Author: Angie Sykeny

A new commissioner joins the DOT

Meet the New Hampshire Department of Transportation’s new commissioner, William Cass.

What is your background in transportation?

I graduated from UNH with a degree in civil engineering, and I started right out of UNH working for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. I’ve worked my whole career here, 37 years. Most of my career track has been through project development. I started out in highway design as an entry-level civil engineer and worked my way up into several management and leadership positions. Ultimately I was the head of the preliminary design section, which was charged at the time with implementing the 10-year plan and starting out those projects. From there I became the chief project manager and then came down to the executive office as assistant director of project development, then director of project development. Most recently, prior to becoming the commissioner, I was the assistant commissioner and chief engineer for the last seven years.

What does your job as commissioner entail?

It’s overseeing all aspects of the department. Right now we’re in some legislative sessions … [because] we have the budget coming out. I spent most of my day today over at the legislature having some introductory meetings with some committees, giving them an overview of the department and what it is and what it is we do. Other than that, it’s handling departmental issues, which could range from personnel matters to project-related issues, to constituent issues or any manner of activities that require a commissioner-level decision.

What would you like to accomplish as commissioner?

I’ve come into this probably with more of an internal focus than an external focus, like focusing on the morale of our workforce and on telling the story of how incredibly talented our people are and how amazingly dedicated they are to what they do.

How would you describe your leadership style?

I view myself as a consensus-builder. I really want to pull people together, build consensus, work collaboratively and use the best of everybody’s abilities. We have some amazingly talented people … with a pretty diverse set of disciplines, whether it be in engineering or operations or traffic signal maintenance or administering federal programs. Giving them the opportunity to shine and do what they do best is really how I approach things. I value everybody’s opinion and perspective on an issue or whatever it is we’re dealing with.

What are some of the biggest challenges you’re up against right now?

We have a lot of challenges, as a lot of other agencies do right now, with workforce development. We’re dealing with some historic vacancy rates and having a lot of trouble recruiting and retaining trained workforce. The other thing that kind of goes hand in hand with that is inflation, both in terms of construction projects as well as in our own materials that we buy, [such as] road salt, gasoline and diesel fuel. All of those have been [subject to] supply chain issues and the overall impacts of inflation.

What do you find rewarding about this work?

The biggest reward is being in public service … and being able to accomplish things and see projects get completed. Being able to drive over that bridge that we’ve replaced and having been a part of making that happen is really rewarding.

What would you like people to know about the department?

How hard-working and dedicated and committed everybody here at the department is, and the care that we take to do a good job for the people of New Hampshire. When we have storms, there are people working around the clock on winter maintenance. If it snows all night, they are out there all night. I don’t know if everybody realizes that. So, if you’re reading this, next time you pass a snow plow, give them a thumbs up or something and let them know that you appreciate them, and remember that we are working with a reduced workforce, so please be patient with us.

Featured photo: William Cass. Courtesy photo.

Luna Smith wants to bring positivity to your day

Luna Smith of Londonderry talked about her new podcast, The Friend In Your Ear Pod, launched Jan. 11, with new episodes released every Wednesday. Find the podcast on all major podcast platforms or visit thefriendinyourearpod.com.

Tell us about you.

I’ve been married to my best friend for over a decade now, and we are parents to a 4-year-old boy and a 6-year-old Boston Terrier. I went to school for Classics but ended up in the creative realm working freelance from home. I’ve been obsessed with self-improvement for as long as I can remember. In my pregnancy I started a blog called “That Blissful Balance,” ignorantly thinking I had figured it out, only to discover postpartum that balance is not what I thought it was. Since starting the podcast I’ve restarted the blog to be more in line with the podcast — less about a perfect balance and more about all the tips and tools that make life a little more blissful, coming from the perspective of a recovering perfectionist with high-functioning anxiety who believes even the smallest changes can make major impacts on the quality of our lives.

What made you want to start a podcast?

I’m a huge fan of podcasts and listen to them daily in the pockets of time I have between drop-offs and pickups, housework and work deadlines. But sometimes I would just want to listen to something that was more personable and uplifting, like a pep talk from a friend on a particularly hard day, and I thought that if I felt that way, perhaps others did, too. So that was the inspiration to create a podcast that did that — a podcast that felt like a friend giving you a hug from afar and telling you you could do it; a friend to give you company, positivity and to help you believe in yourself when you need it.

What is The Friend In Your Ear Pod about?

It’s mainly a self-improvement and positivity podcast, currently in a season of wellness, both mental and physical, and each week is on a different topic. They mostly feel like motivational pep talks with some personal experiences sprinkled in. There’s a new segment called ‘Good News’ to celebrate listeners’ wins, because celebrating small wins makes a big difference. I also do a mantra of the week to further help with cultivating and keeping that positive mindset. But it’s all done in a friendly, encouraging way, like a friend giving you a little boost of positivity with a dose of understanding and empathy.

Who is your target audience?

I wanted to create an accessible space for anyone who could use a little boost of positivity and friendly support in their lives, but being familiar with the struggles of women and mothers in particular, that is who I’d like to offer the most support to with the topics I choose to discuss. Though some challenges are universal, I hope everyone can gain something positive from listening.

Where do you get your material?

Right now the material is mostly derived from my own personal experiences in self-improvement and wellness, though some topics are inspired by friends, and reader submissions are always welcome. I would love to provide friendly support in any way I can.

What are your future plans?

I would love to grow and expand in any way I can to provide these friendly pep talks to as many people who need them. Eventually I would love to bring on guests who can provide more expertise on particular topics, but for now it’s just my voice and experiences from things I’ve been able to accomplish and overcome through the power of positive thinking, like letting go of perfectionism and navigating anxiety to achieve goals and create a life I love.

What would you like listeners to get out of your podcast?

I want listeners to feel seen and supported in whatever they’re going through — to feel like they aren’t alone, and to get the motivation they need to make every day a little better, because every little win counts. I hope together we can create a community that celebrates and supports each other.

Featured photo: Luna Smith. Courtesy photo.

Theater group brings performances to kids

Plymouth State University’s TIGER (Theatre Integrating Guidance, Education and Responsibility) theater company celebrates 20 years of bringing social-emotional educational performances to K-through-8 schools across the state. Artistic director Trish Lindberg leads the troupe, which consists of graduate students and professional actors.

What has TIGER been up to recently?

During Covid, most schools weren’t allowing any assembly programs, so we created an online series called Tiger Time, just to keep some content going to the schools during a difficult time. … We started touring again last year. The schools really missed us and were so excited to have us back. We’ve had a lot of bookings. I think, with the pandemic, people realized so much more the value of live theater. That face-to-face connection where an actor is looking right at the eyes of a child is very powerful. … Oh! And we won an Emmy!

Who are the actors?

They are all professional actors. Emily Shafritz is a performer and graduate of the University of New Hampshire from Vermont, Matthew Murray is an actor and theater major from Maryland, Olivia Etchings is a singer and graduate of Manhattanville College from New Hampshire, Kellen Schult is an actor and graduate of Southern Connecticut State University from New York, and K. Bernice is an actor and music director from New Jersey. The TIGER performers are a dedicated breed that care about children and care about helping them overcome difficult social issues that they face. They are the heart of TIGER and deserve all the credit.

What performances are you doing this season?

We’re doing a very exciting collaboration with an international organization called the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement. It was founded by Scarlett Lewis, mother of Jesse Lewis, a child who was killed at the mass shooting at Sandy Hook in Connecticut 10 years ago. … The themes in that show are the themes of Choose Love, which are Courage, Gratitude, Forgiveness and Compassion in Action. I also wrote another show that’s sort of a compilation of a lot of TIGER material that’s been developed over the years. … The themes are what TIGER stands for: Team up together, Inspire greatness, Give of yourself, Empathy and compassion, Respect yourself and others. …I took some of our many songs and put them together with a few new pieces of music. We’re touring those two shows all over New England now. In addition to the two performances, we’ve also offered workshops for children and teachers.

How did you end up collaborating with Choose Love?

I met Scarlett … after she was doing an event at Plymouth State. We started talking about TIGER’s message and how it’s very similar to the message of Choose Love. They were doing a statewide tour … and invited TIGER to be part of that tour … and perform as part of those events. We really clicked as a group. Then, I asked Scarlett, ‘Would you be open to me creating an original musical based on the tenets of Choose Love?’ … She said, ‘That sounds wonderful.’

How does it feel to be celebrating 20 years of TIGER?

This project has impacted the lives of over a half million children in the 20 years we’ve been around. I thank the schools — the school counselors, the educators and teachers and administrators — that believe in the magic of TIGER and hire us year after year to bring TIGER to their schools.

TIGER still has a limited number of bookings available for schools for spring 2023. Schools interested in having TIGER perform can contact tour manager Pamela Irish at 535-2647 or [email protected].

Featured photo: TIGER 2022-2023 cast members (from left) Emily Shafritz, Matthew Murray, Olivia Etchings, Kellen Schult and K. Bernice. Courtesy photo.