Vice President
April Mariska
It has been an honor serving as vice-president for the past two years and I am seeking to continue in the role. Prior to serving as vice-president, I was a board member at large for two years. I've been an active member of NASW NH since 2014, serving on the JEDI committee, along with planning committees for both the SW Celebration and the NASW NH Conference. This has provided many opportunities to engage with social workers throughout the state, assist in the advocacy efforts of NASW NH, and continue to grow as a social worker. In addition to my work with NASW NH, I work full-time as a therapist at the Manchester VA, volunteer with NH's Disaster Behavioral Health Response Team, and am an adjunct professor at Plymouth State University.
Secretary
Melissa Grudinski
I am pleased to be considered as a candidate for the NASW-NH Board. I currently work as the Director of Clinical Services at PCS Counseling, where I have worked for ten years. Prior to that, I worked with the AmeriCorps Victims Assistance Program (AVAP) as a Victim/ Witness Advocate at the NH Attorney General’s Office, as a Crisis Center Advocate at SHARRP and CCCNH, and as an MSW intern at DCYF. My professional experiences have shaped my understanding of the challenges our community faces, and in this current political environment, I am acutely aware of the importance of our work and advocacy efforts. I would like to expand on my engagement with and contribution to NASW, as I have found a lot of meaning and purpose in my previous involvement with NASW-NH, through my former role as a Student Representative and Board Member at Large, in the development of the new professionals group and seminar series several years ago, in my participation with the Clinical Committee, in being part of the start-up efforts of the peer consultation group, and working as the Ethics Chair. I look forward to the opportunity to join in the important ways NASW-NH works collaboratively to help our community.
At-Large
Mel Moran, Jr.
I am seeking to use my clinical and political experience to further advocate for social work values and support the disadvantaged. As Nashua's first open LGBTQI+ Alderman, I know first-hand the discrimination minority populations face. I would like to bring that perspective to the NASW Board.
Beth Salvi-Hudgins
I have been a social worker in NH since 1995, and now that my kids are grown and my business, DBT For You, is stable I have the time and energy to become more involved with the Chapter. I have worked in a variety of settings providing mental health treatment and leadership, and believe strongly in the core social work values. I am an experienced clinician, have a strong network of other social work professionals, and over the past two years have tried to become more involved in the NH social work community. I believe in the collective power of social workers to create social change, protect the vulnerable, and help communities. I would like to assist Lynn and the Board members of NASW NH in both harnessing that power and continuing to provide excellent resources to the social workers of NH. I would be honored to join the Board if given the opportunity.
Kate Turcotte
(she/her) I am a Professor of Social Work and founding MSW Program Director at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, and a licensed clinical social worker with Counseling Associates of New London and The Upper Valley. I earned my Master's and Ph.D. degrees in Sociology from the University of New Hampshire, and an MSW from Fordham University. I am honored to seek a position on the NASW-NH Board as a Member at Large. As a clinical social worker and social justice-centered educator, I believe that the incorporation of anti-racist, decolonized, and intersectional approaches in policy, practice, and educational spaces is currently under threat. As such, it is as essential as ever to protect these aspects of our profession. I also value the importance of growing additional, affordable avenues for learning in order to support a strong social worker workforce, as workforce development is crucial in our mission to address needs at all levels of our profession. Although I am a relatively new member of the NASW NH chapter (2022), I deeply value our organization's strong spirit of policy advocacy, close partnerships with institutions of higher learning, and commitment to social workers throughout our state. I very much look forward to serving my social work colleagues in New Hampshire.
PSU BSW Student Representative
Dana Adler
My interest in social work is to be at a macro level one day, I feel strongly about veterans and the reason why I feel this way is because I was brought up in a military family, and both my parents were in the military for over 20 years. The kids in the military are forgotten, and we all go through the same things our parents did. I want to work with veterans that have PTSD, and I want to work with veterans that are transitioning into civilian life and trying to make a difference in the homeless population amongst veterans.
UNH MSW Student Representative
Karina Bonilla
I am excited about the possibility of being an MSW student representative on the NASW NH Board. As an NASW NH intern during my foundational MSW placement, I had the opportunity to engage with the board as a whole, as well as the many committees at length. Through this experience, I was able to see how critical the work of the NASW NH is in supporting social workers in the field along with social work students. As a Latina and MSW student, I hope to continue supporting the board as they look to engage more students, as well as social workers of color - through committee practice and other forms of connection. The work of social workers, as well as the collaboration of social workers across disciplines, is necessary right now as our most vulnerable communities are targeted, attacked, and silenced. As someone who is entering the field as a macro social worker, I hope to support the chapter in finding ways to continue engaging a diverse group of social workers and fostering collaborative environments that allow us to strengthen our ongoing commitment to the social work core values.
Colby Sawyer MSW Student Representative
Jennifer Crossett
Social work marks the journey toward a new career. After attending the JEDI conference – an experience that left me feeling inspired and rejuvenated – I wrote to Dr. Turcotte, “I feel like I have found my people on this new career path, what a wonderful feeling.” What a wonderful feeling indeed. It was the plot twist I didn’t see coming – but oh, how grateful I am to be here!
UNH BSW Student Representative
Jordan Stanley
Jordan is a junior BSW student at the University of New Hampshire. She has a passion for public service and macro social work through advocacy and nonprofit organizational work. She has experience in these fields through the youth community service nonprofit Project 351 in Massachusetts which she has worked with since 2018 and continues as a leadership team member. She has also worked as a facilitator and mentor for the Boston Celtics Playbook Initiative and assisted in implementing the program in Portland, Maine with the Maine Celtics. She brings experience with the NASW from her participation in the 2024 National Conference in Washington D.C. including Advocacy Day on Capital Hill. Jordan hopes to develop her skills in policy work through this board position and get involved in the New Hampshire Social Work community.