Spotlight

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Center for Life Management logo
Center for Life Management: Dedicated NH-ME LEND Clinical Site
We are pleased to highlight our NH-ME LEND clinical partner, Center for Life Management (CLM). Learn More
NH-ME LEND Spotlight, with images of four women who've graduated from NH-ME LEND in the past and are featured in this article
LEND Alums Join Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies
For 13 years, CCIDS has partnered with NH-ME LEND to advance disability research. Meet the newest LEND alums now joining their team! Learn More
A woman presents in front of a screen showing a document titled 'Paid Family Caregiving'
LEND Alums Join the Spring Policy Kickoff: Organizing to Influence Your State’s Policy
On January 24, LEND alumni joined the spring policy kickoff in Lewiston, Maine. Learn More
NH-ME LEND logo
Welcome People First of New Hampshire to the NH-ME LEND
We are pleased to welcome a new leadership project partner, People First of New Hampshire. Learn More
Join Us
Recruiting the 2026 NH-ME LEND Cohort
We are currently seeking applicants from New Hampshire and Maine for the 2025-26 academic year. Learn More
Two women standing in front of a large poster in a conference room
Integrating Self-Advocacy Through Universal Design: NH-ME LEND at AUCD 2024
Last Month, NH-ME LEND showcased our valued work integrating the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into our LEND curriculum at the Ass... Learn More
A Group of 30 people stands on outside steps on a sunny day.
Introducing the 2025 NH-ME LEND Cohort
We proudly welcome the 33rd cohort of trainees to our LEND Program. Learn More
Two people help a third woman balance on a tightrope while she makes her way across. In the background, another group is doing a similar activity.
Browne Center Tradition Lives On
In September, our program opened the 2024-25 academic year with two days of leadership activities including the annual tradition of heading into the w... Learn More
A group of happy excited people pose for a selfie in front of the US Capitol Building on a sunny day.
Congressional Hill Visits Successfully Educate Policy Makers
In April, NH-ME LEND trainees and faculty traveled to Washington D.C. to attend the Disability Policy Seminar and had the opportunity to visit their s... Learn More
Meaghan Foster and her son Zander (a young boy with Downs syndrome) testifying at the NH Health and Human Services Committee hearing.
LEND Policy Experience Impacts Legislative Change
This month’s Submit a Story entry, written by Meaghan Foster (LEND 2019), illustrates the continuing impact of the LEND Policy experience on our Alums... Learn More
Betsy Humphreys is a woman is midlength white hair, tortoise shell glasses, and a bright yellow scarf
NH-ME LEND Program Director, Betsy Humphreys to Retire
This summer, after a career spanning over 40 years, Humphreys will be retiring from the Institute on Disability (IOD) and NH-ME LEND program, leaving ... Learn More
Sarah Smith is a woman with blonde hair and a black blouse standing in front of a brick building on the UNH campus.
Dr. Sarah Smith Announced as New Director of NH-ME Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NH-ME LEND)
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Sarah Smith as NH-ME LEND Director, while also maintaining her current role as associate professor i... Learn More
watercolor painting of a green landscape with mountains and a giant swirly sun
Spread the Word: LEND Applications are Open
LEND recruitment is open. Learn More
a collage of headshots of the six people who presented on the Organizing to Influence Your State’s Policy Panel
NH-ME LEND Spring Kickoff: Organizing to Influence Your State’s Policy
In late January, NH-ME LEND gathered for the annual spring kick-off event: Organizing to Influence Your State’s Policy. An inspiring keynote speaker, ... Learn More
Mother with arm tattoos holding a baby
Families Flourish Northeast: Family Centered Recovery for NH Women
Summary Learn More
unity and collaboration of diverse people
New Collaborations with Clinical Partners Enrich the LEND Experience
We are pleased to welcome the Multilingual Speech-Language Pathology Clinic at UNH as a new training site this year and renew our collaboration with F... Learn More
A group of women happily pose in front of an AUCD photo wall, some are hold little signs with the AUCD logo and Emerging Leaders: Shaping the Future
AUCD 2023 Conference: Emerging Leaders Shaping the Future
In November, NH-ME LEND joined experts from across the disability field at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Annual Confere... Learn More
What's your story? note on a clothespin
Share A Story with Spotlight
Opportunity to share your LEND story! Learn More
A sign post with the following destinations: Inclusion, Gender, Diversity, Differences, Equality, Disability, and Tolerance
Welcome Leadership Partners
This year we welcome three organizations who will challenge trainees to build community engagement, support innovative research and assess parental ne... Learn More
NH-ME LEND logo
NH-ME LEND Alums Join Maine Faculty
This year, the NH-ME LEND program is pleased to welcome two alums from the 2021 cohort who will bring their expertise in early childhood education and... Learn More
five LEND trainees gathered around a table drawing a poster that says Community LEND
UNH Browne Center Kicks Off NH-ME LEND Cohort Team Building
An afternoon of team building at UNH’s Browne Center for Innovative Learning has become a NH-ME LEND annual tradition. Learn More
staff portraits of Shelly Mulligan, a woman with wavy shoulderlength graying hair in a dark gray turtleneck and blazer, Rosemary Caron, a woman with short brown hair wearing glasses and a burgundy suit jacket, with matching lipstick and a pearl necklace, and Rae Sonnenmeier, a woman with wavy chin length white hair wearing glasses, a grey blouse and black cardigan.
NH-ME LEND Honors Senior Faculty Members
This year NH-ME LEND will bid farewell to three University of New Hampshire faculty members: Rae Sonnenmeier, Communication Sciences and Disorders; Sh... Learn More
Three women stand togehter with arms around each other in front of poster presentations smiling.
Best wishes to the 2023 NH-ME LEND Cohort
This year’s NH-ME LEND cohort participated in two year-end events in May to showcase and celebrate their accomplishments: the annual Capstone Poster S... Learn More
Maine Pediatric & Behavioral Health Partnership (MPBHP) logo
Ashley Mulkern (NH-ME LEND 2023) Partners with Maine CDC to Improve Pediatric Mental Health Care Access
NH-ME LEND is delighted to spotlight a valued leadership partner, Maine’s Title V Program, Maternal and Child Health (MCH), located within the Maine C... Learn More
AUCD logo - Association of University Centers on Disabilities. The leadership, education, advocacy, and research network.
The Association of University Centers on Disabilities:
A Valuable Network and Resource for Leaders
AUCD coordinates network activities, disseminates a wide variety of resources and information, and provides technical assistance to the network on a b... Learn More
a caricature of Kathy Bates, a woman with blond hair in a wheel chair answering emails with a light bulb above her head
From Where I Sit: Kathy Bates Blogs About Disability
Through her work as an advocate, teacher, and writer, NH-ME LEND faculty member, Kathy Bates has influenced how today’s world views and supports peopl... Learn More
A large conference room with two men and a woman on stage between two pillars and a man in a blue blazer talking into a microphone. There are tables of attendees watching.
Spring Kick-Off: Engaging in Advocacy and the Policy Process
In January, NH-ME LEND convened trainees, faculty, and five panelists for a Leadership Intensive: Organizing to Influence Your State's Policy. Panelis... Learn More
A green strand of DNA with the text "DNA Today"
NH-ME LEND Featured on "DNA Today"
At the top of the year, NH-ME LEND trainee Karina Mancini, NH-ME LEND Director Betsy Humphreys, and Karen Volle, Project Director with the New England... Learn More
A group photo of NH-ME LEND trainees and staff at the AUCD Conference in Washington, DC. They are sitting in chairs in a ballroom looking backwards at the camera.
2022 Grads and Faculty Present Posters at AUCD in Washington, DC
In November, several NH-ME LEND graduates and faculty gathered in Washington, DC, to attend the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUC... Learn More
NH-ME LEND logo
New Clinical Partners Join NH-ME LEND
We are pleased to welcome Dover Pediatrics, Gateways Community Services, and Community Partners Behavioral Health Services as new training partners th... Learn More
Top: A woman in a brown, flowered headscarf is talking into a microphone. Another woman in a sweater is sitting at a table next to a woman in a blue headscarf. Bottom: LEND staff and trainees listen to Betsy Humphreys give a presentation.
Fall Leadership Intensive Explores Cross-Cultural Perspectives
In late September, NH-ME LEND convened an in-person Leadership Intensive at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston/Auburn Campus. Through short m... Learn More
Betsy Humphreys leading an art activity
The NH-ME LEND Program Kicks Off Another Year!
September marks an exciting time of year, as NH-ME LEND welcomes a dynamic, new cohort of trainees. Learn More
Sarah Smith standing in front of a brick building
NH-ME LEND Program Energized by New Faculty Leaders
This year, the NH-ME LEND program welcomes two new faculty members who bring expertise and vision to carry on the work of our tenured faculty.  Learn More
A Zoom meeting screenshot featuring NH-ME LEND at the Disability Policy Seminar.
Medicaid Policy Top Priority for NH-ME LEND
This spring, in preparation for the Disability Policy Seminar (DPS) in Washington, DC, trainees engaged in a six-week policy module where they were im... Learn More
NH-ME LEND trainees, faculty, and staff pose for a group photo
Congratulations to the NH-ME LEND Cohort of 2022!
For the first time in two years, NH-ME LEND faculty, trainees, and community partners celebrated together at the University of New Hampshire on May 6,... Learn More
NH-ME LEND logo
NH-ME LEND 30th Anniversary Video
NH-ME LEND celebrated their 30th anniversary by creating a video that features LEND trainees, alums, and staff reflecting on what LEND means to them a... Learn More
The Creating Connections NH and Project SCOPE logos are below four photos showing people doing various types of work.
UCED/Ds Provide Leadership Training Opportunities
Each year, NH-ME LEND trainees are challenged to expand their leadership skills and advance their knowledge of the system by partnering with disabilit... Learn More
original painting from trainee Erin Wood (LEND 2022) from our mid-year reflection session, depicting the LEND Journey.
Spread the Word: LEND Applications are Open
It’s time to get the word out! NH-ME LEND is actively seeking our next interdisciplinary cohort for the 2022-23 academic year. Do you know a colleague... Learn More
Kay Johnson is a woman with straight brown hair and red glasses
Congratulations Kay Johnson!
NH-ME LEND health policy faculty member Kay Johnson is the 2021 recipient of the Title V Lifetime Achievement Award through the Maternal and Child Hea... Learn More
collage of headshots of: Top row to bottom row from left to right: Karen Blake–Director of Public Policy and Advocacy/CSNI; Laura Sweet– parent advocate; Sawin Millett–ME State Representative; Cathy Breen–ME State Senator; Kelly Ehrhart–President of People First; Thomas Minch–Disability Rights Maine
Spring Kickoff
In late January, NH-ME LEND hosted Keynote speaker Laura Sweet and additional panelists as part of its virtual Spring Semester Kick Off Event “Organiz... Learn More
Community Crossroads: Dedicated to Supporting Independence
Community Crossroads, valued as a long-time partner of the NH-ME LEND program, has offered numerous opportunities for trainees in leadership and clini... Learn More
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Welcome New NH-ME LEND Faculty
NH-ME LEND welcomes new faculty to their team. Learn More
NH-ME LEND 2022 Trainees
Welcome to the 2022 NH-ME LEND Trainees
Welcome to the 2022 NH-ME LEND Trainees! On a beautiful September day, trainees from across New Hampshire and Maine arrived in Durham, NH to kick off ... Learn More
NH Family Voices
NH Family Voices
New Hampshire Family Voices (NHFV) began in 1994 as a grassroots organization in response to the national call for ... Learn More
Marnie Morneault
LEND Faculty Highlight: Marnie Morneault
Marnie Morneault (LEND 2013) joined the faculty in 2019 bringing her expertise in inclusive education and care ... Learn More
April Fournier
April Fournier: A Remarkable Journey after LEND
April Fournier (2018) has recently accepted a new position working as the Early Childhood Support Specialist for the Outpatient Pediatric Clinic at Ma... Learn More
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NH-ME LEND CELEBRATES 30 YEARS!
NH-ME LEND is proud to be celebrating 30 years of a rich and evolving history of preparing interdisciplinary leaders to enter the field of maternal an... Learn More
Bianca Mcafee presenting poster at the virtual annual capstone poster session
First Virtual Cohort Concludes with Capstone Poster Session
On May 7, 2021, over 50 Leadership Partners, UNH, and U-Maine faculty and disability leaders virtually joined the gradua... Learn More
thank you
Thank You: NH-ME LEND Advisory Committee Members
This month, Spotlight highlights and acknowledges the valuable work of our NH-ME LEND Advisory Committee.  Learn More
Patrick Shannon wearing a blue UNH sportscoat and white collared shirt
 LEND Faculty Highlight: Patrick Shannon
Patrick Shannon, Associate Professor in the UNH Department of Social Work, brings expertise in Disability Advocacy and Policy to the NH-ME LEND progra... Learn More

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