The Leadership Development Program of the Year Award honored an innovative program initiated and conducted by a NH organization. This award recognized a program aimed at a young audience in NH that helps those young people propel their personal and professional growth.

2017 Winner

Leadership Mount Washington Valley provides connections for young professionals in the community and covers topics including municipal and state government, public safety, nonprofit management, education, infrastructure, and networking. The program also includes an innovative fundraising aspect for scholarships for young professionals to use toward student loans once they have moved back to the Mount Washington Valley.

2016 Winner

The MY TURN Manufacturing program, based in Nashua, is an initiative of MY TURN, INC. that prepares young people (ages 16 to 24) for successful careers in the manufacturing industry. As a resource, the program provides assistance with employment training, paid internships, college tuition and job placement. Participants gain academic and leadership skills that will prepare them for entry to mid level employment in the manufacturing field.

Their participants have completed internships, filled vacancies at area manufacturers, and received technical and computer credits. Others have been through programs at the Nashua Community College; earning college credits in mechanical design technology, CNC machining, human resource management, small business management, and computer networking.

2015 Winner

The Hoffman Haas Fellowship is an initiative of the NH Center for Nonprofits to populate NH nonprofit boards with highly engaged, inspired, and strategic new board leaders. The program includes a chance for its “fellows” to learn from experts on governance, fundraising and board strategy; mentoring; exposure to trends and issues facing nonprofits; and ultimately a NH board-matching opportunity. The six-month Fellowship program offers two concurrent sessions, providing the opportunity to new and future community leaders throughout various parts of the state.

As one of the participants said, “This program not only teaches the basics needed to be a prepared and engaged board member, and provides an opportunity for fellows to be matched with a local nonprofit, but the mentoring component is its greatest asset. I am a far better board member for having been a Hoffman-Haas fellow.”

2014 Winner

Leadership College is a program for college students around the state to build relationships with other student leaders; further develop their leadership skills; be introduced to New Hampshire’s cultural, economic, and social advantages and accompanying issues; and to establish mentor relationships with leading members of the business, political, and cultural communities. As one of the participating colleges said, “In a short time, Leadership College has proven t be a thoughtful and innovative program, an effective educational leadership strategy, and advantageous to the State of New Hampshire in helping to retain some of the strongest student leaders in the state.”

2013 Winner

The B.A. program based in Keene NH is a leadership development program which offers young employees the opportunity to experience areas of C&S’ operations from a “top down and bottom up” training method. It starts with a four-week orientation including meet-and-greets, community service, social events, road trips, facility tours, and team-building activities before they move on to three 6-month rotations. Their ultimate goal is to attract, retain, and develop a select group of high talent, high potential college graduates for future senior leadership at C&S. One of the participants in C&S’ Business Analyst program said, “C&S has invested heavily specifically in the Business Analyst program and through that investment has created a pipeline of highly talented and diverse individuals joining and growing with the company. They do an excellent job of creating roles in which people want to succeed and from which they want to grow into more senior positions within the company.” Another stated, “Looking back on my senior year at Ithaca, I never would have expected I would be living well into my ‘professional’ life in rural New Hampshire. However I have found myself in the midst of tremendous opportunity in a heartwarming community. Professional development is not the only asset C&S provides. I have come to grow as a person and member of the community in Keene and am proud to call Keene my home and C&S my employer.”

2011 Winner

While many YP groups exist to help people connect, the Manchester Young Professional Network has taken it to another level. They help entrepreneurs link to the capital and resources needed to turn dreams to reality. Each year, MYPN’s NH Start Up Challenge selects one business idea from a competitive field of entrepreneurs. They provide up to $25,000 in seed money as well as in-kind services, such as marketing, legal aid and accounting. Since its inception in 2008, the Start Up Challenge has provided $100,000 to four NH businesse

2010 Winner

The 2010 Young Professional Program of the Year has been feeding the minds of Nashua area young professionals for many years. Held once a month at lunchtime, BRAINfood is a program created by the Nashua Young Professionals’ organization, iUGO. BRAINfood gives young professionals the opportunity to engage with business and community leaders and the program supports the core mission of iUGO, to help Nashua’s young professionals actively engage and remain in the community. With more than 900 participants, BRAINfood continues to grow in the Nashua community and beyond.