Dover Chamber announces annual award winners, including Educator of the Year

posted on 4/5/2023

The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce named Meaghan Dunn, an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher at the Frances G. Hopkins Elementary School at Horne Street, as the Chamber’s 2023 David K. Bamford Educator of the Year. Chamber staff, Awards Committee members, Dover School Committee members, and Dover School Superintendent William Harbron attended a recent assembly at the school to surprise Dunn in person. As the Educator of the Year, Dunn will receive a $1,000 stipend.

“Meaghan is always seeking innovative ways to serve all students," said Hopkins School Dean of Students Brittany Granfield, who nominated Dunn for the award. "She has formed relationships with a diverse network of partners to enhance her students’ learning experience. Meaghan visits other districts to learn about new strategies, attends meetings and cultural events to support connections, and participates in numerous voluntary trainings to improve outcomes for all learners. She also uses innovative technology to make the school and our community more accessible for students and families.”

The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce voted this year to name the Educator of the Year Award in honor of David K. Bamford, a local businessman and property developer who passed away in July of 2022. A strong proponent for education, Bamford worked to establish the Seacoast Education Endowment for Dover (SEED), a nonprofit that uses money raised by business and individual community giving to award grants to Dover public school teachers for innovative programs, practices, and resources. He was named the Citizen of the Year by the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce in 2016.

In addition to Educator of the Year, the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce will present the following awards at the Annual Awards Gala on May 4: Dana Lynch, Volunteer of the Year; Stephanie and Michael Bolduc, Citizens of the Year; Monarch School of New England, Nonprofit of the Year; Keslar Insurance Agency, Business of the Year; and Danielle Festa, Community Arts Champion.

The Chamber’s 2023 Annual Awards Gala will be held at the Rivermill at Dover Landing and will feature a cocktail reception and dinner. Tickets for the Annual Awards Gala are $90 per person ($75 for Chamber members).

This year’s event will incorporate Dover’s 400th celebration, a year-long effort to recognize Dover’s milestone anniversary.

The gala is sponsored this year by Cleveland, Waters and Bass, P.A.; D.F. Richard Energy; First Seacoast Bank; Newburyport Bank; Cambridge Trust; Shaheen & Gordon, P.A.; Wentworth-Douglass Hospital; Leone, McDonnell & Roberts, P.A.; and HRCU. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.dovernh.org/awards or call the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce at 603-742-2218.