“I wanted to get the lay of the land. I didn’t know anyone on the board,” Barbour said. The meetings gave her an understanding of the issues being addressed and learning about the board.

Born in Portsmouth, Barbour went to school there through high school before doing her undergraduate studies at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). She earned a master’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Colorado. Barbour returned home to New Hampshire for an MBA at UNH. Her public accounting career focused on small businesses and individuals in the seacoast region of New Hampshire.

A retired Certified Public Accountant (CPA), she has served on a variety of non-profit boards, as well as on the board of a community bank for twelve years. This June marked the beginning of her third year on the NHEC board.

During the time her accounting practice was in Portsmouth, her work on different boards “was a great way to do practice development and meet people,” she said, “while also getting involved and giving back to the community.” Today, her experience as a CPA and her prior service are helpful in terms of the management of the Co-op and the governance that the board provides.

Her experience also landed her the role of chairperson of the Audit Committee, which looks at risk to the organization and reviews reports provided by the external auditor, as well as by internal audit.

Keeping the power flowing at a reasonable price comes with its challenges, particularly in today’s reality of rising costs across the board and in a state like New Hampshire that is heavily forested and knows its share of storms.

What also became clear with Covid was the essential need for reliable and affordable internet service. In 2020, the Co-op launched NH Broadband, our high speed fiber optic service reaching our underserved or unserved communities.

“We all need to be interested in the future of the state and the NH Broadband initiative is on the forefront of helping the state to grow,” Barbour said.