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January 6, 2023

Mitchell Institute's new board directors call on varied experiences

By Alexis Wells

The Mitchell Institute, which provides scholarships and related programming to Mitchell Scholars each year, has elected three new board members.

The Portland-based nonprofit is named for U.S. Sen. George J. Mitchell, a Waterville native who served in the Senate from 1980 to 1995. He continues to serve as honorary chairman of the institute's board. 

The incoming directors were elected to three-year terms. 

Mitchell Institute
Christina Marie Lemieux

Christina Marie Lemieux is a planning director at the global advertising company Publicis Groupe. She was named one of the first Mitchell Scholars upon graduating high school.

Lemieux grew up in Cutler, where five generations of her family have worked in the lobster industry. During her childhood, she spent her summers as a sternman on her father’s boat but always aspired to go to college and work in the corporate world. 

“Everyone deserves a fair shot and an opportunity to go as far as their hard work and talent can take them," Lemieux said. "For many hard-working Maine students, however, advanced education can still feel out of reach. The Mitchell Institute understands this and provides so much more than just a scholarship. Having grown up in Downeast Maine, I was surrounded by people who aspired to be lobster fishermen. My brother even named his first full-sized boat “Aspiration.” I am extremely proud of my heritage and grateful that lobster fishing continues to be an industry so many people aspire to be part of, but I had different aspirations for my future. The Mitchell Institute didn’t just provide financial support, it helped me believe I could belong at a college like Colby, just as much as my brother belonged in the lobster industry.”

She studied English literature and psychology at Colby College, completing a semester abroad at Oxford University. 

After graduating, Lemieux built her career in branding and communications, living and working in San Francisco, New York City and London. During her career, she has developed different brand-building strategies for global clients ranging from Intel, Jaguar, and British Airways to Airbnb, Four Seasons Hotels, and P&G.

Lemieux lives and works in London with her British husband and three children. She is the author of “How to Catch a Lobster in Down East Maine,” a book on the Maine lobster industry.

Mitchell Institute
Brian Harris

Brian Harris is founder and CEO of MedRhythms, a Portland-based digital therapeutics company focused on the intersection of music, neuroscience and technology. He created and implemented the first full-time, inpatient neurologic music therapy program at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, specializing in traumatic brain injury, stroke and neurologic disease. 

He co-founded the Arts & Neuroscience group at the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Harris has been named to the Mainebiz Next List, MedTech Boston’s 40 Under 40 Healthcare Innovators and World Biz Magazine’s Top 100 Innovation CEOs. He is an engineering graduate of the University of Maine, where he received a Master of Arts in expressive therapies in music therapy.

“I am truly honored to be joining the board of the Mitchell Institute, an organization that makes such a profound difference in the lives of Maine students,” Harris said. “Not only was the support of the Mitchell Institute invaluable for me throughout my academic career, but the institute’s impact is being felt in organizations and communities around the world through the thousands of students it has supported with scholarships and leadership training. It is an honor for me to support the organization’s ongoing mission to increase access to higher education.”

Mitchell Institute
Dr. Rebecca Wyke

Rebecca Wyke is CEO of the Maine Public Employees Retirement System. In this position, she oversees an $18 billion trust fund and the organization’s work to provide pension and other related benefits to more than 159,000 members. 

Prior to joining MainePERS in 2021, she held executive roles within the University of Maine System, including vice chancellor for finance and administration. She was treasurer of the board of trustees and president of the University of Maine at Augusta. 

Before joining the University of Maine System, Wyke served as the Department of Administrative and Financial Services commissioner for nearly six years in the Gov. John Baldacci administration. Wyke also served in the administration of three Maine secretaries of state and was the chief deputy secretary of state for eight years. In addition to her work at the institute, she serves on the Holocaust & Human Rights Center of Maine Board and the Maine Retirement Savings Board.

Wyke received a doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Maine.

“The Mitchell Institute provides a path to the future for Maine students by providing a substantial scholarship, critical wraparound programming, and the support of a large alumni network,” Wyke said. “I am delighted to help guide this important ongoing work.”

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