At each of their twice-monthly meetings, the Governor and Executive Council confirm up to a dozen nominations to various state boards, committees and task forces covering a wide variety of activities and areas of interest.

With a hand in nearly all of these appointments is Kathleen Goode, the governor’s director of appointments/liaison to the Executive Council. Goode, in her second stint in this position (she served in the same capacity in the Shaheen administration) is in charge of helping the governor find qualified, willing candidates for these positions, or, in other cases, reviewing and screening hopefuls for more sought-after posts to aid the Governor in making the selections for nominations.

Goode says lawyers are sought-after professionals for many of the positions—sometimes, the statute creating the board or commission requires it, or the nature of the work demands that expertise. However, she also points out that sometimes attorneys may be the best candidates for positions not because of professional background, but because of their personal interests, such as in the arts, athletics or the environment. 

“If someone is interested in serving on a board or commission, just send me a resume and a cover letter specifying your interests, personal and professional,” Goode said. If an attorney has an interest in a particular board or committee, mention that too, but providing more information on your areas of interest or expertise can be very helpful, she added, in matching up an interested person with an upcoming vacancy.

Many of the appointments to boards and committees are listed in the “Red book” of boards and commissions (with length and dates of expiration for each appointment), which is maintained by the NH Secretary of State and posted online at http://www.sos.nh.gov/redbook/index.htm.

However, Goode cautions aspirants not to rely too heavily on that list to gauge the opportunities available – many positions that appear to be vacant may actually already have a candidate ready, while at the same time Goode may be searching for candidates to fill positions on newly created or temporary study committees or task forces that won’t be listed there.

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