New to Campus
Kirsten Corazzini is the new dean of the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS), succeeding Mike Ferrara, who retired from the position after leading the college for more than eight years.
Corazzini comes to UNH from the University of Maryland School of Nursing, where she served as professor and associate dean of the school’s Ph.D. program. Prior, Corazzini was at Duke University School of Nursing from 2002 to 2019.
After earning her doctorate in gerontology from the University of Massachusetts Boston, she served as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Duke University Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development.
The focus of her scholarship is on improving care outcomes of chronically ill older adults in long-term care, with a particular focus on persons living with dementia. She has been funded for her research by the National Institutes of Health, the John A. Hartford Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. In recognition of her contributions to the field of gerontology, Kirsten was appointed Fellow, Gerontological Society of America, in 2012.
Lucy Gilson will step into her new role as dean of the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics this month.
Gilson comes to UNH from the University of Connecticut School of Business, where she has served as professor and associate dean for faculty and outreach. She joined the faculty in the management department in 2000 and served as chair of the department from 2015 to 2019.
In her various roles at UConn, Gilson redesigned the management undergraduate major to increase enrollment, retention and placement success; created interdisciplinary minors; worked with the dean’s advisory council to enhance the impact of faculty scholarship to the business community; and restructured the dean’s office to align communications, IT, alumni and external relations.
As associate dean for faculty and outreach at the UConn School of Business, Gilson was responsible for overseeing the school’s faculty and research portfolio, as well as the staff and associated budgets for communications, alumni relations, external relations, global programming, IT and the doctoral program. She founded the Women’s MBA Association in 2007 and established a Women in Business Fund in 2020 that seeks to improve the diversity and experience of women.
Gilson succeeds Deborah Merrill-Sands, who is retiring as dean of the college after serving in the role for more than seven years.
Kalle Matso will be the next director for the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP), a UNH-affiliated program focused on protecting the health of the state’s estuaries — where rivers meet the sea. With a long history of working with New Hampshire’s coastal communities, Matso brings to this role his passion for connecting local decision makers with the data needed to inform their choices. “Kalle has an unmatched passion for the PREP mission and making a difference,” says Diane Foster, director for the UNH School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering (SMSOE). “His collaborative and engaged style of leadership will facilitate the growth of PREP’s impact on our community partnerships.”
PREP, which receives its base funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is part of SMSOE, concentrates on safeguarding the well-being of the state’s two major estuaries — Great Bay and the Hampton-Seabrook Estuary. Forty-two communities in New Hampshire and 10 in Maine are located within the 1,086-square-mile watershed that drains to these estuaries.
Matso ’00G ’12G has served as PREP’s coastal science program manager since 2015, where he developed and managed PREP’s science-based programs and projects. He takes over for PREP’s previous director, Rachel Rouillard, who led the organization from 2010 to 2021.
Alexis Simpson has joined UNH as the university’s new chaplain. Simpson is also serving as the executive director of the Waysmeet Center, an inclusive campus ministry and nonprofit organization with strong community-service ties to UNH. She has lived in the Seacoast area of New Hampshire for nearly 15 years and has used her passion for social justice and sustainable food systems to support the local food systems in the area.
Simpson arrives at UNH after having completed a master’s degree in religion, ethics and politics at Harvard University. She previously served as campus minister and chaplain to international students at Emory University, where she earned a master of divinity.
Simpson represents Exeter, Newfields, Newmarket and Stratham in the state legislature, and as a pastor in the United Church of Christ has preached at local churches in the area throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.