Recently, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics hired a new program assistant, Gina Gulino-Payne. Gina has been thrusted into her role at a time when the Institute is starting to ramp up events for the 2026 midterm election and 2028 presidential elections. Already thus far in the fall 2025 semester, there have been notable figures on campus, such as Congressman Ro Khanna and others. For some students, these events are ones they look forward to as the national political scene comes to New Hampshire and they get the opportunity to experience it. This experience leads many to get involved in politics directly through classes or programs on campus or off campus experiences offered by the Institute. In the case of James Thibault ‘28, students may end up running for office themselves. For many others, it’s an experience that they look back on fondly, as a part of their time at Saint Anselm College, as they embark on a future career down the line. I was able to make my way down to the political institute last week to ask Gina Gulino-Payne questions regarding her new role, and what students should be looking forward to. To start, Gina is a seasoned veteran here at Saint Anselm, having worked for the college in the nursing arena, specifically for the Conference Registrar for Continuing Nursing Education, since 2012. During her time there, she aided in assisting the new program and helping young people get involved in nursing. According to Gina, she thoroughly enjoyed this experience and loved being able to help young people achieve their dreams. Nursing also allowed her to be a part of the effort to build the new Grappone Hall of Nursing of Health Sciences, which opened as of September 2025. Before her time here, she worked at the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce, where she said that she enjoyed her time there, but it wasn’t as passionate, with her getting on her feet here in New Hampshire. Originally from Worcester, Massachusetts, Gina attended Fisher College, getting a bachelor’s degree in Science before moving with her husband to New Hampshire in the 1990’s. Reflecting on her time in New Hampshire, she loves the state, with her being able to experience the woods, and the environmental diversity that the state offers. She enjoys being able to get outside in nature and spend time with family and friends, while still being close enough to Boston to be able to do different things. As for the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, her role will be to support Neil Levesque, the director of the Institute, and Ann Camann, the Deputy Director of the NIHOP. “I do everything that they need someone to do, and my days are never really boring, with different things to get done,” Gina shared. While Neil will still be leading the Institute and getting students engaged, Gina will assist in different ways to help students to get involved within the Institute. In terms of events, Gina hinted at “Alumni-Spotlights” in 2026, as well as many more “Pizza and Politics” events coming down the pike. These events, along with other events such as Common Ground and Conversations with Figures are ones that many student Ambassadors look forward to attending. According to Gina, this involvement in the NHIOP is an experience that those who are politics & international relations majors here at Saint A’s should be interested in, and they can come down to NIHOP if they have some interest in being involved. But programs, such as the NHIOP Ambassadors program, are not limited to political related majors alone. If you have any interest surrounding the Institute, there are many ways to get involved that way, too! Finally, Gina mentioned for students to reach out to her, Neil or Mike Hanna ‘26 if they want to be involved as students, or to learn more about the NHIOP. Her email is ggulinopayne@ anselm.edu and she encourages students to stop by, if possible! Her office is in the Institute, past the dining room and in the space where the other offices are at the NIHOP. If you are in the area, say hello to Gina and welcome her into our Anselmian community!