Board of Directors

VALENTINA TESLENKO DINGLE, PRESIDENT

Val is a Managing Principal with Prime Buchholz, an independent investment advisory firm based in Portsmouth, NH. She serves as Chief Diversity Officer and is Chair of the firm's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council.  She is also a member of  Prime Buchholz’s Mission-Aligned Investment Committee.

Previously, Val was Director of Marketing for AARP Financial, a subsidiary of the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit association, where she helped launch a family of lifestyle mutual funds. Prior to that, she served as Vice President of Marketing for Citizens Advisers, a socially responsible investment management firm, where she was active in product development efforts that incorporated environmental, social, and governance factors.

In addition to her Board position with Diversity Workforce Coalition, Val is co-president of St. Olha's Sisterhood in Boston and serves on the board of the Visible Foundation, the trustee for Visible National Trust,  the first national, universally accessible special needs trust platform that connects families and financial advisors.  She is also a member of the National Association of Securities Professionals, which serves as a resource to women and BIPOC professionals within the securities and investment industry. Val holds an M.B.A. from Anna Maria College and a B.A. in Public Relations, with distinction, from Purdue University.  Val also earned the Executive Certificate in Strategic Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Management from Georgetown University.

Monica Zulauf, PAST PRESIDENT

Monica’s professional nonprofit background spans more than three decades, having worked throughout NH in various nonprofit settings. Her primary interests are in nonprofit management, program and leadership development, and sustainability. She has worked to grow and turn around nonprofits by creating service systems that improve the communities they serve.

Under her leadership as President and CEO, the YWCA Manchester expanded to YWCA NH, expanding efforts statewide. YWCA NH received multiple awards for collaboration and leadership. The Families and Work Institute twice recognized the YWCA NH as a Sloan Award winner for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility to acknowledge and honor the YWCA NH for successfully using flexibility to meet both business and employee goals. She served in this role for almost eight years.

Having stepped back from the CEO role, Monica is now the Development Director of The Mayhew Program. Mayhew is a statewide program that challenges and helps at-risk New Hampshire boys to believe in themselves, work well with others, and find their best. She finds inspiration from the boys and loves sharing their successes with donors across the state.

Monica is the past President of Family Support NH, and served as Priority Leader for New Hampshire Child Advocacy Network, leading one of four 2010 priority issues for children to reduce bullying in NH schools. Monica currently sits on the Division of Children, Youth, and Families Advisory Board, The board of directors for, The Diversity Workforce Coalition, and The New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union.

Monica is a past Rotary Club President and was named a Paul Harris Fellow in 2007 for exemplifying the Rotary motto of Service about Self. She is a member of Leadership NH class of 2011.

Jim Whitmore, treasurer

Jim is the Assistant Vice President of Human Resources and Development at Southern New Hampshire University. Jim has been with SNHU for over 20 years and has witnessed its transformation from its roots as a small business college to the only named university amongst Fast Company's list of the world's most innovative companies in 2012.

In his role, Jim serves as a trusted business partner supporting the strategic HR needs of University College, the university's traditional undergraduate college; College for America, a competency-based program with a delivery model created to meet the need for low-cost and highly measurable degrees; and University Services, a multi-functional team of dedicated professionals who serve the needs of the university's business units.

Jim is currently a member of the Manchester Area Human Resources Association, having previously held numerous board positions including president, and the Society of Human Resources Management. Jim received his undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of New Hampshire and a master's degree in Business Administration with an advance certificate in Human Resources Management from Southern New Hampshire University. In addition, Jim possesses his Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification from the HR Certification Institute.

Brie Elliott, SHRM-SCP, secretary

Brie is the Head of HR for Ballentine Partners. Prior to joining the firm in 2012, she worked for TomTom North America managing human resources for their sales, marketing, finance, and IT employees. Prior to TomTom, Brie was the Human Resource Manager for Home Depot, covering seven stores in the New Hampshire and Vermont region.

In 2013, Brie received her Masters of Science in Human Resource Development from Villanova University in Pennsylvania and was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi honor society. Brie also has two bachelor degrees in Business Administration and Psychology from Colby-Sawyer College. She has several designations including her Professional Human Resource Certification (PHR) from the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), her Society for Human Resource Management – Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), and her Certified 401(k) Fiduciary designation from The Plan Sponsor University.

Outside of work, Brie serves as Secretary on the Board of the Diversity Workforce Coalition as well as President on the Manchester Area Human Resources Association Board. In addition, she and is an avid animal lover and lives with her husband Brent in Belmont, New Hampshire.

TINA MARCHICA SHARBY, SHRM-CP, PAST PRESIDENT and director at large

Tina is the Chief Human Resources Officer for Easterseals NH, VT, and Farnum Center, where she is a strategic partner for the nonprofit organization.  She is SHRM-certified, serving on several nonprofit boards.  Tina is a founding member of the Diversity Workforce Coalition and a member of the BIA’s Health Care & Workforce Development Committee.

John Wilson, Past President and director at large

John is President and Partner of GoffWilson, P.A., a global immigration law firm in Manchester, NH.  He is co-founder of the firm and his practice focuses exclusively on immigration law throughout the United States. John has consistently been selected as one of the 'Best Lawyers in America' under the 'Immigration Law' category published by the National Polling Firm of Woodward-White and is designated as a Super Lawyer in the field of immigration law.

John has been practicing law for more than 40 years. He represents employers in all industry sectors, including numerous multi-national companies, import/export businesses, international corporations transferring high tech, executive and managerial workers to the US, colleges/universities/secondary schools, the healthcare industry, hospitality, the high tech industry and manufacturing businesses from all corners of the world. In his full-service practice he assists a diverse group of employers, employees, families and individuals.

GoffWilson, P.A. also maintains offices in Paris, France, Boston and Naples, Florida.

Some of John's past positions include an Adjunct Faculty position for the Graduate School of Business at Southern New Hampshire University and the Global Expert Panel for SHRM. In addition, he has written numerous articles for publications, such as the International Human Resources Journal. He also gives presentations to Human Resource Associations and private groups throughout New England regarding I-9 compliance and immigration law.  John was a previous Director of Diversity for the NH SHRM State Council.

John is a member of the New Hampshire Bar Association and a member of the national American Immigration Lawyers Association and the New England Chapter.

JERMAINE MOORE, director AT LARGE

Jermaine is the founder of The Mars Hill Group, a consulting practice that partners with organizations to support their efforts in building and developing highly engaged, high-performing teams. Previously, Jermaine led the training and development efforts at Vapotherm, Inc., a medical device company based in Exeter, NH.

Jermaine has more than twenty years HR experience working across various industries introducing and reinforcing behaviors that drive business results and team performance. His areas of expertise include Diversity and Inclusion, Organizational Culture Development, Team Development, Leadership Development, Executive Coaching, Communication training, and Change Management.

AURA MARIA HUOT, DIRECTOR PROGRAMMING

Aura is the HR Manager at Lactalis US Yogurt. She is an influential, curious, tactical and strategic business professional with broad understanding of people and business environments.  Aura loves to translate opportunities into action to drive strategy, process improvement, employee experience, engagement, diversity, equity, inclusion, communication, financials, technology, and organizational mission. During her career, Aura has had multiple roles within operations, loss analysis, finance, training, and human resources. 

Aura is the Founder of the People & Leadership - The Other P&L Community. In addition to serving as the DWC's Programming Director, she is a Founding Member at Hacking HR's Experts Council and  Diversity Council Member at Amplify Talent Academy. Through these experiences, Aura has become a connector, an amplifier, a builder, and an innovator who mobilizes people and organizations to uncover and act on the possibilities and achieve great results for all. With her motto of "Go Team!” she is most passionate about fostering inclusive cultures and innovating.

Aura received her Masters of Science in Leadership from Granite State College. Aura also has a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Granite State College. Aura holds several certifications, including DDI-Certified Facilitator from Development Dimensions International, Human Resource Management Certification from UNH, Inbound Certification from HubSpot Academy, and a Project Management Essentials Certification (PMEC) from the Management and Strategy Institute.

Armando Llorente, SHRM-SCP, director At large

Armando joins the Diversity Workforce Coalition with 25+ years management experience in human resources management, organizational development and diversity/equity/inclusion. He is an award-winning bilingual strategist whose efforts have helped organizations enhance employee retention and cultural initiatives, while also improve delivery of services and achieve cost savings.

As manager of Llorente HR Consulting LLC, he assists clients with HR challenges - ranging from Handbook readiness to HR Strategic Planning.  Previously, he was the Vice President of Human Resources and Practice Leader for Clark & Lavey Benefits Solutions (Merrimack, NH.)  Additionally, he was the Director of Human Resources for 2 divisions of Thermo Fisher Scientific in the United States, and coordinated global HR support for business units in Asia, Europe and Australia. Prior to Thermo, Armando was the Senior Human Resources Operations Manager for several EMC (now Dell) divisions, along with the G&A group at corporate headquarters.

Armando received his BA from Wofford College (Spartanburg, SC), and MBA from Plymouth State University (Plymouth, NH). He also is a Fellows Graduate of The Partnership (Boston, MA) and completed the Executive HR Leadership Program at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI.)

Germano Martins, director At large

Germano currently serves as Community Relations Manager with the NH Department of Health and Human Services (NH DHHS), where he has worked for the past 33 years. His previous roles with the agency include Child Support Officer and District Office Manager. Prior to NH DHHS, Germano held various positions in the manufacturing, printing, and trucking industries.

A longtime resident of New Hampshire, Germano arrived here from Brazil in 1972. He is an elected member of the Hooksett Budget Committee, is on the Board of the State Employees Association/SEIU1984, and serves as a Trustee of the New Hampshire Retirement System. He has also served on the boards of several nonprofit agencies.

sara janes hoag, director DWC-shrm/shra liaison

Sara Janes began her career in the financial services industry in 2012. She has several years of experience in Human Resources and is now an Investment Advisor Representative of Primerica Advisors. She currently holds her Series 6, 63, 26, 65 and Life & Annuities licenses, as well as a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education with a focus in Mathematics. Her office is in New Hampshire; however, she offers her Financial Wellness Workshops to the entire greater New Hampshire and Massachusetts areas.

Sara Janes teaches these principles in a simple and interesting way, taking the focus off of products and placing it on fundamental strategies. Her educative approach empowers each client to reach a deeper understanding of their financial decisions, moving them past the numbers to measurable objectives and creative wealth building strategies. She enjoys teaching people how money works in their lives, and aspires to be known as someone who can help people get from where they are to where they want to be financially.

She lives in New Hampshire with her husband, Tracy of 26 years and her 4 children, Kayla, Casey, Keegan and Coriann. 

Sara Janes has served on multiple boards and is currently president of the board for the Webster House Childrens’ group home.  She sits on the Viviana Leon Memorial Foundation board and the NH State Council Board and is a Co-leader of the Women’s Business League chapter in Londonderry. 

KIM AYER, MSF, MSA, DIRECTOR AT LARGE

Kim Ayer brings a wealth of financial expertise to her role on the board, drawing from her extensive experience in the corporate and non-profit sectors. As the Director of Finance at Ballentine Partners, Kim oversees corporate accounting functions, ensuring the preparation of accurate financial reports, maintaining meticulous accounting records, and implementing robust controls to mitigate risk.

Prior to her current position, Kim held various roles in the financial industry, including Assistant Controller at Community Bank & Trust Company, where she prepared management financial reports, analyzed monthly expenses, and assisted with internal and external audits. Her background also includes positions in bookkeeping and accounting at New Horizons New Hampshire, Merchants Automobile Group, and Merrimack County Savings Bank, providing her with a diverse range of financial management skills.

Kim's educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Franklin Pierce College and a Master's in Accounting and Finance from Southern New Hampshire University, equipping her with a strong foundation in financial principles and practices.

SHALIMAR ENCARNACION, DIRECTOR AT LARGE

Shalimar is a first-generation Latina American, mother of three, and grandmother of five, dedicated to fostering equity and community advancement in New Hampshire. As a seasoned advocate and public speaker, she champions educational equity, school choice, and economic justice, with a focus on supporting BIPOC small business owners since 2020.

As Outreach Coordinator for Children's Scholarship Fund NH, Shalimar strengthens existing partnerships and cultivates new ones through engaging outreach events and impactful public speaking. She connects directly with parents, schools, and education-focused organizations across New Hampshire, effectively expanding educational opportunities for the state's youth.

Passionate about education, community development, and small business growth, she empowers others to access resources and become agents of positive change. Her impactful work has earned her the Vita et Caritas Award from the NH Diocese and a fellowship with the Endowment for Health Equity Leaders.

Shalimar's leadership extends to serving on boards of notable organizations, including the NH Community Loan Fund, NH Small Business Development Center, and YWCA. Through her multifaceted approach, she continues to be a driving force for equity, diversity, and economic empowerment in New Hampshire.