NH Division of Economic Development Director Will Arvelo honored by Great Bay Community College as a Distinguished Leader on 11/1/19. A scholarship in his name has been established at the college.
Will Arvelo, director of the Division of Economic Development, was honored earlier this month at Great Bay Community College’s annual Distinguished Leaders Gala. The following is from the evening’s program.-ED.
Dr. Wildolfo Arvelo is the director of the Division of Economic Development, which is part of the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs. In this role, he works with a team that focuses on state-wide issues related to economic development and strategy; business recruitment, expansion and retention; workforce training and development; business and education outreach; and diversity and inclusion.
Prior to his appointment by Gov. Sununu, Arvelo served 33 years in leadership positions within higher education at public and private colleges. From 2007-2017, he served as president of Great Bay Community College, where he transformed the college to be outwardly focused and on developing products/programs to better serve the needs of business and industry.
Arvelo oversaw the building of the Portsmouth campus, as well as the subsequent move of the college from Stratham. In 2012, he oversaw the construction of a satellite campus in Rochester that focused on manufacturing education and in 2015, the addition of the college’s Student Success Center.
Arvelo is dedicated to the exploration of collaborations and partnerships between New Hampshire’s business and industry sector and higher education, recognizing that an educated workforce is the best hope for economic development and New Hampshire’s future.
From 2011-2015, he was principal investigator for the $20 million U.S. Department of Labor TAACCCT grant for capacity building in advance manufacturing education for New Hampshire. He also worked to enhance science, technology, engineering and math education at the college and to build articulation pathways with the University System of New Hampshire and other colleges and universities in the state. He also encouraged and supported faculty involvement in National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health efforts to increase undergraduate research at Great Bay, in partnership with Dartmouth College and UNH.
He has served on numerous regional and state-wide education, business development and non-profit boards. In 2012, the City of Portsmouth Business Chamber selected him the Citizen of the Year, citing his strong support of business and education.
On air with New Hampshire Business Matters, WTPL-FM
New Hampshire Business Matters airs every third Wednesday of the month on WTPL-FM 107.7. Division of Economic Development Director Will Arvelo hosts the segments, discussing topics of interest in today’s state economy.
Will Arvelo is the director of the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development. – ed.
Diversity plays a valuable role in our communities and state; from it comes fresh ideas, innovation and new ways to look at old ways. Insuring that New Hampshire’s population continues to diversify and be inclusionary is a priority of the Division of Economic Development.
Data shows that New Hampshire’s population is becoming more diverse. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the non-white population, including those that identify with two or more races, increased to 6.4 percent in 2017 and Latinos make up almost 4 percent of the population.
While these percentages may seem small in comparison to southern New England, it is undeniable that New Hampshire is changing and becoming more diverse.
As New Hampshire continues to evolve as part of a broader international community and as the U.S. continues to see significant demographic changes, the demographics within our state will also shift to reflect those changes.
In 2012, 21 percent of the U.S. population was non-white, or of two or more races. Also that year, 17 percent of the total U.S. population was of Latino/Hispanic descent. By 2060, the U.S. non-white population and those with two races or more will exceed 30 percent and those of Latino descent will also exceed 30 percent.
For our employers who are increasingly concerned about their ability to attract and retain a diverse workforce, this diversification is welcome in New Hampshire. Many are instituting initiatives to make their workplaces more welcoming and accepting of, not only different ways of thinking, but people’s differences. We also know that younger people, white and non-white, prefer to be in diverse communities, whether that be their workplaces or living spaces.
This is good for all of us.
New Hampshire, like its neighboring states, is still challenged in its efforts to attract and retain a more diverse demographic. To that end, we are focusing on ways to be a state that is welcoming, accepting, and supportive. If we are to widen our competitive advantage, we need a diverse workforce.
There are many efforts in corporations, including Eversource, Eastern Bank, Hutchinson and others, and communities building advocacy and sustainability to achieve this goal. In addition, agencies including The Endowment for Health; Diversity Workforce Coalition; NAACP of the Seacoast; AARP, Welcome New Hampshire and many others that are working to make improvements across our state.
The Governor’s Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion will be central to this effort, with its recommendations due later this year. They will be used to create a sweeping, unifying strategy that brings all these efforts together to leverage resources, build a collective vision, build capacity, and have deep impact within a short time.
On July 26, a statewide working group will meet to begin building a unified, strong, sustainable effort around diversity and inclusion. Doing so will make New Hampshire more welcoming and attractive within our increasingly diverse nation and it will allow us to build a society reflective of diverse ways of being and thinking. It will also allow New Hampshire to continue to build and sustain its diverse economy and remain competitive regionally, nationally, and internationally.
Talk to just about any business across New Hampshire and we hear about workforce challenges.
On the latest edition of our monthly radio show, New Hampshire Business Matters, Division of Economic Development Director Will Arvelo talks with Todd Fahey, state director of AARP New Hampshire about older workers and what they bring to today’s workforce.
Tune into NH Business Matters at 2:05 pm on the third Wednesday of the month on WTPL – 107.7FM
The trend, he says, is that people are living longer, working longer, retiring later and still have a lot to offer to companies.
The Executive Council on Wednesday unanimously confirmed Will Arvelo as the next director of the Division of Economic Development.
“Will Arvelo’s unanimous confirmation today to lead the Division of Economic Development is great news for New Hampshire,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “From his steadfast leadership at Great Bay Community College to his impressive community resume, there is no better choice to lead New Hampshire’s Division of Economic Development than Will Arvelo. Will’s enthusiasm and passion for the Granite State is evident, and I am confident that he will continue to ensure that New Hampshire remains the best place to live, work, and raise a family.”
Arvelo is president of Great Bay Community College, a position he has held for 11 years. He is credited with guiding the college through a period of growth, which included moving the college from Stratham to the Pease International Tradeport and development of the Advanced Technology & Academic Center in Rochester.
“At a time when workforce development and talent attraction are the most crucial needs of our expanding economy, having someone with Will’s experience will be a game changer,” said Commissioner Taylor Caswell of the Department of Business and Economic Affairs. “This new department now has a leadership team in place to dramatically enhance our ability to work with New Hampshire’s communities and businesses to meet their needs and continue to advance a sustainable economy that is accessible for all Granite Staters.”
Here’s a press release passed on to us by our friends at the New Hampshire Bio/Medical Council. Congrats to our own Cindy Harrington for capturing the “Conduit Award” as well to all of the other recipients!
The New Hampshire Bio/Medical Council honored industry, government and educational leaders at their gala annual awards dinner held at Wentworth-by-the-Sea Country Club. The event drew over 100 professionals from all over New England for cocktails, dinner, power networking and the awards ceremony all to the sounds of live big band jazz.
Lin Tamulonis, Great Bay Community College, Cynthia Harrington, New Hampshire Division of Economic Development and Rick Alteri, Salient Surgical Technologies celebrate their awards at last night's banquet.
Paula Newton, president of the New Hampshire Bio/Medical Council and chairman of NEBA (New England Biotech Association), was the emcee for the evening. Speeches were delivered by Will Arvelo, President of Great Bay Community College, Commissioner George Bald of the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development, and Jackie Eastwood, founder of Salient Surgical Technologies (formerly TissueLink Medical) and keynote speaker for the event.
Jackie Eastwood’s keynote address was wildly entertaining as she reminisced about spending over a decade enduring Minnesota winters then moving back to New Hampshire “for the weather.” Her message was to stay encouraged, look for more than money from your investors, and to stay in New Hampshire. She went on to tell a story about a top shelf, venture capitalist from Silicon Valley who was too busy and too important to spend more than a few interrupted minutes on his cell phone at their prearranged investment briefing. She got up and walked out. He walked into a closet, accidentally. After finding other investors who were interested in partnering and sharing in her success, she co-founded TissueLink Medical now Salient Surgical Technologies, a publically traded company.
During the awards ceremony, the board of directors presented the following awards: Innovation Award to Salient Surgical Technologies accepted by Rick Alteri, CFO; Leadership Award to Gregg Fairbrothers and the Dartmouth Regional Technology Center accepted by Jonathan Gould, President; Up & Coming Award to Adimab, accepted by Gravin Barnard, an alliance manager for Adimab; Higher Education Award to Great Bay Community and Lin Tamulonis College, accepted by Lin Tamulonis;
Spirit & Inspiration awarded to Nancy Briefs of Elemé Medical, accepted by Robin Mendenhall; and the Conduit Award to Cynthia Harrington of the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development.
The Council looks forward to continued momentum and enthusiasm from this event by professionals who have been waiting get more involved, network, and help each other grow life sciences in the state of New Hampshire. For more information visit: www.nhbiomed.org.
The New Hampshire Bio/Medical Council will honor industry, government and educational leaders on October 8 at their first annual awards dinner held at Wentworth-by-the-Sea Country Club.
The award categories range from “Leadership” to “Inspiration,” “Up and Coming” and “Conduit.” Presenting the awards will be members of the board of directors who have nominated their peers for distinguished service to the industry.
Jackie Eastwood, founder of Salient Surgical Technologies (formerly TissueLink Medical) is the keynote speaker for the event. Special guests include New Hampshire Department of Resources & Economic Development Commissioner George Bald.
“Growing a business from the ground up in New Hampshire has been a rewarding experience,” Eastwood said. “There is a plethora of educational, professional and industry resources available. Our team made the lifestyle choice to be here and it has paid off. ”
NH Bio/Medical Council President Paula Newton
“For the first time we are privileged to recognize talented, inspirational, and educational professionals who contribute to the state’s economic growth and are furthering the state-of-the-art for life sciences,” added Paula Newton, president of the New Hampshire Bio/Medical Council and chairman of the New England Biotech Association. “We want to encourage those being honored to continue to lead, mentor and connect others to our industry.”
The council expects almost 100 people at the gala event and looks forward to honoring their strategic partner, BioConnectNH and Great Bay Community College for their continuous support. President Will Arvelo will speak about the many programs in life science for youth and college age students in an effort to develop life science careers in the state of New Hampshire.
