The Preservation Alliance is excited about the opportunity to work with three leaders in new positions in preservation-related fields. These three individuals, along with our new State Historic Preservation Officer Elizabeth Muzzey, will offer New Hampshire responses to a national speaker on the connections between sustainability and preservation on Friday, April 11 at the Preservation Alliance's Preserving Community Character conference.

In January, the Board of Directors of the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) welcomed Deborah Turcott as the organization's new executive director.  Turcott will oversee, manage, and administer LCHIP's grant program, which this past year awarded more than $6 million.

Turcott left her position as director of the Community Development Finance Authority's Downtown Resource Center and New Hampshire Main Street program to assume this role with LCHIP.  She has over a decade of non-profit management and marketing experience, including five years with downtown revitalization organizations focusing on economic development, historic preservation, and smart growth principles.  She holds a BS degree from Indiana Wesleyan University.
 
Lorraine Stuart Merrill, of Stratham, has been sworn in for a five-year term as Commissioner or Agriculture, Markets, & Food.

Merrill is co-owner of Stuart Farm, a 270-acre dairy enterprise with 240 milking cows and nearly 200 head of young cattle, situated at the edge of the Great Bay estuary. She has been active in the day-to-day operation of the farm, in addition to her work as a writer for agricultural and general interest publications and her involvement in many civic and professional activities at the local, state, and national levels. She is a 1973 graduate of the University of New Hampshire.

Benjamin Wilson, of Hopkinton, has been named to the newly-created program specialist position in the state's Bureau of Historic Sites, part of the Division of Parks and Recreation.

Wilson brings to the job critical historic preservation skills as well as experience in property management and restoration gained as a building conservator and property manager for the Antiquarian & Landmarks Society of Hartford, Conn. He is the principal of a historic preservation and consulting service and was honored with a 2004 N.H. Preservation Achievement Award for restoring the 1791 Stanley Tavern, in Hopkinton.

Additional great news: The New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) in Concord, NH recently hired Sarah DiSano, of Nashua, NH, for the position of Director of the Downtown Resource Center. She is responsible for managing the membership based program and developing trainings and workshops on current issues and trends affecting downtown revitalization.

Most recently, Ms. DiSano was the executive director of Great American Downtown, a nonprofit organization that works to improve all aspects of Nashua's downtown for the benefit of the entire community, as well as for retail, commercial businesses, and organizations located downtown. She is also a founding member of Nashua's first young professionals networking group. She previously held positions at Affordable Housing Development, Just-A-Start Corp. and Preservation Massachusetts. Ms. DiSano earned her Masters in Preservation Studies from Boston University.

"We are excited at the opportunity to work with these skilled professionals as they assume these important preservation positions," said Jennifer Goodman, executive director of the Preservation Alliance.