Meet the CfRP Team!
Thaddeus C Guldbrandsen, PhD ~ Director
Thaddeus Guldbrandsen is the founding director of the Center for Rural Partnerships and a member of the faculty of Social Science and Environmental Science & Policy at Plymouth State University. He is co-author of the award winning book Local Democracy Under Siege: Activism, Public Interests, and Private Politics (NYU Press 2007) and several other articles and book chapters on topics related to globalization, local democracy, regionalism, sustainable development, and social inequality. He earned his bachelor’s degree in anthropology at the University of New Hampshire, graduating with highest honors in 1995. He earned his doctorate in anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2001. His dissertation, Bull City Futures, examined economic globalization and regional planning efforts in the Research Triangle and Durham, North Carolina as that city made the postindustrial transition from “the City of Tobacco” to “the City of Medicine” at the end of the 20th Century. In 2008, he was named as part of the Union Leader’s “40 Under Forty” young people who make a difference in New Hampshire. Before joining PSU, Thad was a member of the anthropology faculty at UNH (2001-2005) and director of the Center for the Study of Community.
Contact:
Office Phone: 603/535-3276
Mobile: 603/236-1402
Email: tcguldbrandsen[at]plymouth.edu
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/tcguldbrandsen
(Image is of Thad Guldbrandsen and Fran Belcher)
Benoni L Amsden, PhD ~ Research Assistant Professor of Rural Partnerships
Ben is a rural sociologist whose teaching and research meet at the intersection of rural recreation and tourism, agritourism, local food, the economic impacts of rural development, and volunteer stewardship. In addition to working with students and maintaining an active research agenda, Ben oversees the Coös County Outreach Initiative, a program of collaborative partnerships between Plymouth State University faculty, staff and Coos County partners. A native New Englander, Ben joined the Center in Fall 2008.
Contact:
Office Phone: 603/535-3274
Email: blamsden[at]plymouth.edu
Frances M Belcher, EdM ~ Regional Collaboration Coordinator
Fran Belcher’s extensive experience in community development, multi-sector collaboration, public policy, and philanthropy has been a perfect fit for PSU’s rural engagement mission. Prior to joining the Center in November of 2008, Fran served as Director of the NHHEAF Network Educational Foundation and served as program officer to numerous charitable foundations focused upon higher education, family development and community health programs in NH. In addition to teaching Non Profit Management and Philanthropy at PSU, Fran facilitates the Northern Forest Higher Education and Resource Network, a consortium of colleges and universities extending from the Adirondacks to the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Fran obtained her Master's in Education, with a specialization in school and community systems, from Temple University in Philadelphia, and a BA in Psychology and Organizational Behavior from Shippensburg State University of Pennsylvania.
Contact:
Office Phone: 603/535-3270
Email: fmbelcher[at]plymouth.edu
Alice C Richmond ~ Administrative Assistant (On leave)
In addition to administrative duties, Alice directs specific focus to key areas of CfRP infrastructure, such as multi-media communications strategy and production; financial management and planning; and technology. Since joining the Center in September of 2008, she has initiated and facilitated a variety of endeavors. Currently, Alice is engaged in creating a formal communications plan for the Center; developing a set of process management tools to assist seed grant recipients in navigating the ins and outs of working with grant money; mentoring specifications development for a proprietary funding opportunity management database; and acting as a partner liaison for a North Country technology and telecommunications infrastructure implementation and training project. Her work background is diverse, including both touring the world as a professional musician and being the president of a software development and technology consulting company.
Contact:
Office Phone: 603/535-3271
Email: acrichmond[at]plymouth.edu
Pat Campbell ~ Administrative Assistant (Filling in for Alice)
Contact:
Office Phone: 603/535-3271
Email: patc[at]plymouth.edu
Faculty Affiliates
Linda Upham-Bornstein ~
Faculty Fellows (Coös Outreach Initiative)
Catherine Amidon ~ Beyond Brown Paper
Brian Beaudrie ~ Student teachers Supporting Mathematics in Coös County Schools
Peter Drexel ~ WMCC-PSU Information Technology 2+2 Plan
Christian Roberson ~ WMCC-PSU Information Technology 2+2 Plan
Jeff Schall ~ WMCC-PSU Information Technology 2+2 Plan
Mark Okrant ~ The Marketing of a Coös County Lodging Property
Daniel Perkins ~ Hanover Chamber Orchestra Performance and Outreach
Whitney Howarth ~ North Country Cultural Heritage Preservation Project
Patrick May ~ North Country Cultural Heritage Preservation Project
Daniel Lee ~
Verdran Lelas ~
