As the incoming chair of the NH Tech Alliance, I am excited to build upon the significant progress and growth we have made as a nonprofit, membership organization over the past several years. While I have been on the Board of Directors for six years, my involvement goes back much further as the past chair of the Entrepreneur of the Year Committee and long-time emcee and committee member of the Entrepreneur Forum. I have watched us adapt our programming to reflect member needs and interests and as chair, am looking forward to continuing to ensure that we remain relevant to our membership.
This history provides some perspective on the building blocks that have been put in place by the Board and staff that make this a very exciting time for the Alliance. I want to take this opportunity to look forward.
First, in September the Alliance will move into its own dedicated space at 30 Amherst Street in downtown Manchester. We’ll welcome Julie Demers as our full-time executive director at that time. She will join our two other full-time staff members, Joshua Cyr and Lee Ann Lewis to form our first in-house team.
Second, we’re going to take the Alliance on the road in the fall for a listening tour. With the new brand, staff, updated mission and value pillars, we want to talk to our members and others in the tech sector about how best we can be of service and how we can support you and help grow our vibrant tech ecosystem. We want to learn about your priorities, opportunities and challenges so we can be as informed as possible as we develop a strategic plan for 2020 and beyond.
We will be planning this statewide listening tour over the summer and want to make sure we visit locations that can be easily accessed so that our members (and prospective members) are able to participate. If you are interested in hosting a listening session and have the available space, please let us know by sending an email to [email protected].
Last, while it is summer in New Hampshire, we’re already planning for a busy fall that includes the Speed Venture Summit, Product of the Year and TechOut events, TechWomen Ambassadors Week, as well as the TechWomen Power Breakfasts, some special events focused on BioMed|Tech and e-brews in Portsmouth.
Please be on the lookout for the schedule of the listening sessions and other updates and activities over the summer. Thank you for being a member of the NH Tech Alliance and supporting our organization.