******PRESS RELEASE******

Concord: The Governor and Executive Council have recently confirmed Linda Gathright of Nashua, Louise Graham of Wolfeboro, and Gyme Hardy of Concord to the New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Women. Current Commissioners have been appointed to leadership roles with the Commission, they are: Janice Markey of Center Tuftonboro, as Chair, Stefany A. Shaheen of Portsmouth, as Vice Chair, Bonnie White of Hopkinton, as Secretary, and Marilyn Mahoney of Goffstown, as Treasurer.

New Commissioners: Linda Gathright of Nashua currently serves as chair to the Southern NH Outreach for Black Unity (OBU), is a Trustee to the New Fellowship Baptist Church in Nashua, is a founding Board member and Chair of the NH Minority Health Coalition, and is a current facilitator with REACH 2010. Ms. Gathright is also a founding member and currently holds the position of Second Vice President of the Greater Nashua NAACP, is a former member of the NH Diversity Task Force, New England Regional Minority Health Conference and is a loan executive and supervisor for the Greater Nashua United Way. Ms Gathright has been a Verizon employee for over 30 years, in many associate and management positions within Operations and Customer Service divisions.

Louise Graham of Wolfeboro is Board Secretary and former President of the Appalachian Mountain Teen Project Board of Directors, and also participates as a Board member of Starting Point (a crisis center for Carroll County) as well as the Carroll County Child Advocacy Center. Ms Graham is past President of the Board of Trustees of the Wolfeboro Area Children’s Center, Co-founder of the Wolfeboro Democratic Committee, member of the Wolfeboro Zoning Board of Adjustment and Vestry of All Saint’s Episcopal Church. Ms Graham is a career high school teacher in Pittsfield, NH.

Our third new commissioner, Gyme Hardy, Ph.D., of Concord is Director of Student Development and Counseling Services and Transition Program Director at New Hampshire Technical Institute. She is a graduate of Leadership Greater Concord, class of 2007, is the Community College System of NH representative to the Governor’s Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence, is the NHTI representative to the NH College and University Violence Against Women Consortium, is a member of the Garrett Lee Smith Advisory Council, NAMI NH, and is a 2007 NH Commission on the Status of Women, Women’s Recognition Award nominee. Ms Hardy is the 2003 recipient of the Commissioner’s Award for Service Excellence, NH Community Technical College System, and a 2002 Athena Award Nominee of the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce.

“The Commission is very pleased to welcome Ms. Gathright, Ms. Graham, and Ms. Hardy. We look forward to advancing the work of the Commission on the Status of Women with the addition of these new Commissioners, who bring a wealth of experience and skills through their professional and community work”, stated Executive Director Sylvia Gale.

Appointed to new leadership roles: Janice Markey, Chair, is from Center Tuftonboro and has served on the Commission since 2003. Ms. Markey is Human Resource Manager for Liberty Mutual Insurance, a prior member of the Governor’s Workforce Opportunity Council and past president of the Dover Rotary Club.

Stefany A. Shaheen, Vice Chair, from Portsmouth, has served on the Commission since 2005. Ms. Shaheen is a consultant to the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, holding a Masters Degree in Public Administration as a graduate of Harvard University. Ms Shaheen is the founding Executive Director of Early Learning NH.

Bonnie White, Secretary, from Hopkinton, has served on the Commission since 2002. Ms. White retired in 2002 as Director of Public Affairs for Verizon Communications, is a graduate of Leadership New Hampshire, class of 2000, a delegate to the 1996 International Conference on Women in Beijing, China, and a member of the Governor’s Commission on Disability and the NH Children’s Trust Fund.

Marilyn Mahoney, Treasurer, from Goffstown, has served on the Commission since 2006. Ms. Mahoney is a practicing attorney and partner in the firm of Harvey & Mahoney, specializing in family law. Ms. Mahoney is also a mediator, a member of Collaborative Law of NH, chair of the NH Children’s Lobby advisory committee, vice president of Child and Family Services of New Hampshire, member of the NH Family Law Task Force and a member of the Citizens Commission on Justice in the 21st Century.

The New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Women is the only state agency with the sole purpose of working on behalf of women in the state. The Commission is devoted to enhancing opportunities and creating positive change for the diverse population of New Hampshire women and girls. Under its legislated duties, the Commission is charged with providing a voice of advocacy in legislative and public policy; identifying and seeking to remedy gender discrimination; promoting women’s education, training, and employment; and honoring the accomplishments of New Hampshire women and girls. For additional information about projects, programs, and publications of the New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Women please call 271-2660 or visit www.nh.gov/csw.