The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN) introduces you to our “Young Professional of the Month,” Phil Sletten.
How old are you? 28
Where do you live? Concord.
Where do you currently work? I am a policy analyst at the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute.
Where did you go to school? Grinnell College in Iowa and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s LaFollette School of Public Affairs.
What do you like to do for fun? I am an avid news consumer, and I have been known to read public policy analyses for fun. Less cerebrally, I’ll happily dedicate most of a weekend to hiking; I’ve done that enough to get New Hampshire’s 48 4,000-footers completed, and I have some ambitious hiking goals for this summer. Talking with friends, amateur radio, bicycling and performing basic maintenance work on my car also feature prominently on the list.
Favorite places to be? The Wonalancet River watershed, Franconia Ridge, and the tops of Mount Liberty and Bondcliff (although I hardly object to the summits of any of the 4,000-footers).
Last book you’ve read? James S. A. Corey’s Leviathan Wakes. Admittedly, I read far fewer books than I should. That avid consumer of news tendency gets in the way and uses most of my reading time.
How did you find out about CYPN and how has it benefited your business or you personally? A friend from high school told me about CYPN’s existence, and I have since encouraged many friends to go. It has already proven to be a great way to meet people and create friendships between different groups of friends. I also volunteered with Granite United Way because a fellow young professional told me about a specific opportunity while we were at CYPN.
What organizations are you involved with? I am on the board of Community Bridges, and I am in Leadership New Hampshire’s Class of 2018.
Most inspirational person in your life: Anyone who struggles with adversity and still manages to achieve great things can inspire. We all have our moments of triumph or lack thereof, and each person can offer some inspiration to another without being stellar all the time. I have been affected in this way by many people for many different reasons. Recognizing we cannot all be the best at everything is important, but many people can inspire us to perform better at facets of our lives through their examples. It’s more a question of “when” and “how” than “who.”
What’s your favorite restaurant in Concord? The Barley House.
What’s your favorite place to go in Concord? Although the summit is technically just over the border in Loudon, a hike up Oak Hill is almost always a top choice. The State House is also a favorite.
What is one of your life goals? To make more people’s lives better through better public policy. It sounds corny, but if no one had that goal, how could we expect the government to improve people’s lives?
What has been your favorite CYPN event so far? Going out to the Mill Brook Gallery and Sculpture Garden was very pleasant, thanks to the location, weather and (as always) company!
Favorite famous person? Tim Russert. I hope he is resting in peace.
If you could visit any country, where would you go? Norway.
Where is the best place you’ve visited? Other than New Hampshire, Colorado is difficult to surpass. I would like to do some more hiking and exploring out there.
Who would you really like to meet? Benjamin Franklin. I would love to see how someone from history, especially someone famous for intellectual curiosity, would react to today’s world. If meeting Franklin would involve him coming back to life in this era, I would thoroughly enjoy showing him around the world in the present day. If it requires me going back in time, that would be plenty interesting, too!
Tell us a few interesting facts about yourself! Regarding classic rock songs, I have long had a habit of remembering the artist, copyright year, and (if my memory is sharp that day) track length. I also keep track of which New Hampshire municipalities I have visited (both driven through and stepped foot in).
About CYPN: The Concord Young Professionals Network is a professional and personal development initiative of the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce. CYPN is a vibrant program that has grown to 1,700 members and promotes networking opportunities for young professionals (generally 22-40s) by helping them make connections in the community and providing them with a professional, welcoming setting. Complimentary networking events are held on the third Wednesday of every month at various Concord venues. For more information, connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/concordypn, Instagram at instagram.com/cypn and Twitter at twitter.com/ConcordYP.
