Nashua, NH.  David is responsible for 14 business units, 5 manufacturing locations (all in the US) and global sales offices including China, Indonesia and Vietnam. He has been in his current position for 10 years and has been involved in Worthen’s management and product development for 31 years. 

David serves on the Boards of Divert Inc., a company dedicated to diverting food waste from landfills, Jarvis Cutting Tools, a family-owned business manufacturing world class taps in the USA since 1901, and NH Sustainable Energy Association. David also serves as VP of Tomark – Worthen LLC, a joint venture focusing on the photovoltaic component market.

Concord, New Hampshire

Sherry Young is a founder, shareholder and past President of the law firm of Rath, Young and Pignatelli, P.C. She heads the firm’s Environmental Practice Group, and assists clients on federal and state environmental matters, real estate transactions, and business and finance transactions.

Sherry focuses her practice on environmental law and environmental litigation, including environmental compliance, permits and approvals, and real estate transactions involving contaminated properties. She has extensive experience in litigation with state and federal regulators and has achieved numerous successful settlements for industrial, commercial and municipal clients in a variety of cases. Sherry also has considerable experience in general corporate law, public and private financing, and estates and trusts. She is general counsel for a large, non-profit health care foundation, and advises several non-profits.

In addition to The Nature Conservancy, Sherry serves on the Board of Directors of Walden Mutual Bank, the Board of Directors of the University of New Hampshire Foundation, the Dean’s Advisory Board of the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, and is Chair of the Board of New Hampshire Public Radio. She is past-Chair of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and the New Hampshire Supreme Court Society. Sherry served on the 2009-2010 Death Penalty Study Commission as an appointee of Governor Lynch. She served as Legislative Counsel to then-Governor Judd Gregg in his first term as Governor. In 2000, Sherry was the first woman to chair SCG Legal, a world-wide network of leading law firms.

A recipient of a number of legal awards and recognitions, Sherry lives in Concord, New Hampshire with her husband Gary and their two golden doodles. She enjoys hiking, skiing and spending time with her grandchildren.

Center Conway, New Hampshire

Sunapee, New Hampshire