UNH Today

Juliet Webber ’23G epitomizes patience and perseverance in her work in higher education. As the director of UNH Professional Development and Training, she has carefully built a skillset to support her unwavering commitment to the field.

A graduate of Fairfield University in Connecticut with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and integrated marketing communications, Webber participated in an exchange program with the Universitat Ramon Llull in Barcelona to study marketing, advertising and international business. To expand her repertoire, she completed graphic design courses at the University of Massachusetts and in 2023, graduated with a master’s degree in public administration (MPA) from the University of New Hampshire.

Starting her UNH career as program manager of business and industry course offerings, after several advancements she now supervises a staff of nine at UNH Professional Development and Training where she oversees operations, client services, development and marketing. In her former capacity as senior program manager with executive education at the Harvard Kennedy School, she worked with a fascinating variety of global leaders from the government, nonprofit, corporate and public sectors during their residential executive program experiences. Over time, Webber has crafted her own administrative specialty in a creative blend of process and people that promotes education for working professionals and aspiring leaders.

The decision to enroll in the master of public administration program at UNH was inspired through her role supporting numerous public administration faculty at the Harvard Kennedy School, most notably long-standing veteran of public service Dan K. Fenn, who served several years in the JFK administration. The energy and universality of his political experience inspired Webber to pursue a higher degree that appealed to her deeply rooted belief in community leadership.

“Education is an evolving space. The growing popularity of non-credit education opportunities for adult students reflects a desire for career enhancement pathways and contemporary skill-building through lifelong learning experiences. I want to play my part in offering access to education that can change the world one step at a time."

Impressed with the background and dedication of the UNH faculty, Webber also loved the respectful camaraderie of sharing ideas with her fellow students who had chosen careers in public service. Although her education journey began in a hybrid format (part online, part in-person), during the pandemic the program shifted to 100% online instruction so she developed ways to align her study habits with the fully remote learning experience.

“To maintain a steady academic pace, each week I mapped out a study schedule wrapped around family time and full-time employment. The small class sizes at UNH offered a high level of instructor contact and the wealth of support resources were instrumental in my successful completion of the master’s program,” states Webber.

A former student of the experiential learning curriculum of Leadership Seacoast – an organization geared to the nonprofit leadership community – Webber is exploring engagement opportunities on a regional level. She has also become increasingly involved with UPCEA, a national higher education association that supports professional, online and continuing education.

In her current role at UNH, Webber promotes formal education, but she fully respects the learning that emerges from life experience. Asked about her vision for adult education at UNH, she refers to untapped opportunities for creating partnerships with area businesses to develop training programs that match contemporary workplace needs and build employer commitment to continuing education.

“Education is an evolving space,” says Webber. “The growing popularity of non-credit education opportunities for adult students reflects a desire for career enhancement pathways and contemporary skill-building through lifelong learning experiences. I want to play my part in offering access to education that can change the world one step at a time.”