🔒Newsworthy people and performances

New hires

CBRE|The Boulos Co., a real estate firm in Portland, hired Christopher Dunn as an associate.

Gorrill Palmer, a land development, transportation and municipal engineering firm in Gray, hired Asher Anderson as a construction inspector and Christi Holmes as a design engineer in the firm's land development group.

The Justice Action Group in Hallowell hired Anita St. Onge as part-time executive coordinator.

The First NA and its parent company, The First Bancorp in Damariscotta, hired Richard Price Jr. as assistant portfolio manager for First Advisors, which operates as the investment management and trust division of the bank. Price was previously with TD Bank.

Woodfords Family Services, a Westbrook nonprofit serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, hired Nick Hammond as director of in-home support services for Southern Maine.

University College-Saco hired Daniel Philbrick as director for the center. Philbrick was previously director of communications with the University of Southern Maine in Lewiston. The center also hired Laurie Grant as student services coordinator and advisor.

Gawron Turgeon Architects in Scarborough hired Cara Ragucci as marketing manager.

Perry, Fitts, Boulette, and Fitton CPAs, an accounting firm in Oakland, hired Tim Nason.

The Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce's board of directors hired Nancy McKechnie as executive director. Most recently, McKechnie was the deputy director of Workforce Development with Eastern Maine Development Corp.

The Yarmouth Historical Society hired Katie Worthing as program director. Worthing, an art history teacher at Southern Maine Community College, was previously site manager at Victoria Mansion in Portland.

Portland Buy Local hired Jennifer Thompson as brand ambassador. Thompson, who currently serves as program manager for the Portland Farmers' Market, was previously an administrator for the former Casco Bay Tech Hub.

Eve's at the Garden in the Portland Harbor Hotel hired Eric Flynn as director of food and beverage and Tim Labonte as regional executive chef for Hart Hotels. Flynn was most recently executive chef and food and beverage director at The Harraseeket Inn in Freeport while Labonte was executive chef at Congress Squared Restaurant in Portland.

Penobscot Community Health Care in Bangor announced that Amelia Nealley joined the medical staff of Community Care and Geriatrics.

Bath Savings Trust Co. hired Leo Soucy as vice president, investment officer.

Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, hired David Aborn to serve as of counsel with the firm's government finance team. Aborn was formerly associate regional counsel for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Northern New England district.

The Portland Symphony Orchestra hired John Elliott as director of education and community engagement. Elliott most recently worked with Entrepreneurs Foundation in Texas.

The Northern Maine Development Commission and the Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership hired Ken Letourneau as the partnership's project manager for Aroostook and Washington counties. Letourneau was previously with Smith & Wesson's manufacturing facility in Houlton.

SymQuest Group Inc.,an information technology company in Westbrook, hired Ted Eames and Sue Kinne as virtual chief information officers in the organization's network sales division.

Community Credit Union in Lewiston hired Heather Gosselin as receptionist. Gosselin was previously an administrative assistant at Evergreen Insurance.

Vacationland Distributors LLC, a craft beer and wine distributor in Portland, hired John Squadrito. Squadrito was formerly the sales account manager for TigPro Stainless Fabrication.

Sevee & Maher Engineers in Cumberland hired Laura DeVaudreuil as a chemical engineer in its environmental management and permitting department.

Diversified Communications, an international media company based in Portland, hired Dan DiLorenzo as an inbound marketing team manager. DiLorenzo was previously with the education nonprofit CIEE in Portland.

Fontaine – The Real Estate Leader in Auburn hired Charmaine Raby as an associate broker. Raby was previously an independent contractor and business owner.

Promotions

Norway Savings Bank promoted Jennifer Schumacher to senior vice president and senior trust officer in the bank's asset management group. Schumacher was previously vice president and trust officer in the group.

Woodfords Family Services, a Westbrook nonprofit serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, promoted Allyson Lowell to director of program services and Doug Patrick to director of case management and behavioral health services. Lowell was previously director of case management while Patrick was director of new initiatives.

U.S. Cellular promoted Kyla Winslow to business development manager in central New England. Winslow was previously a business account specialist.

TD Bank promoted Jeffrey Plourde to regional vice president in commercial lending for Northern Maine. Most recently, Plourde served as a vice president, senior commercial loan officer.

Patrons Oxford Insurance Co. in Auburn promoted George MacKinnon to assistant vice president-underwriting and Eric Swanson to assistant vice president-claims.

Broadreach Public Relations in Portland promoted Jillian Kanter to account executive and client operations coordinator. Kanter was previously an assistant account executive.

The board of directors of Wright-Pierce, a water, wastewater and infrastructure engineering firm in Portland, elected Dennis Dievert and Jon Hume as shareholders. Dievert is a project manager in the firm's Middletown, Conn., office while Hume is a project manager in the firm's Andover, Mass., office.

Appointments

The Junior League of Portland elected Ellen Berg as president. Berg is a teacher at Maiden Cove Children's Center in Cape Elizabeth.

The Unity College board of trustees selected Marc Bane, Keith Martin, Michael Pierce and Sharon Reishus as trustees. Bane is an independent business consultant, Martin is a senior engineer in the Fish Passage Group of Kleinschmidt Associates in Pittsfield, Pierce is president of the Allen Financial Group in Camden and Reishus is a planning and management specialist in the energy sector. The board also ratified the selection of John Newlin as vice chairman, Doug Sensenig as treasurer and Andrew Hamilton as secretary.

Achievements

The Maine Resource Recovery Association in Bangor announced the recipients of its annual awards for 2015 at the 22nd Annual Maine Recycling and Solid Waste Conference. Winners included: Operator(s) of the Year, Granville Ames and Pat Anderson, Mid-coast Solid Waste; Composter of the Year, Randy Gray, solid waste supervisor, town of Skowhegan; Program of the Year, Boothbay Region Refuse Disposal District, Steve Lewis, operations manager; Manager of the Year, Trampas King, superintendent, Mid-Maine Solid Waste Association; Most Improved Program: Wiscasset Transfer Station, Ron Lear, superintendent; Business Recycler of the Year, Benson Farm, Gorham, Ed and Becky Benson, owners; and Lifetime Achievement Award, Geoff Hill, Belgrade.

Penobscot Community Health Care's Summer Street Health Center practice was featured in “A Guidebook of Professional Practices for Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration,” recently released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The center was chosen for its model of delivering integrated health care and was one of eight primary care organizations from around the country that were featured in the study of best practices for the integrated, collaborative delivery of mental and physical health services.

Attorney Tim Bryant was recognized as a Franchise Times magazine “Legal Eagle” of 2015. Bryant, who serves as co-chair of Preti Flaherty's litigation practice group, was nominated by his peers for the honor that recognizes attorneys considered among the most knowledgeable and experienced in the nation.

Coastal Enterprises Inc. (CEI), a Community Development Corp. and Community Development Financial Institution in Wiscasset, was the winner of the National Development Council Academy 2015 President's Award in Financial Structuring. The award honors innovative economic and community development projects and individuals that make a significantly impact in their communities.

Thornton Academy in Saco was recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce with its “E Award” for the school's efforts to promote international education and economic and cultural development by drawing students from around the world. The award is the highest recognition any United States entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of exports.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins was named one of the “25 Most Influential Women in Congress” in CQ Weekly's Power Issue. Collins was also recognized as one of the top-five women who shape the debate in Congress.

Landry/French Construction Co. in Scarborough won a first place award in the 2015 Associated General Contractors of Maine Build Maine Awards Competition for its construction of the state of Maine Office Building in South Portland.

Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice in Lewiston recently presented its Employee of the Year Awards. Winners included Corrie Brown, social worker on the Community Care Team in Lewiston; Varneta Burke, registered nurse in Lewiston; Doris Lynch, social worker in Norway; Helen Spencer, registered nurse at the Hospice House; Sue Stevens, hospice supervisor in Lewiston; and Irene Therriault, home health aide in Lewiston. The organization also honored was Paulette Tabb, a registered nurse in Norway, who received the 2014 Recognition Hotline Award.

Acadia Hospital in Bangor presented its Peer Excellence Awards to Alfreda Mouland, nurse; Earle Rice, psychiatric technician; Suzanne Drake, clinician; Glenn White, ancillary – electrician; and Clifford Singer, physician.

The Maine Tourism Association presented its Hall of Fame Award to Vaughn Stinson, who retired as CEO of the Maine Tourism Association at the end of 2014.

The Maine Credit Union League recently presented its annual awards. Winners included Marc Doyon, board chair at TruChoice FCU in Portland, Alexander Ferguson Award for Outstanding Credit Union Volunteer; Nancy Blodgett at Otis FCU in Jay, Jeannette G. Morin Award for Outstanding Credit Union Employee; Roger Sirois, president/CEO of Atlantic Regional FCU in Brunswick, James M. Gratto Award for Outstanding Credit Union CEO; Kyle Casburn, president/CEO of Seaboard FCU in Bucksport, League President's Award; and Donna Ketchen, vice president at Penobscot County FCU in Old Town, Diane L. Oceretko People Helping People Award.

The International Association of Insurance Professionals named Christine Logan its Region 1 Claims Professional of Year. Logan is a claims rep III at Patriot Insurance Co. in Yarmouth and president of Insurance Professionals of Greater Portland.

Insurance Professionals of Greater Portland recently named Adele Nichols as Insurance Professional of the Year; Amee Rice, Rookie of the Year; Kelly Davis, Claims Professionals of the Year; and Patriot Insurance Co. in Yarmouth, Employer of the Year. The organization also elected its board officers including Christine Logan as president; Nichols, president-elect; Heather Caston-Talbot, treasurer; and Rice, secretary. Caston-Talbot was also elected as the International Association of Insurance Professionals Maine Council director for the 2015-16 term.

Crisis & Counseling Centers in Augusta recently presented its annual awards. Winners included Patrick Wright, executive director of Gardiner Main Street, CEO Special Recognition Award; Sergeant Vicente Morris, Augusta Police Department, Public Safety Appreciation Award; and Laura Benedict, owner, Red Barn, Organization of the Year Award.