PORTSMOUTH — The 10 To Watch judges have chosen the top 20 finalists from those who entered the 2023 Seacoast young professionals competition.
Representatives from Stay Work Play New Hampshire carefully considered each application and chose the top 20 finalists. Ten winners will be chosen from these 20 finalists.
The 10th annual 10 To Watch contest, presented by Catapult Seacoast and Local iQ, recognizes young professionals, 40 and under, who live or work in the Seacoast and contribute to the community in addition to building their careers. This year's contest is sponsored by Bank of America, Heritage Home Service and Eversource.
The finalists will be honored at an awards ceremony, where the 10 winners will be announced Wednesday, Oct. 11 at The Music Hall Lounge at 131 Congress St. in Portsmouth. The ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets are $20 per person and are available online at portsmouthchamber.org/events/details/10-to-watch-awards-night-62990 or use the QR code to access tickets.
Here's a look at all 20 finalists in the 2023 10 To Watch contest:
Abigail Bachman
Abigail Bachman of Newmarket is a brokerage associate at Colliers International in Portsmouth.
She is a licensed commercial realtor in New Hampshire and Maine.
She was recently appointed to serve on the Newmarket Planning Board. She is a licensed notary for the state of New Hampshire. She is co-chair of the Portsmouth chapter of the Women’s Business League. She serves on the Board of Trustees for Soul Models. She is also a member of 100 Women Who Care.
She has served as a judge for University of New Hampshire's Paul J. Holloway Prize Innovation to Market Competition and hopes to continue judging the contest in the future.
Bachman was recognized with the prestigious Emerging Leader award from the Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce in 2021 and with the Most Improved award from her employer Colliers International in 2020.
“My journey in community involvement has been driven by a passion for collaboration, empowerment, and meaningful change. Through my roles on various boards and committees, I have sought to contribute to the growth of our Seacoast community,” Bachman said in her nomination entry.
Shane Brewer
Shane Brewer of York, Maine, is a vice president and commercial loan officer at First Seacoast Bank in Portsmouth.
Brewer has worked in the sales and the financial services industry in Portsmouth for the last 10 years. “One of Shane’s greatest professional qualities is his ability to take the time needed to understand his customer’s vision, create meaningful relationships and provide commercial lending expertise in order to help his clients meet their goals,” his nomination entry reads.
His nomination entry notes Brewer was instrumental in supporting not only his own customers, but also pitched in to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic with the Paycheck Protection Loan Program and Loan Forgiveness process, often spending late nights, early mornings and weekend hours ensuring local businesses had access to funds available in order to retain their workforce and remain operational.
In his volunteer efforts, Brewer has served on the Board of Directors for the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth and is its treasurer. He has coordinated Ukraine relief donations in the Portsmouth community and is an active volunteer in all First Seacoast Bank community initiatives, according to his nomination entry.
His insight into commercial lending and the Seacoast market was recently featured in a local publication titled “Unlocking the Future: Exploring Commercial Real Estate Lending and Interest Rate Trends” where he describes the importance of time and investment in supporting the local business community.
Meredith Brustlin
Meredith Brustlin of Wells, Maine, is a content specialist at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire in Dover.
“I have a passion for advancing play-based learning in the state of New Hampshire. Through my job at CMNH I have been able to send resources to over 100 educators (early childhood, elementary, librarians, family resource center staff) state-wide, as well as countless caregivers,” Brustlin said in her nomination entry.
She facilitated all aspects of an Institute of Library and Information Science grant supporting early childcare professionals in an attempt to support the state's childcare crisis. Partnering with 83 childcare centers, libraries, and family resource centers statewide, she sent large play-based activity kits and monthly activity ideas, according to her nomination entry.
During the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, Brustlin created more than 80 projects and virtual learning videos for the Children’s Museum to aid in lost learning and to reach audiences unable to access the museum.
Brustlin also sings with the Garrison Players Arts Center’s Showstoppers, who often perform for residents of memory care facilities.
Alex Bynum
Alex Bynum of Portsmouth is a professional healer and the owner of Empowering Path.
Bynum has a bachelor’s degree in social work, has operated a healing practice for 10 years, and is a certified senior guide, healer and life activation practitioner with the Modern Mystery School. Bynum is also a certified teacher of sacred geometry, astral travel and crystals, and an initiated Celtic Shaman, Kabbalist and Megus Hermeticus.
She has served the community by facilitating pro-bono Reiki sessions to help the public receive free healing. Bynum is a member of the Chamber Collaborative of Portsmouth and of 100 Women Who Care.
Ashley Cooper
Ashley Cooper of Portsmouth is the marketing coordinator for 3S Artspace in Portsmouth.
In her position at 3S Artspace, she created the organization’s TikTok page and developed its Instagram page promoting the 3S Artspace retail shop which grew 318% during her first five months in her position, according to her nomination entry.
Cooper grew up in Portsmouth and moved to Chicago after high school graduation. “My commitment to the advancement and enrichment of our community in Portsmouth is rooted in a deep-seated connection to the place I call home,” Cooper said. “My heart never left Portsmouth, and I eventually returned, driven by the community that has shaped me.”
Cooper also serves on the volunteer team at TEDx Portsmouth as memorization coach.
“My multifaceted involvement in these initiatives reflects my comprehensive approach to community development,” Cooper said. “By blending the elements of education, culture, and the arts, I aspire to cultivate a version of Portsmouth where all individuals can thrive.”
Matthew Gallant
Matthew Gallant of Barrington is the senior manager of business development for New Hampshire Housing in Bedford.
"I am an unwavering advocate for the profound impact of positivity within the community I hold dear, a passion deeply rooted in my own upbringing,” Gallant said in his nomination entry.
“Growing up in challenging circumstances, I witnessed the relentless efforts of my parents as they worked tirelessly to provide for our family. Their struggles and the limited options and opportunities available to us during those times have ignited an unquenchable desire within me to uplift my community and provide opportunities to those in need.”
Gallant is one of the co-founders of the Young Housing Professionals Group, and is a board member for the N.H. Mortgage Bankers and Brokers Association and chairs its Public Relations Committee. He volunteers as a teacher for NeighborWorks' Home Team, a program that provides financial education and prepares future homeowners to find and maintain homeownership.
He also serves as the director of the N.H. Housing Fellows, where he works to bridge local and federal housing initiatives, according to his entry.
Gallant has also served as a Special Olympics coach and as a Big Brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters. He volunteers at local soup kitchens and has invested hours in building homes with Habitat for Humanity.
This year, he published a children's book titled ""The Dreaming Seed,"" which serves as a guidebook for parents and children aiming to alleviate bedtime stress associated with ADHD and autism.
Elizabeth Gravelle
Elizabeth Gravelle of Portsmouth is the owner of Flexmachine of Portsmouth, which places and maintains art vending machines.
Gravelle has used Flexmachine to help Seacoast artists sell their art. She has featured many local artists in her vending machines and has helped several smaller artists gain traction.
Currently Flexmachine has a machine in 603 Bar in Dover and is in the process of placing a second machine on the Seacoast. She has also used Flexmachine to donate to SOS Recovery.
Michael Hicks
Michael Hicks of Newmarket is the founder of R3VAMP Performance Inc. in Hampton.
R3VAMP Performance Center’s mission is to help athletes “with becoming leaders on and off the field all while contributing to the betterment of their mental health, physical growth and student-athlete development by focusing on the entire individual,” according to his nomination entry.
Hicks started R3VAMP in Boston and gave up a corporate career in 2019 to earn a master’s degree in sport and performance psychology and pursue R3VAMP full-time. He already had a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a coaching certification from Endicott College. He played Division II and Division III baseball in college. Over his more than 10-year coaching career, he has worked with thousands of athletes and with non-profit organizations such as the YMCA and Austin17House.
R3VAMP’s clients include youth, amateur and collegiate athletes, teams, those suffering brain injuries and every-day individuals who are simply looking to improve fitness or overall neurological functioning such as memory, focus or functioning under duress, according to his nomination entry.
He was mentored and advised by Team USA Baseball Management for more than three years and trained current Division-I college baseball players in the New England Stampede Baseball Program. He also was a baseball performance specialist at A’s Baseball Center in Woburn, Massachusetts.
Hicks also co-founded the Alumni Business Referral Networking Group for Endicott College.
Emily Huxtable
Emily Huxtable of Portsmouth is the founder and owner of Seacoast Picnic Co.
Seacoast Picnic Co., founded in 2021 in Huxtable’s Portsmouth apartment, creates luxury picnics for celebrations from baby showers to marriage proposals to occasions of all kinds. The company is quickly approaching its 100 events milestone in its third year of operation, according to her nomination entry.
Prior to founding Seacoast Picnic Company, Huxtable was marketing manager at Connecting Point Marketing Group in Rye for six years.
Hustable regularly attends community events, including the annual Plates for Change (formerly the Taste the Nation event) at Strawbery Banke, where she provided a Seacoast Picnic set-up as a VIP Lounge in 2022.
In her business, Huxtable “makes it a point to shop locally, from the farmers' market to coffee shops, share crops to butchers, clothing retailers to book sellers, and of course florists” when producing her picnic events, according to her nomination entry.
Huxtable also belongs to the Women’s Business League, and is active in local non-profits and charitable groups such as Red’s Good Vibes and the 1623 Foundation. She has donated countless hours to local charitable groups “including providing full-service picnic experiences that collectively total thousands of dollars in donations,” according to her nomination entry.
Krista Maltais
Krista Maltais of Hampton is the founder and owner of Relief Parenting Respite and Resource Center in Hampton.
Relief Parenting focuses on helping parents access resources and find relief. It’s the first and only parenting center of its kind, according to Maltais’ Linked In account. “Relief Parenting provides parents with a safe place to rest, professional on-site childcare, parenting consultations and classes, a variety of perinatal practitioners, opportunities for supportive socialization, community resources, and more,” according to the account.
Maltais has a bachelor’s degree in family studies from the University of New Hampshire and has been an adjunct professor in early childhood education at Great Bay College, according to Relief Parenting’s website. She began working as a post-partum doula in 2006 and was a member of the Seacoast Doula Group for six years before co-founding the Great Bay Doulas in 2011, according to the site. She opened Relief Parenting in 2018, the site says.
Maltais is also fundraising coordinator for Pentucket Perinatal Mental Health Coalition, which works to improve maternal mental health. She also volunteers for the Advanced Doula Designation Review Committee.
Jennifer Mandelbaum
Jennifer Mandelbaum of Portsmouth is a healthcare economics consultant for Optum, part of UnitedHealth Group, of Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Her research has been published in 25 peer-reviewed journals and given more than 60 presentations at regional and national conferences. She teaches an introductory community health class at Tufts University and regularly mentors students on research projects.
She is a governing councilor for the American Public Health Association and a member of APHA’s Education Board; an advisory board member and health policy ambassador for the Society of Behavioral Medicine and serves on the board of the Association of Yale Alumni in Public Health.
“I strongly believe in the power and importance of local community involvement, and I strive to bring my public health background to my service work on the Seacoast and throughout New Hampshire,” she said in her nomination entry.
She serves on the Portsmouth Public Library’s Board of Trustees. She is a member of the New Hampshire Public Health Association where she “builds relationships with New Hampshire lawmakers and their staffs, engaging them to make evidence-based decisions on child nutrition.”
She is a member of the mentoring committee for the New England chapter of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association.
Mandelbaum is a recipient of the Rising Star Award from the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (2022), the 40 Under 40 Public Health Catalyst Award from the Boston Congress of Public Health (2023), and an early career award from the American Public Health Association (2023). The American Society for Nutrition named Mandelbaum an Emerging Leader in Nutrition Science.
Emily Moore
Emily Moore of Dover is the development manager at The Music Hall in Portsmouth.
"I have served the Seacoast community in the industries of higher education, health care, arts and culture and youth programs,” Moore said in her nomination statement. ”Community, for me, is bringing people together to achieve a collective goal. Whether in my job or my volunteer work, I strive for cohesiveness, passion, authenticity and respect to inspire those around me to accomplish greatness!"
Professionally, Moore achieved the highest membership revenue to date at The Music Hall totaling $1,037,879; and celebrated the highest membership count in history at The Music Hall totaling 3,710 households for the 2022-2023 season, according to her nomination entry.
She achieved the largest fundraising year for the Wentworth-Douglass Foundation raising $3.3 million overall. She generated 45% of yearly revenue through the signature events, both of which have seen tremendous growth each year since 2015 (Seacoast Cancer 5K +328% and Charity Classic +162%); and secured a $250,000 major gift, the largest at WDH since the Garrison Wing campaign in 2011.
She Increased the fundraising total from $37 million in FY13 to $49.2 million in FY14 at the UNH Foundation.
She is also currently serving as Board president for the Seacoast Titans. She also served on the Sicilian Sizzle Committee of the Portsmouth NH 400 Little Italy Carnival this year.
Kali Moulton
Kali Moulton of Portsmouth is the purveyor of magical memories and owner of Sages Entertainment of Portsmouth.
Moulton's magical talents have helped build the confidence of many Seacoast youth through Discover Magic, her nomination entry says. She is a nationally recognized and award-winning magic instructor. She is a magician who uses magic to teach and is developing ways to share important messages about mental health and to inspire others through magic. As a co-owner of Sages Entertainment, she has “facilitated shared memories and fun, making her an integral part of our community's entertainment landscape.”
A dedicated advocate for mental health, Moulton has played a pivotal role in designing, building and running a local step-up step-down mental health program, according to her nomination entry. She is a member of the Connection Peer Support Mental Health Board.
Moulton designs and illustrates "Geekasaurus," a nationally syndicated online web comic that offers a humorous yet heartfelt look at the trials and tribulations of parenthood. She also writes and has published horror short stories.
Kara Anne Rodenhizer
Kara Anne Rodenhizer of Portsmouth is the director of housing initiatives for Granite United Way in Portsmouth.
At Granite United Way, Rodenhizer leads the Home for All Coalition, a diverse, multi-sector partnership of over 50 members working to address the issues of homelessness, housing instability, and access to affordable housing in the Greater Seacoast, her nomination entry says.
She also runs Granite United Way’s Affordable Housing Incentive Program, which brings together private landlords and service providers to create pathways to affordable, stable housing.
Since joining Granite United Way in 2022, she has played a key role in securing over $1.5 million in state, federal, and private dollars to support critical programs and services to prevent homelessness and increase access to affordable housing. Earlier, she worked at Haven, New Hampshire's largest violence prevention and support services agency. In her role, she helped secure nearly $3 million in federal funds to grow Haven’s Housing and Shelter program, her nomination entry says.
Rodenhizer currently is the vice chair of the Portsmouth Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, serves on the Council for Housing Stability's Landlord Incentive Task Force, and remains actively involved in other housing and homelessness initiatives throughout New Hampshire.
She holds a Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of New Hampshire. At UNH, Rodenhizer developed “an interdisciplinary program of federally funded research in the field of interpersonal violence,” which was published in more than a dozen peer-reviewed publications and was recognized by the American Psychological Association for “its contribution to feminist research on the psychology of women and gender,” according to her nomination entry.
Nathania Sitiwatjana
Nathania Sitiwatjana of Dover is vice president of commercial banking for TD Bank in Portsmouth.
Before joining TD Bank she was a vice president for business banking for Bank of America in Las Vegas, Nevada, and then Citizens Bank in Portsmouth, according to her Linked In account.
Sitiwatjana is a board member of the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, a program instructor and fundraising volunteer for Lydia’s House of Hope, serves on the Dover Business and Industrial Development Authority and is a financial educator and child care volunteer at Hope on Haven Hill, according to her nomination entry.
She is a member of the Rotary Club of Dover, Catapult Seacoast, Women's Business League, Chamber of Commerce and New Hampshire Commercial Investment Board of Realtors. She graduated in the 2023 Leadership Seacoast class.
Emily Stearns
Emily Stearns of New Castle is the founder and owner of The Drift Collective in Portsmouth.
The Drift Collective takes secondhand clothing and repairs and restores it for resale in its retail store in Portsmouth and online at thedriftcollective.com.
"In addition to creating a thriving, sustainable fashion boutique on Daniel Street in Portsmouth, Emily and the Drift Collective promote local artists, musicians and environmental causes through pop-up events, gallery showings and concerts,” Stearns’ nomination entry said.
Stearns has created an artistic culture of fashionable apparel, which she and her staff recreate from secondhand and vintage clothing that they repair and construct right in the retail boutique, her nomination entry says.
Natalie Tilton
Natalie Tilton of Stratham is a physical therapist and CEO of Ability Allies in Epping.
Tilton has more than 15 years of clinical experience in the fields of orthopedics, post-operative recovery, sports rehabilitation, aquatic therapy, pediatrics, and pulmonary rehabilitation with an array of post graduate certifications and achievements, according to her nomination entry.
She founded Ability Allies in 2020 when practicing in Stratham. In 2021, she renovated a 3,000-square-foot space to create Ability Allies Physical Therapy and Fitness in Epping. The practice has specialties in orthopedic and sports rehab. In 2022, she opened a second location in Greenland with staff who specialize in orthopedic and vestibular/vertigo treatments.
Her practice provides pro-bono services throughout the year for people in need of treatment who are suffering hardship, according to her nomination entry..
Annually since 2021, Tilton has been a sponsor and volunteer for the King Challenge, which benefits the Krempels Center in Portsmouth, which provides care and assistance to people living with brain injury. She also created the Balance Workshop at the center in 2023. Each year, she supports Lights 4 Lives; Victoria’s Victory Foundation, which provides scholarships for people with mobility disorders in Stratham; Newmarket’s Backyard Bash; and Vernon Family Farm.
Every year, she volunteers for Stratham Memorial School’s Teacher Appreciation Week, where she provides free treatment sessions to teachers; for Exeter schools’ Get Fit in May; and for the Seacoast Half Marathon, where she provided the medical tent for the 2023 race.
Tilton founded the Greenland Recreation Department’s field hockey clinic to introduce young girls from Greenland and other local communities to the sport. The clinic has been held annually since 2015.
She is a member of the Exeter chapter of the Women’s Business League.
Jeseca Wendel
Jeseca Wendel of Dover is the public relations and community outreach manager for Rockingham County Rehabilitation and Nursing Center Assisted Living Community in Brentwood.
Wendel works to create meaningful and engaging events for seniors and their families and builds relationships with community partners to promote the benefits of senior living. She takes pride in helping seniors and their families navigate the sometimes overwhelming process of finding the right senior living provider, and has become an invaluable resource for many, according to her nomination entry.
Wendel recently completed her public information officer training which has equipped her to handle a range of communication situations, including crisis situations. She is currently enrolled in an advanced public information officer course. She has developed community engagement programs such as an educational series, volunteer opportunities, and employee events.
Wendel leads Rockingham County’s Employee Resource Group. She has helped organize food drives and participates in local chamber of commerce events. She is a member of the planning committee for the Seacoast's Walk to End Alzheimer's and is the captain of the Rockingham County team.
Outside of work, she is a member of the Seacoast Rugby Club, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting sportsmanship, teamwork and community involvement through the game of rugby. Since 2021, she has also served on the club’s Executive Committee where she helps with fundraising, recruitment, event planning, and community outreach efforts, and is currently club president.
Benjamin Wendt
Benjamin Wendt of Kennebunk is the vice president of sales in the equipment finance division at First Citizens Bank, the sixth largest equipment financer in the United States. For more than 16 years, he has served in the financial services industry and has a career track record of leading innovative organizational growth, driving revenue, change leadership, and developing high performance teams, according to his contest application.
Wendt completed his Ph.D. in leadership at Franklin Pierce University, focused on organizational growth. His academic achievements also include an MBA and Graduate Certificate in Finance from Southern New Hampshire University.
Wendt is a member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth focused on public policy and education. He has also volunteered for and donates to the NH Food Bank, Cross Roads House, Operation Blessing, Pease Greeters and Blue Ocean Society Beach Clean-up.
In November 2021, Wendt co-founded the non-profit Bridge the Globe, focused on leadership development, professional development and community development locally, and in countries around the world.
Brian Yurasits
Brian Yurasits of Portsmouth is community outreach manager for Marine Mammal Rescue at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye.
Yurasits manages the Marine Mammal Rescue team, leads kayak tours and takes wildlife photographs that bring animals and nature close enough for people to access, according to his contest application.
Yurasits is also a former fisheries observer, a former endangered species observer, a wildlife photographer, a surfer, fisherman, traveler, and “an outdoorsy kinda guy,” according to his application. “Making learning about the natural world fun, inclusive and meaningful is why he is a leader on the Seacoast. Plus he can identify any bird you see!"
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Meet 20 finalists for 10 to Watch in 2023