Our Staff
NH Voices for Health relies on its network of consumer and advocacy organizations, small businesses and individuals to increase access to quality, affordable health care in New Hampshire. The staff team at NH Voices for Health works to identify opportunities and ensure that the entire network has the information they need to push for and understand positive changes in public health policy and to build public support for strong health policy at the State House, in Congress, and all across New Hampshire.
Susan Smith - Executive Director
Susan Smith, BSN, MHA is the Executive Director of NH Voices for Health. Smith’s career as a healthcare professional has spanned over 30 years. She has extensive professional experience in leadership roles with nonprofit healthcare organizations in both New Hampshire and North Carolina. Most recently, Smith served as Administrator of Taylor Community, providing leadership for the operational and clinical performance of patient care services at Lakes Region General Healthcare (LRGH).
Susan has served on the Board of Directors of Genesis Behavioral Health and is a member of several state and local community-based service organizations and healthcare related workgroups. She is an alumnus of Leadership NH, Class of 2011; a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives; a Board Certified Nurse Executive through American Nurses Credentialing Center; and sits on the Commission on Government Affairs for the NH Nurses’ Association. A graduate of Saint Anselm's College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN), magna cum laude, Smith also earned a Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) from the University of Minnesota.
Lisa Kaplan Howe - Policy Director
Lisa Kaplan Howe, Esq. is the Policy Director for NH Voices for Health. Prior to joining Voices, Lisa was the Private Market Policy Manager at Health Care For All in Boston, Massachusetts, where she led policy efforts related to health reform and health care cost control. She also practiced law in Ropes and Gray’s health care department. Lisa holds a law degree with honors from New York University School of Law and a Bachelors of Arts with honors from Tufts University. She is admitted to the state bar in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Lisa currently serves on the board of directors for the NH Health Plan and Against All Odds. She is a native of Nashua and currently resides in Manchester.
Tom Bunnell - Policy Advisor (Consultant)
Tom Bunnell is Director of the Institute for Health, Law & Ethics (IHLE) at New Hampshire’s law school, the Franklin Pierce Law Center. The IHLE is a non-partisan policy center focused on the interplay between health, public policy making, and the law. Tom’s experience and expertise include teaching the models for effective navigation of the so-called “public policy divide,” the gap between the existence of helpful and compelling data, research, analysis, and recommendations on the one hand and the actual implementation of related and sensible public policies on the other. Tom previously served as a health lawyer and lobbyist at NH Legal Assistance, health policy advisor to the Governor of New Hampshire, and public policy director for New Hampshire’s statewide network of community health centers. He is an adjunct professor of health law and policy at the Law Center. Tom holds a JD from Northeastern University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts.
Mike Goudzwaard - Advocacy Network Manager and Organizer
Mike Goudzwaard, M.S. is the Advocacy Network Manager and Organizer for NH Voices for Health. Prior to joining Voices, Mike was the Healthcare Organizer at NH Citizens Alliance and Working Families Win –NH where he led grassroots organizing efforts related to healthcare access and affordability. Mike holds a masters of science in advocacy and organizing from Antioch University New England. He serves on the steering committee for the Monadnock Regional Transportation Management Association and on the editorial board of the environmental literary journal, Whole Terrain. Mike grew up in the high desert of New Mexico and is happy to now call Keene home.
Zandra Rice Hawkins - Communications Coordinator (Consultant)
Zandra Rice Hawkins is the founding Executive Director of Granite State Progress and Granite State Progress Education Fund, multi-issue advocacy organizations using media outreach and organizing to engage citizens in issues of immediate state or local concern. Previously Zandra served as the communications director for New Hampshire for Health Care and as a national organizer for Corporate Accountability International, where she mobilized faith communities to challenge corporate control of water and protect our fundamental human right to water. Zandra was named the Business and Professional Women of New Hampshire's 2009 Young Careerist and currently serves on the board of directors. An alumnus of Gonzaga University (Go Zags!), she lives in Goffstown with her husband Brian and their emerging garden.
