Sixty-Fourth Convocation of New England College - September 7
Michele D. Perkins President of New England College will offer the
welcoming remarks, followed by a greeting from Dr. James Murtha,
Chairman of the New England College Board of Trustees. Dr. Murtha has
been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2004 and previously served
as vice chairman. Additional speakers include Dr. Hilton Hallock, Vice
President of Academic Affairs, and David Johnson, President of Student
Senate.
Under the leadership of Thomas Raffio, Northeast Delta Dental was named
both one of the Best Companies to Work For in New Hampshire and one of
the 25 Best Small Companies to Work For in America for five consecutive
years. The Concord-based company administers dental benefits to more
than 700,000 residents of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Tom holds
leadership positions on numerous boards, committees, and community
groups. He is currently serving his second term as the District 2
Representative for the New Hampshire Board of Education. He is an
Incorporator and Chairman of the Board of Granite State Quality Council;
he serves as a Board member and is a former Chairman of the Board of
Early Learning New Hampshire; and he is a charter Member of the Board of
Advisors of the New Hampshire Humanities Council. Tom is a member of
the Reception Committee of the United Way of Merrimack County, the Bow
Schools Foundation, the New Hampshire Scholars Leadership Board, and the
Internship Committee of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St.
Anselm College. Tom’s leadership of Northeast Delta Dental, his role on
community boards and advisory councils, and his dedication to the State
of New Hampshire have earned him recognition from numerous organizations
in the state. He was named Business Leader of the Year in 2004 and, in
2010, Business Leader of the Decade by the Association of Chamber of
Commerce Executives and Business NH Magazine. In 2005 he received the
Leadership in the Arts Award from the New Hampshire Business Committee
for the Arts. And in 2009, Governor John Lynch proclaimed November 16 as
“Tom Raffio Day.” Tom has received degrees from Harvard University and
Babson College, is a Fellow of the Life Management Institute, and a
graduate of the Leadership New Hampshire Class of 1997.
“We are
delighted to award the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree to Tom
Raffio,” stated Dr. Perkins. “His community service career is an
illustrious example of the impact that an individual can have on a local
and global level. The leadership role that he has taken in education,
healthcare, and the arts is a model for the cit
