IN SHORT

New hires

Lift 360, a nonprofit in Portland dedicated to strengthening leaders, organizations and communities throughout New England, hired Jane Bechtel Lafleur as senior consultant. Lafleur was executive director of Friends of Midcoast Maine in Camden.

Stantec, an engineering and architecture firm in Scarborough, hired Jessica Strauss Hunt as project manager and environmental scientist. Hunt has 15 years of experience in field data collection and analysis, water quality monitoring, environmental permitting, watershed evaluations and stormwater management.

RE/MAX Realty One in Kennebunk hired Michelle Allen as a sales agent.

Fontaine Family – The Real Estate Leader in Auburn hired Melissa Greenwood.

Sevee & Maher Engineers Inc. in Cumberland hired Jim Manzer as a civil engineer. Manzer has 16 years of experience in civil, transportation, process and environmental engineering.

The Ogunquit Playhouse hired Dan Breen as director of development. Breen has 30 years of fundraising experience at educational and arts institutions, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Middlebury College.

Day One, a South Portland agency preventing and treating adolescent substance abuse, hired Sharon Martel as accountant. Martel has more than 20 years of accounting experience in the nonprofit and legal services field.

Bangor Savings Bank hired Frank Benedict as vice president and regional mortgage development manager in Cumberland and York counties. Benedict was most recently regional sales manager at TD Bank.

Preti Flaherty, a law firm in Portland, hired attorney Kristin Collins. Collins will practice in the firm's Municipal Law Group in Augusta.

Heart At Work Associates, a career counseling and outplacement firm in Portland, hired Nancy Rankin and Mark Cook as career coaches with human resources, training and outplacement experience.

Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield hired Benjamin Crockett as instructor and coordinator for its Sustainable Agriculture program. Most recently, Crockett managed a 300-acre incubator farm in New York's Hudson Valley.

The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor hired Martin Pera, a leading stem cell researcher with interests in neuroscience and regenerative medicine, as a professor. Pera is chair of stem cell sciences and head of Stem Cells Australia at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

Nancy Marshall Communications in Augusta hired Liz LeClair as a graphic designer and account coordinator.

MaineHealth in Portland hired Marcy Dunn as senior vice president and chief information officer. Dunn is currently senior vice president and chief information officer at Catholic Health Services of Long Island in Melville, N.Y.

Brown, Holmes & Milliken Agency, an insurance agency in Ellsworth, hired Larry Freeman, a 35-year veteran of the insurance business.

Maine Medical Partners, a department of Maine Medical Center in Portland, hired five physicians. Jennifer Monti joined Maine Medical Partners – MaineHealth Cardiology's Scarborough office and Emily Zarookian, Timothy Botler, Matthew Buttarazzi and John Walker joined Maine Medical Partners – Hospital Medicine.

Morgan Stanley hired Robert Emple as a first vice president and financial advisor. Emple is a member of the firm's wealth management office in Portland.

Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield hired Monett Wilson as dean of finance and administration. Wilson was fiscal officer for the Maine Community College System.

Maine Medical Partners – MaineHealth Cardiology in Portland hired Laura Sullivan and Róisín Morgan at its practice in Augusta and Waterville. Sullivan specializes in all aspects of non-invasive imaging while Morgan sees the full range of general cardiology patients with specialization in non-invasive cardiac imaging and stress testing.

EMMC Northeast Cardiology Associates in Bangor hired Eddy Karnabi, who was previously the chief cardiology fellow with the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine.

Wellspring, a substance abuse and mental health services agency in Bangor, hired Suzanne Farley as executive director. Farley was previously executive director with Court Appointed Special Advocates, First Judicial District, in Santa Fe, N.M.

Portside Real Estate Group, a boutique agency in Falmouth, hired Nikki Petersen as finance manager.

Breckenridge Insurance Group hired Pete Feeney as president of Breckenridge Insurance Services brokerage division based in Portland. Previously, Feeney was a senior vice president and sales leader at Swett & Crawford.

Promotions

The Maine Health Access Foundation, a private, nonprofit health care foundation in Augusta, promoted Barbara Leonard to president and CEO. Leonard has served as the foundation's vice president for programs since 2008.

HNTB Corp., an architecture, engineering, planning and construction services firm in Boston, promoted Bob Driscoll to delivery officer for the firm's Northeast division. Driscoll is an associate vice president based in the firm's Portland office.

The Unity College board of trustees promoted Melik Peter Khoury to president. Khoury was previously the college's executive vice president and chief academic officer before being named interim president in January.

Kennebec Savings Bank promoted Zachary Nichols to digital services manager and Travis Rowell to residential and consumer lender. Both were previously teller and had been in the bank's management trainee program.

Appointments

Kennebec Savings Bank selected William Sprague as board chair. Sprague, who has served on the bank's board of directors for the past 18 years, owns Sprague and Curtis Real Estate Office in Augusta.

Michelle Hood, president and CEO of EMHS in Brewer, was elected as one of eight new members of the American Hospital Association board of trustees for a three-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2017.

Midcoast Conservancy, regional conservation organization in Wiscasset, elected Mary Kate Reny to its board of directors.

Dayton Benway was elected to the national Chapter Advancement Team of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, a national membership organization for health care finance leaders. Benway is a principal in the Healthcare Consulting Practice at Baker Newman Noyes, an accounting and consulting firm in Portland.

William Beardsley, deputy commissioner of the Maine Department of Education, accepted an invitation from Gov. Paul LePage to serve as the Governor's designee on the Commission to Reform School Funding and Improve Student Performance in Maine. As a result, Gov. LePage appointed Robert Hasson to fill the Department of Education seat left vacant by Beardsley's departure. Hasson currently oversees certification, educator effectiveness and higher education for the Department.

MDI Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor announced the appointment of Ned Cloonan to its board of trustees. Cloonan is principal of Ned Cloonan Associates, a consulting firm in Greenwich, Conn., that advises senior executives and investors on business, government and external relations strategies.

Pine Tree Society, an organization in Portland serving Maine children and adults with disabilities, named Martin Bailey, Ian McCarthy, Matthew Prunier and Carol Brunjes Weaver to its board of directors. Bailey is a personal financial representative at Allstate in Lewiston; McCarthy is the area retail leader for Central Western Maine for KeyBank; Prunier is a CPA with Baker Newman Noyes in Portland; and Weaver teaches mathematics at Milford High School in Milford, N.H.

Achievements

The Portland Water District was awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association. The award reflects a commitment to the highest principles of governmental budgeting.

Coastal Enterprises Inc. in Brunswick announced that it has received a rating of AAA for Impact Performance from Aeris, the information service for community investors. The rating is the highest given by the agency, a third-party assessor of community development financial institution loan fund financial strength and performance and impact. In addition, the organization scored a two (on a scale of one to five where one is the highest) for financial strength and performance and was assigned a Policy Plus score for its public policy engagement.

Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center in Bangor received full accreditation from The Joint Commission. The commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value.

Preti Flaherty, a law firm in Portland, said 36 of its attorneys have been named in the soon-to-be-released 2017 edition of “Best Lawyers in America,” a national peer-reviewed publication.

The YWCA Central Maine in Lewiston announced recipients of its 2016 Women of Achievement Awards. Winners included Marilyn Simonds, Tonie Ramsey Service Award; Representative Peggy Rotundo, Lee Young Leadership Award; and Barbara Trafton, Priscilla Gendron Legacy Award.

Amy Alward, exclusive agency owner in South Portland, was recognized as Allstate's “2016 Best in Company” for agencies her size.

Kate Dutra, operations manager and a certified professional dog trainer at Green Acres Kennel Shop in Bangor, was recertified as a professional dog trainer by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, an internationally recognized certification program for professional dog trainers.

National Institute for Civil Discourse presented Maine State Treasurer Terry Hayes, Independent, and Rep. Matt Pouliot, R-Augusta, with its Award for Civility in State Governance in recognition of their commitment to working in a civil, productive manner for the good of their constituents.

Berman & Simmons, a law firm in Lewiston, said six of its attorneys have been named to the soon-to-be released 2017 edition of “Best Lawyers in America,” a national peer review publication. In addition, attorney Benjamin Gideon was named a Maine “Lawyer of the Year” for product liability litigation for plaintiffs.

Patricia Pierce Erikson recently earned Accreditation in Public Relations designation. Erikson is the director of marketing and communications and editor of Postscripts Alumni Magazine at Thornton Academy in Saco and a member of the Maine Public Relations Council.

Shaheen & Gordon PA, a law firm in Saco, said attorneys Peter Schroeter, Randall Smith and Karen Lovell have been named to the soon-to-be released 2017 edition of Best Lawyers in America 2017, a national peer review publication. In addition, Schroeter also received recognition as the 2017 Mediation “Lawyer of the Year” for the Portland area.

Rudman Winchell, a law firm in Bangor, said six of its attorneys have been named to the soon-to-be released 2017 edition of “Best Lawyers in America,” a national peer review publication. In addition, attorney Edmond Bearor was recognized as the “Lawyer of the Year” for land use and zoning law. The firm also received a Tier 1 ranking and “top tier” rankings in 10 practice areas.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins received the “Legislator of the Year Award” from the American Ambulance Association for her work on behalf of the fire service.

Sharon Vaughan and Janice McDermott were named “Caregivers of the Month” for June by Comfort Keepers, a provider of in-home support services for older adults, in Scarborough and Kennebunk.

Verrill Dana,a law firm, said 50 if its attorneys in Portland and one in Augusta have been named to the soon-to-be released 2017 edition of “Best Lawyers in America,” a national peer review publication. In addition, Eric Altholz, Charles Bacall, Robert Brooks, Susan Bryant, Harold Friedman, Keith Jones, Thomas Newman and David Warren were named “Lawyer of the Year” in their practice areas. The firm also announced partner Tim Shannon was named to Benchmark Litigation's “Inaugural Under 40 Hot List,” honoring achievements of the nation's most accomplished legal partners who are 40 years old and younger.

Skelton Taintor & Abbott, a law firm in Auburn, said Stephen Wade, a shareholder of the firm, was selected as the 2017 “Lawyer of the Year” for insurance law in the state of Maine by “Best Lawyers in America.”

Casco Bay Wealth Advisors in Brunswick announced that Trena Bean, client services manager, attained her FINRA Series 6 and 63 licenses, held through Commonwealth Financial Network.

Pine Tree Society, an organization in Portland serving Maine children and adults with disabilities, recognized Priority Learning of South Portland, Dave Johnson, owner of Kennebec Electric in Waterville, and Marie Preston, the second executive director of the organization, with its 2016 Spirit of Pine Tree Society award.

Thomas College in Waterville said its peer mentoring program was recertified by College Reading and Learning Association's International Mentor Training Program Certification for the next five years.

Maine Maritime Museum in Bath announced its trustees selected Eimskip USA as the recipient of the 11th annual Mariners Award, presented to an individual or organization that has made extraordinary contributions to Maine's maritime heritage and significantly impacted the state's culture and economy.