Seacoast Impact Collaborative Names Dr. Elizabeth Ackley First Director

PORTSMOUTH, NH, UNITED STATES, October 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — PORTSMOUTH, NH — The Seacoast Impact Collaborative (SIC) has named Dr. Elizabeth “Liz” Ackley as its inaugural director, bringing an experienced systems-change and cross-sector collaboration leader to a growing regional initiative.
Established in 2024, SIC brings together organizations working across housing, food systems, health and human services, workforce development, transportation and education to address complex community challenges through coordinated action. With Ackley’s appointment, the Collaborative will begin building the infrastructure needed to turn relationships and shared priorities into coordinated regional action. Ackley’s work will focus on strengthening coordination among partner organizations, engaging residents, using data to understand progress, and identifying opportunities for aligned investment and action.
“The goal is not to create another organization or program,” said Ackley. “It’s about creating the conditions for organizations to work differently together by connecting people, information, resources, and community priorities so we can address challenges that no single organization can solve alone.”
Gather serves as SIC’s inaugural fiscal host, with the majority of Ackley’s role dedicated to the Collaborative and the remainder supporting Gather’s community-impact and systems-change efforts.
“Dr. Ackley brings more than 16 years of experience working across healthcare, public agencies, philanthropy and community-based organizations,” said Gather Executive Director Anne Hayes. “Much of her career has focused on helping communities move from fragmented efforts toward shared strategy and coordinated action. We are excited that her experience so closely aligns with both Gather and the Seacoast Impact Collaborative.”
Most recently, Ackley served as founding director of the Center for Community Health Innovation at Roanoke College in Virginia, where she led initiatives connecting residents, government agencies, healthcare organizations, nonprofit partners, and funders to improve community well-being. Her work included developing a resident-informed community health data system, leading a $40 million community development initiative in Roanoke’s Melrose neighborhood, and serving as a local leader for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Invest Health initiative.
Throughout her career, Ackley has focused on helping independent organizations work more effectively together through shared planning, community engagement, data, facilitation, and coordinated action. Said Ackley, “The Seacoast already has extraordinary organizations and people working to strengthen this region. Our opportunity is to build the connective infrastructure that helps those efforts add up to more than the sum of their parts, while ensuring community experience and priorities remain central to that work.”

About the Seacoast Impact Collaborative
The Seacoast Impact Collaborative is a regional partnership working to strengthen the systems and conditions that influence community well-being. Founding participants include Gather, Cross Roads House, Portsmouth Housing Authority, HAVEN, Great Bay Community College, Safe Harbor Recovery Center, Greater Seacoast Community Health, Seacoast Mental Health Center, The Chase Home, COAST, Seacoast Community School, and the City of Portsmouth Welfare Department.

About Gather
Gather provides food and other immediate assistance to people experiencing food insecurity while expanding programs that help individuals build long-term stability. Founded in 1816, Gather operates New England’s first Community Food Center and serves more than 10,000 individuals each month across 120 communities in NH and Maine. For more information, visit www.gathernh.org/

Photo credit: Jil Murphy

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Mia Keazer
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Written By: EIN Presswire