Because of the recent resignations of Ignatius MacLellan and Gerald H. Little from the Bar Foundation board, Racheal L. Stuart and Celia Leonard Wagner have been appointed to fill the vacant one- and two-year terms, respectively.

The Bar Foundation’s standing nominating committee (appointed each year by the Bar Foundation chair) suggests individuals to fill vacancies should they occur.  The committee seeks the input of board members and attempts to recruit people of varying talents and interests, such as Racheal Stuart and Celia Wagner.  Stuart has great expertise in the areas of grant making and scholarships and Wagner is an authority in banking and trusts.  The following paragraphs give only a partial picture of their many outstanding attributes.

Racheal L. Stuart is Vice President of Programs at the NH Charitable Foundation, where she serves on the senior management team, and represents the NHCF in a range of activities in the public, private and nonprofit sectors, statewide and nationally.  She provides oversight for the Foundation’s grant-making, scholarships and initiatives, which totaled about $19 million in 2004.  Her responsibilities include working with staff to design and implement programs and public-private partnerships to address community issues as varied as social capital, substance abuse, affordable housing, and nonprofit effectiveness and accountability. 

In addition, Racheal works directly with staff and Foundation advisors around the state to identify and direct support to emerging needs and opportunities.  Prior to joining the Charitable Foundation in 1998, Racheal was the founding executive director of the Women’s Business Center in Portsmouth, a nonprofit business development center providing training, capital access programs and support for women’s business ownership. 

Celia Leonard Wagner is General Counsel for Citizens Bank New Hampshire (CBNH) headquartered in Manchester.  She is responsible for representing CBNH and the Vermont operations of Citizens Bank, N.A. generally, as well as several Citizens’ business lines, including government banking, trust and retirement services.  Celia also serves as Secretary to both the CBNH Board of Directors and the Joint Trust Committee. 

Prior to joining Citizens, Celia was an attorney with Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell in Concord.   During law school, she was a law clerk with Foley Hoag, Peabody & Arnold and Pitt, Hubbard & Marshall in Boston.  In addition, she served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Hugh H. Bownes, US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston.

Celia received her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law and is a graduate of the University of Colorado-Boulder with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Political Science. She is a member of the bars in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts and admitted to practice before the US District Court for the District of NH.  Celia was highlighted as a “Rising Star” in the May 2005 issue of Business NH Magazine.  

Home | About the Bar | For Members | For the Public | Legal Links | Publications | Online Store
Lawyer Referral Service | Law-Related Education | NHBA•CLE | NHBA Insurance Agency | NHMCLE
Search | Calendar

New Hampshire Bar Association
2 Pillsbury Street, Suite 300, Concord NH 03301
phone: (603) 224-6942 fax: (603) 224-2910
email: NHBAinfo@nhbar.org
© NH Bar Association Disclaimer