Q&A

‘Librarians see the potential libraries have to change things, but the political world moves very slowly, and it’s affected by so many things,’ says Michael York, New Hampshire’s state librarian.

‘Small government helps find solutions, and we really need to get back to that approach,’ says Taylor Caswell, commissioner of the recently created Department of Business and Economic Affairs.

Janet Laatsch, CEO of Goodwin Community Health in Somersworth is helping to oversee the merger of her organization with Portsmouth-based Families First Health & Support Center.

‘Opportunity is not abundant around the world, but talent is something we all have,’ says Elmira Bayrasli, author of ‘From The Other Side of the World: Extraordinary Entrepreneurs.’

‘The New Hampshire North Country is part of a broader four-state region that is complicated and dynamic,’ says Rob Riley, president of the Concord-based Northern Forest Center, which focuses on economic development in the northern forest areas of New York, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire.

Nonprofits ‘are major job creators, and they need to tell people about that. We’re an essential part of the economic ecosystem,’ says Robert Egger, founder of DC Central Kitchen and L.A. Kitchen.

‘I’m someone who’s interested in policy and operations of state government, someone who analyzes policies of state government and wants to make them better,’ says Charlie Arlinghaus, newly appointed as commissioner of the NH Department of Administrative Services.

‘I don’t like to hear talk of putting “boots on the ground.” We’re not sending in shoe leather, we’re sending in sons and daughters,’ says James Wright, former president of Dartmouth College and author of the book, ‘Enduring Vietnam: An American Generation And Its War.’

‘Part of the paramount experience of a farmers dinner is getting to meet your farmer,’ says Keith Sarasin, whose The Farmers dinner has community dinners using all locally sourced products.