E38: Lisa Kennedy Sheldon Joins "Pitch Talk"

Lisa Kennedy Sheldon is running for elected office for the first time, but she's got the campaign slogan down: "Because you can care about people *and* the bottom line". It's a reflection of a distinguished - and diverse - career in nursing, as an executive, and as an educator.Sheldon is running in the New Hampshire Executive Council's 3rd District, which includes most of the state's growing southeastern region. The five-member Council is a unique, and important, creation that predates the founding of the state itself, acting as a powerful check-and-balance on the Governor. All contracts with the state worth more than $10,000, the 10-year highway plan, and scores of impactful confirmations of judges, commissioners, and more all go through the Council.Sheldon spent 22 years caring for patients at St. Joseph Hospital Cancer Center in Nashua, and earned her PhD in nursing. She's taught and mentored future healthcare professionals as a tenured faculty member at the UMass-Boston, with an emphasis on deepening the connection between evidence, practice, and public service.She's also represented over 35,000 oncological nurses in DC and elsewhere with the Oncology Nursing Society, and has traveled the world as a consultant, advising nursing teams in Central America, Asia, and elsewhere.In this episode, I take time at the top to lay out the political contours of EC3, and why I see it as one of the most intriguing "flip" opportunities for NH Democrats in 2026. Then, Lisa and I spend the majority of the show having a wide-ranging conversation about her career, the Executive Council, the state of health care policy in NH, and how her candidacy connects it all together.You can learn more about Lisa at https://www.lisakennedysheldon.com.#nhpolitics