Carden N. Welsh - Town Council Candidate

CARDEN N. WELSH - Town Council
3 Fairchild Drive

Education:
Bachelor’s Degree in Economics – Tufts University, 1975
Masters Degree in Business Administration – Columbia University, 1977
Course work completed, but no thesis written, toward a Masters Degree in History - University of New Hampshire, 2007

Occupation:  Retired; former businessman

Years as Durham Resident:  We have lived in Durham for 22 years, since 1991.  During that time our three children and our foster daughter have attended the Oyster River School District and received an excellent education.

Previous Service on Government/Community/Civic Boards, Commissions, Committees, or Organizations:
Durham Zoning Board of Adjustment – 6 years
Trust for Public Land Advisory Board - 5 years
Treasurer, US Congressional Representative Re-election Campaign – 2 years

Reason for Interest in Running for Elected Office:
My wife and I have loved living in Durham, and I would like to use the skills developed during a career in business to help guide the town as we move into the future.  We need to preserve the best aspects of our heritage as a unique small town/ academic community in a beautiful rural, natural environment, and at the same time manage the excitement of future growth.  I would hope to help build upon the excellent work of the current and past town councils, to balance the conflicting goals, responsibilities and costs of town services as efficiently as possible.

My professional background has been in business; since 1977 I have worked for a variety of companies, including PepsiCo and Commodore Computer.  In 1991 we moved to Durham when I joined the Timberland Company, the outdoor brand of boots, shoes, apparel and accessories headquartered in Stratham.  Over the period from 1991 to 2011, we grew from a small regional company into a well-known international brand.

My field of expertise is in finance, analysis, and planning, but I have also overseen all of the centralized corporate functions, including human resources, legal, finance, strategy, and for a short time, the supply chain.

In 2009 I was elected to Timberland’s Board of Directors, and served on the board until the company was acquired in 2011.

Parenthetically, in 2003 Timberland established an environmental award, named in my honor, which is given each year to the employee whose actions lead to a sustainable improvement in Timberland’s environmental footprint.

I feel that my experience in business provides a variety of skills that should help to round out the expertise of the town council, and help us effectively address Durham’s future challenges.