Save the Date
2026 Annual Meeting
What the Water Remembers:
The Collective Power of Storytelling
DATE: Tuesday, May 12, 2026
TIME: 2pm — 6pm (including networking reception)
LOCATION: The Hawthorn, 33 Jewell Court, Portsmouth NH
Cinnamon Kills First is a published author, documentary filmmaker, and traditional bead-worker. As a word warrior, she is dedicated to facing hard truths in order to bring about change. Cinnamon is a Northern Cheyenne guest living in Chinook territory, where she owns and operates Northside Advocates LLC.
Cinnamon offers an Indigenous-centric perspective on education, healthcare, and healing. She tailors her messages to address audiences ranging from kindergarten to medical school to national corporations. She offers workshop facilitation, keynote speaking, and professional development training for tribal communities, schools, and healthcare systems.
Featured Speaker
Cinnamon Kills First
“Let’s co-create beautiful ways of life today, for the generations yet to come.”
— Cinnamon Kills First
join us in co-creating:
Program
Open: Centering
1:30 PM: Greeting and Networking — music provided by TEEBA
2:00 PM: Introduction of Featured Speaker
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2:03 PM: Até Song — Cinnamon Kills First
Quadrant I: Mind & Water
2:10 PM: Medicine Wheel Model & Somatic Literacy — Cinnamon Kills First
2:25 PM: Open & Welcome — NHCJE Board President Remarks & NHCJE Year in Review
Quadrant II: Body & Land
2:55 PM: Embodied Awareness & Ramp to Receive — Cinnamon Kills First
3:00 PM: A Community Where Everyone Belongs- Attacks on DEI & Immigration on Our Local Communities.
✧ Dance performance by NSquare.
✧ Community Stories & Pathways to Engagement: Randall Nielsen, Louis Esposito, Maggie Fogarty
3:35 PM: Feel and Listen- partnered activity — Cinnamon Kills First
3:45 PM: Introduction & Screening of “The Myths that Made Us” Trailer — Jeff Fuhrer
3:55 PM: Reflection & Networking — music provided by TEEBA
Quadrant III: Heart & Fire
4:10 PM: Ramp for Re-Centering — Cinnamon Kills First
4:15 PM: A Community Where Everyone Thrives- Economic Disparities in Outcomes & Opportunity
✧ Spoken word
✧ Community Stories & Pathways to Engagement: Gene Martin, Nancy Glynn, and Ed Taylor.
Quadrant IV: Spirit & Air
4:50 PM: Six-Word Story Sharing- Small Group Activity — Cinnamon Kills First
Close: Co-Creating
4:55 PM: Call to Action and Closing Remarks
5 – 6 PM: Reception and Networking — music provided by TEEBA
Panelists
Louis Esposito
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Louis has been serving people with disabilities professionally for over a decade in the fields of special education, supported employment, and community integration. Louis holds degrees in History and Education from Southern New Hampshire University. He is currently a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at Southern New Hampshire University, with his dissertation focusing on “Identity Positioning through the High School Transition Process for Students with Autism Enrolled in Higher Education.” His research emphasizes the critical role of inclusive educational practices in supporting the identity development of students with autism and aims to influence policy and practice to promote more personalized and supportive transition planning for students with disabilities.
Maggie Fogarty
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Maggie Fogarty joined the American Friends Service Committee’s New Hampshire Program in 2007 after several years of social justice work in Bolivia. Grounded in Quaker values, she organizes for economic and racial justice, immigrant rights, and nonviolence. Maggie co-convenes the NH Immigrant Rights Network and NH Voices of Faith, facilitates the Seacoast Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition, and co-leads the NH Immigrant Visitation Program. She serves on the NH Council of Churches board and the Dover School Board. A Dover resident with her husband, she holds degrees from Sweet Briar College and Villanova University and is a member of Dover Friends Meeting.
Randall Neilsen
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Randall Nielsen (he/him) is an artist, engineer, and community organizer based in New Hampshire. They are the founder of Queerlective, a nonprofit that uplifts LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and other marginalized communities through art, storytelling, and collective action. Randall also serves as the Advocacy and Engagement Director for 603 Forward, where they work to build youth power and support emerging leaders across the state. Their work bridges creative expression and systems change, using collaborative projects to foster resilience, equity, and connection. Whether leading workshops, developing community games, or supporting grassroots advocacy, they believe in art as a powerful tool for building community and catalyzing social change.
Ed Taylor
Organizing Director — ACLU - NH
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Ed Taylor works with ACLU of New Hampshire and formerly the Digital Organizing Director for NextGen NH. Ed is a South Florida native who has been in the Granite State for a few years now working to build people power in young and marginalized communities. Ed also works as a Lead Organizer with Rise! in the Upper Valley. Ed is fiercely passionate about empowering, educating, and mobilizing marginalized people to redesign the structures that were created to exclude black people, and people of color. Ed graduated of Florida A&M University, a Historically Black College & University, in 2018 with a Political Science and Economics degree.
Gene Martin
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Gene Martin is the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute. Prior to NHFPI, he served as the Associate Director of Development and Director of Government Relations at Plymouth State University. He previously held various roles in the NH State Senate as the top policy and communications staffer in the Senate Minority Leader’s office, overseeing a policy portfolio of the state budget, education, economic security, and tax policy; as well as a Legislative Aide, staffing the Senate Transportation and Ways & Means Committees. Gene is an active community member serving as the Secretary for the Black Heritage Trail of NH, Treasurer for the Manchester Lions Clubs, and Trustee for Leadership New Hampshire. Gene has served on the Board of Directors of the Manchester Historic Association and is a past chair of Plymouth State University’s Alumni Association. He was also recognized by the New Hampshire Union Leader’s 40 Under 40 program. Gene is a Ph.D. student in Leadership & Policy at the University of New Hampshire, where he received his Master of Public Administration from the Carsey School of Public Policy. Gene also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Plymouth State University and is a proud graduate of Manchester Public Schools. He is also a graduate of Leadership New Hampshire Class of 2018. Gene lives in Manchester with his wife and two daughters.
Nancy Glynn
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Nancy Glynn is the Campaign Director for MomsRising in NH. She is a mom, an activist, and even a library trustee (elected!) She's been advocating on behalf of New Hampshire families since around 2016 and has a true passion for health care advocacy. In her free time, Nancy loves to push herself to run farther than she's ever run before - and has a goal of 750 miles in 2023. She lives in Sutton, NH with her partner and their son.
Performers
Thomas Forbes
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Teeba is a bassist, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter hailing from Seacoast NH, USA.
Masterfully navigating diverse styles, and having collaborated with artists such as Eminem, DMX, Nas, Denaun Porter, Dave East, JID, DJ Drama, Ceelo Green, and more, Teeba's musical journey encompasses a rich tapestry of experiences, making him a sought-after collaborator in the industry.
NSquared Dance
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NSquared Dance is a professional dance company founded in 2014 by Artistic Directors Nick Neagle & Zackery Betty. NSquared Dance seeks to positively impact lives through dance by providing high quality performances to the public. Originated out of New York City, NSquared is now Manchester, New Hampshire's premiere contemporary dance company. Our goal is to build a company on the foundation of versatility.
Not only do we aspire to house dancers who have the facility to execute various genres, but to create a repertoire that can engage an audience while covering many contrasting styles. We believe that dance is an avenue for self-expression and a conduit of communication between the passionate artist and the receptive spectator.
NSquared Dance strives to: energize audiences through movement, enhance creativity, artistry, passion, and drive of youth and aspiring dancers, and enlighten the community about the importance of performing arts education and to further its integration into our everyday lives.
Since 2014 NSquared Dance has created over 15 works toured throughout the United States. The company has produced three split-bill shows in NYC and two full company tours to Portland, Maine. The company has been featured in festivals in Seattle, Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore, Boston, Pittsburgh, and of course Manchester, NH. NSquared Dance is to provide the Northern part of New England with the contemporary dance experience, providing new outlets to visualize dance in the community.
Kate Crary
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Kate Crary has been making art for over 20 years. Finally giving in to peer pressure, Kate decided to start offering her art for sale in 2020. Kate makes art of all kinds, including paintings, drawings, and jewelry. One of the challenges of starting a business for Kate has been focusing on just one kind of art - so "Kate Makes Things" was born out of the need to fluidly move from one art form to another. If you've ever been interested in purchasing a piece of Kate's work, regardless of its format, you've come to the right place.
Kate lives in NH with her son, partner, pets of all kinds, and a love for the outdoors. All of her art is inspired by life experiences and the nature that surrounds her. During the week, Kate works in public health, volunteers, and hikes whenever possible.
Vendors
Dave Vargas
Chef/Owner — Vida Cantina
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David Vargas, Chef/Owner of Vida Cantina, brings his Mexican heritage and appreciation for local seasonal New England product to every plate at Vida Cantina in Portsmouth, NH. A James Beard nominated chef, (2023, 2022, 2020, 2019) David grew up in Southern CA and has spent a lifetime learning, living and sharing his Mexican heritage. David’s mother and father are both from the state of Jalisco; in CA together his parents owned a taqueria and were CA police officers. David grew up in the family’s taqueria; cooking family recipes with fresh local ingredients, while learning all he could about his Mexican culture. It was important to David’s parents that he appreciate his Mexican heritage. Appreciate it he does indeed at Vida Cantina, where with each dish he is “elevating our understanding of what Mexican food is or should be, while elevating our understanding of what New England cuisine is or should be” The Portsmouth Herald. According to The Boston Globe, David prepares “the best Mexican food north of the MA Border” and is “nearly evangelistic about using local ingredients.” In August 2019, Boston Magazine declared “David Vargas, a James Beard award-nominated chef is making some of the best Mexican food on the East Coast at Vida Cantina in Portsmouth, NH.” In 2023 he was nominated as a James Beard semifinalist for the national title of Outstanding Chef. Locally, regionally and nationally, the critics agree that Chef David Vargas s shining a bright light on Mexican cuisine, and his dishes at Vida Cantina are definitely “worth the drive” to Portsmouth, NH.
Matthew Anderson
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Hi, I’m Matthew Anderson, a professional photographer based in Portland, Maine. With nine years of experience behind the lens, I specialize in capturing authentic moments that tell a story. Whether it’s an event, a portrait session, or a breathtaking landscape, I strive to create images that leave a lasting impact.
Beyond photography, I’m passionate about the outdoors—hiking, exploring lakes and beaches, and embracing the beauty of nature. I also love cooking and the creativity that comes with it. At the heart of everything I do is a deep belief in equality, kindness, and the power of love.
