
The Â鶹app was prominently represented on the Union Leader’s annual award list for 2025, with eight Granite State residents with ties to UNH earning recognition.
It was the second year in a row that those with direct UNH ties accounted for 20% of the list. With four additional representatives from other University System of New Hampshire institutions – two each from Plymouth State University and Keene State College – those with ties to USNH accounted for 30% of the list.
Awardees will be honored at a March 12 ceremony at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord.
The list recognizes New Hampshire residents under the age of 40 who are making a difference in their communities and professions. The Union Leader has been publishing the list for 22 years, and there are currently 880 alumni, according to the newspaper’s website. The 40 Under Forty recipients “represent all industries in New Hampshire including legal, financial, tech, healthcare, public service and more. While all of the recipients are successful in their career, it is their commitment to the community that often is why they were chosen for this honor.â€
Honorees with UNH connections this year include Katie Ambrose ’12G, Anthony M. Carr ’13JD, Katie Godshall, Krystal Hicks ’07, Gene Martin, Lindsay Nadeau ’08 ’15JD, Laurie Beth Pliakos and Marrielle Van Rossum.
Jodie Nazaka and Alberto Ramos represented Plymouth State (Martin also earned his undergraduate degree at PSU), with Nikki Lyons Lahey and Brittany Porter representing Keene State.
, 37, earned an M.S. degree in natural resources: integrated — coastal ecosystem science, policy and management at UNH. She is the city manager in Rochester, New Hampshire and has earned the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Credentialed Manager designation.
, 37, earned his JD from UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law in 2013 and is a director/shareholder with Shaheen & Gordon. Among his volunteer and community work Carr is a board member with the Community Action Partnership of Strafford County and is president of the Gary O. Galiher Foundation.
, 37, is a clinical assistant professor of social work at UNH. She recently spearheaded the acquiring of grant funds through the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Opioid Abatement Trust Fund for the Seabrook Police Department to develop initiatives to enhance protective factors in reducing long-term effects of traumatic stress. She is a member of the UNH Citizens Police Academy and mentors students in translational research.
, 39, graduated from UNH with a degree in English/journalism and is the founder and a career strategist at JOBTALK, LLC. She has previously received the 2024 Achiever Award from the New England Educational Opportunity Association (NEOA) and was named to the Seacoast 10 to Watch list in 2017, and she is a founding and current board member of 100 Women Who Care – Seacoast.
, 38, earned a Master of Public Administration from UNH and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the university. He is the executive director of the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute. Among his volunteer work in the community, Martin is president of the Manchester Lions Club, a trustee with Leadership New Hampshire and Black Heritage Trail of NH and a volunteer with the Smyth Road PTO.
, 39, graduated from UNH with a B.A. in history and a minor in business administration and went on to earn her JD from the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law. She is a shareholder at Orr & Reno, P.A., practicing government relations and administrative law. She is active in a number of legal and civic organizations in New Hampshire, including serving as a current member of the board of directors with the New Hampshire Business and Industry Association.
, 38, is an adjunct professor of health law at the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, as well as chief compliance officer and general counsel at InStride Health. She is a past member of New Hampshire’s AmeriCorps Victim Assistance Program (AVAP) and a past advisory board member for the program, as well.
, 39, is an adjunct professor at the Â鶹app Franklin Pierce School of Law and counsel at Devine, Millimet & Branch, PA. Her work in the community has included roles on the board of directors for Greater Seacoast Community Helath and Hidden Pond Farm Equine Rescue and as chair of the Tri-State Defense Lawyers Association.
, 38, earned a degree in communications from Keene State College and is vice president of community outreach with Make-A-Wish New Hampshire. She was nominated to and accepted on the Revenue Advancement Network Council for Make-A-Wish, an 8-to-12 member group of development leaders with representation from Make-A-Wish chapters across the country.
, 38, earned a degree in environmental planning, land use planning and management/development at Plymouth State University and is director of economic development for the city of Manchester. Among her proudest recent achievements was helping secure Manchester’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC) Award, a $44 million grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA).
, 34, earned her degree at Keene State College and is the development coordinator and walk manager with NAMI New Hampshire, where she managed a record-breaking mental health awareness and suicide prevention event in NAMIWalks NH, in October 2024.
, 33, is chief diversity officer and founding director of inclusion, diversity, equity and access at Plymouth State University. Among his proudest recent achievements is the design, creation and ongoing growth of Plymouth State University’s Diversity Scholars program, a four-year scholarship program for underrepresented students and students committed to enhancing diversity on campus.
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Compiled By:
Keith Testa | UNH Marketing | keith.testa@unh.edu