Exeter Resident New PIO Officer for NH Supreme Court

The following is a news release:

The New Hampshire Supreme Court announced today that Carole Alfano, a lawyer and veteran New Hampshire communications specialist, has been appointed public information officer for the Judicial Branch. Alfano succeeds Laura Kiernan, who founded the court's public information office in 2001 and is retiring.

A resident of Exeter, Alfano is currently Communications Director for the New Hampshire Senate. A graduate of Syracuse University College of Law, Alfano was a legal fellow at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Washington, D.C. before beginning her communications career in New Hampshire where she worked as a producer both at WMUR and New Hampshire Public Television (NHPTV). In 2000, Alfano was the executive producer at NHPTV for both the Republican and Democratic Presidential Primary debates.

Alfano first served the State Senate as communications director in 1998 and from 2001-2005 worked as a special assistant to the Senate president. Before returning to the senate in 2011, Alfano was a speechwriter for then Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, and worked as public relations manager at the Pease Development Authority and communications director for Nashua Mayor Donnalee Lozeau.

"While we will miss Laura Kiernan's invaluable service to the New Hampshire Judicial Branch, we are confident that Carole Alfano is more than capable of taking over the responsibilities of the Public Information Office, and we are pleased that she has agreed to join us and to assist the Branch in its public communication and outreach efforts," Chief Justice Linda Stewart Dalianis said. Alfano will join the Judicial Branch in mid-September.

In addition to responding to media inquiries about the court system, the public information officer works with the Supreme Court and the trial court administrative judges on a wide variety of public outreach programs, including the Supreme Court "On the Road" special sessions for high school students. Since 2002, more than 6,000 New Hampshire high school students have attended this event statewide.

The public information officer also supervises the Judicial Branch website, including daily postings of court documents, daily dockets and press releases and facilitates the New Hampshire Committee on the Judiciary and the Media.