🔒Newsworthy people and performances

New hires

Infinity Federal Credit Union in Westbrook hired Liz Hayes as president/CEO. Hayes was previously the executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union in St. Paul, Minn.

Norton Insurance Agency in Cumberland Foreside hired Hannah Turnbull as commercial lines assistant and Alanah Lockwood as marketing assistant. Turnbull was previously an investigator for U.S. Investigations Services while Lockwood was a legal assistant with the law office of Frank M. Underkuffler.

Milestone Foundation, a substance abuse recovery program in Portland, hired Jean Cameron as the nurse manager of the medically managed detoxification program, Nicole Holt as development coordinator and Marianne Sensale-Guerin as manager of finance and administration.

Preti Flaherty, a law firm based in Portland, hired Elizabeth Olivier as a partner in the firm's employment and health law groups and Elizabeth Hunt as of counsel in its business law and trusts and estates groups.

Diversified Communications, an international media company in Portland, hired Kathy Willing as CFO, Karah Rogers as a marketing coordinator, Michelle McNickle as a content editor and Leslie Rosa as a sales executive. Willing most recently was vice president of corporate finance and corporate strategy and business development at Cole Haan, Rogers was with The Gove Group Real Estate, Portsmouth, N.H., McNickle was with TechTarget in Boston and Rosa was with Akari in Portland.

The MEMIC Group, a workers' compensation insurance firm in Portland, hired Roger Comer as senior production underwriter to serve its agents in Northern Virginia and Maryland. Comer was most recently the marketing underwriter for FCCI Insurance Group.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust hired Gary Jones as vice president and chief credit officer.

Maine Medical Center in Portland hired Douglas Sawyer as chief of cardiac services and physician leader of its Cardiovascular Service Line. Sawyer will also serve as the physician leader of MaineHealth's system-wide Cardiovascular Service Line. Sawyer was previously physician-in-chief at the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute.

Coastal Studies for Girls in Freeport hired John Wensman as director of teaching and learning and Kate Kyros as director of student life and leadership faculty.

Summit Natural Gas of Maine in Augusta hired Stacey Reed as a warehouse coordinator.

Maine Savings hired Shawn Sutherland and Ryan Johnson as member service representatives and loan officers and Julie Shaw and Hunter Harrison as tellers at the Broadway branch in Bangor; and Ashley Cooper and Kayla Grindle as special agents in its member service center and Brett Speed as a teller at its Hampden location.

Brann & Isaacson, a law firm in Lewiston, hired Michael Carey as an associate. Previously, Carey served in the Maine Legislature.

Onpoint Health Data, a health data and analytics organization in Portland, hired Patrick Quinn as client account manager. Quinn was most recently a senior reporting analyst for UnitedHealthcare.

Kemp Goldberg Partners, an advertising and public relations agency in Portland, hired Cathy Caron as user experience manager, Molly Marr and Deb Talbott as account executives, John Muzzy as assistant public relations account executive and John Sauve as director of food and beverage.

Patrons Oxford Insurance Co. in Auburn hired Elizabeth Kelley as a commercial lines senior underwriter.

The Maine Department of Corrections hired Kathleen Mahoney as senior planner.

Petruccelli, Martin & Haddow LLP, a law firm in Portland, hired Kimberly Watson.

East Coast Yacht Sales in Yarmouth hired Spencer Drake as a yacht broker.

Sunday River Resort in Newry hired Mark Look as director of conference sales and Rick Rose as conference sales manager.

The Animal Welfare Society in West Kennebunk hired Abigail Smith as executive director. Most recently Smith was the chief animal services officer for the city of Austin, Texas.

CES Inc., a firm of engineers, environmental scientists and land surveyors in Brewer, hired Jessamine Logan as marketing director and Jane Clifford as marketing communications manager. Logan was previously director of communications and education at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Clifford was the development manager for City Year in Manchester, N.H.

The Varney Agency in Bangor hired Jessica O'Connell as a commercial and personal lines agent, Brandi Pelletier as a receptionist, Pamela Gilbert as a data entry specialist, Catherine Boone-Mattila and Cameron Gilcott as customer service representatives and William Cherry as a commercial lines agent.

Promotions

Sunday River Resort in Newry promoted Stephen Dacko to conference sales manager and Cindy Bailey to corporate sales manager.

Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution promoted Lisa Upton to assistant branch manager in Scarborough and Caitlin Binette to deposit documentation specialist in the bank's operation center in Saco.

Thomas College in Waterville announced several promotions, including Wally Alexander, Richard Biffle and Jim Libby to full professors; Tracey Horton, John Majewski and Richard Wilkins to associate professors; James Campbell to assistant professor; Matt Breslin to assistant director of the physical plant department; Debbie Cunningham to assistant vice president of retention services; Hannah Gladstone to dean of students; Michelle Joler-Labbe to chief human resources officer; Lindsey Nelson to registrar; and Tim Russo to assistant director of financial aid.

Assistance Plus dba JMPB Inc., a social service and medical agency in Benton, promoted Jillian Jolicoeur to COO. Jolicoeur was previously director of long-term care.

Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution promoted Sarah Gonneville to customer relationship officer at the bank's South Portland branch. Gonneville was previously a customer relationship associate.

Appointments

MaineHealth in Portland announced its 2014-15 board of trustees including Joseph Bujold, board chairman of Franklin Memorial Hospital/Franklin Community Health Network; Bill Burke, vice-chair of the Maine Medical Center board and chairman of the Portland Sea Dogs and the U.S. Biathlon Association; Greg Dufour, president and CEO of Camden National Corp.; Bernard Gaines, owner of BSG Properties LLC; and David James Kumaki, medical staff member at Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway.

The Maine Restaurant Association elected Tina Hewett-Gordon, general manager of The Nonantum Resort, as chair of its board. Additionally, Michelle Corry of Petite Jacqueline were elected vice chair; Laurie Palmer as second vice chair; and Judy Forsley as an at-large member of the executive committee. Lee Speronis, Patrick Quigg, Greg Goforth and Jim Largess were elected board members.

Preti Flaherty, a law firm based in Portland, announced David Van Slyke, chair of the firm's environmental practice group, was elected president of the board of directors of Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation.

The Southern Maine Community College Foundation in South Portland elected John Boyne, senior financial advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management; Eric Bruneau, owner of South Portland House of Pizza; Mary McQuillen, a partner at Verrill Dana law firm; Robin Neely, a stained-glass conservator and consultant; and Matt Wickenheiser, manager of public relations and communications at Bath Iron Works, to its board.

Jere Michelson, executive vice president and CFO for the Libra Foundation, was elected to the Gorham Savings Bank board of directors.

Achievements

Becky Smith, the American Heart Association's government relations director in Maine, was presented with the 2014 Maine Public Health Association's president's award. It recognizes a public health professional in Maine who shows service and commitment to the field.

David Bartage, plant finance manager of Procter & Gamble's facility in Auburn, was recognized by the White House as a champion of change for his work to create employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Bartage helped develop accessible employment opportunities at the Auburn plant's FlexiCenter, where 40% of employees have disabilities.

Historic Hotels of America recognized The Portland Regency Hotel and Spa in Portland as 2014 historic hotel of the year.

Peter Ault, who has served the town of Wayne in various positions for more than 49 years, received the Ethel Kelley memorial award from the Maine Municipal Association. The annual award recognizes community service.

Rudman Winchell, a law firm in Bangor, announced that attorneys Paul Chaiken, David King, Frank McGuire, Edmond Bearor and Blair Jones were recognized by New England Super Lawyers for 2014. In addition, attorney Allison Economy was named as a New England rising star.

Murray Plumb & Murray, a law firm in Portland, announced that John Bannon, Peter Murray, Thomas Newman, Richard O'Meara and Michael Traister were recognized by New England Super Lawyers for 2014. In addition, attorney Kelly McDonald was named as a New England rising star.

Jason Brooks, owner of Brooksy Inc. in Bangor, was honored as a FedEx Ground entrepreneur of the year winner.

Maine Distributors in Bangor announced that Gary Thibodeau, sales supervisor, was recognized in the National Beer Wholesalers Association Employee Spotlight Program.

Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield announced Instructor Bradley Harding was named 2014 Plumbing Instructor of the Year by Contractor Magazine and the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors National Association.

Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, announced that 32 of its attorneys were named to 2014 New England Super Lawyers. Of those ranked, 13 were named rising stars while Peter Rubin, senior shareholder, was ranked as a top-100 lawyer. The firm also announced that attorneys Robert Crawford and Joel Moser co-authored the state of Maine chapter in The Property Tax Deskbook, published by the American Bar Association, and that attorneys George Burns and Michael Bosse co-authored a book, “Building the Construction Case: A Blueprint for Litigators,” as a roadmap for navigating projects from the first meeting with a client through the end of a case.

Lanham Blackwell & Baber P.A., a law firm in Bangor, announced Brett Baber was named to 2014 New England Super Lawyers.

Thompson & Bowie LLP, a law firm in Portland, announced that five of its attorneys were recognized as 2014 New England Super Lawyers and three were included as Rising Stars.

Portland Buy Local presented its annual Indie Biz Awards to Buoy Local, Best New Business; Local Sprouts Cooperative, Flavor of Portland; Space Gallery, Artistic Leader; Garbage to Garden, Environmental Hero; Maine Surfers Union, Portland's Best Kept Secret; Portland Trails, Community Hero; Maine Brew Bus, Out of Sight, Not out of Mind; Karma Fair Trade, Global Hero; Rosemont Market and Bakery, Portland Icon; and Stacy Mitchell, Buy Local Beacon.

The Maine Potato Board announced that Robert Irving was selected as the 2014 Young Farmer of the Year. Irving is vice president and food safety coordinator of Irving Farms Inc. in Caribou as well as logistics coordinator for Irving Farms Marketing and North State Transportation.

The Maine Correctional Center in Windham was reaccredited by the American Correctional Association.

The Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District in Windham announced that Mitchell Ledge Farm in Freeport was selected as the District's 2014 Outstanding Conservation Farm.

The ACLU of Maine awarded its annual Roger Baldwin Award to Patricia Ryan, who served as executive director of the Maine Human Rights Commission for 32 years before retiring in 2009.

Steel-Pro Inc., a manufacturer of custom designed equipment and stainless steel applications in Rockland, earned the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program Award for its safety achievement program.

The University of Maine at Farmington was named a Great Affordable Eco-Friendly College by Best Choice Schools, an online educational resource.

Curtis Thaxter LLC, a law firm in Portland, announced that Maurice Selinger was named the Best Lawyers 2015 Real Estate Law Lawyer of the Year in Portland.

The Ogunquit Playhouse announced that it was awarded the 2013-14 Moss Hart award trophy for its production of West Side Story.

Camden National Bank recognized its employees at its annual leadership forum. Winners included Commitment to Core Values: Devon Perry, vice president, compliance manager, Camden Financial Consultants, Waldoboro; Commitment to the Customer: Taylor Black, branch manager, Orono; Commitment to the Employee: Paul Gimlewicz, vice president, loan servicing; Commitment to the Shareholder: Pam Kenniston, vice president, senior retail loan officer, Camden; Commitment to the Community: Rich Rotella, branch manager, Bucksport; Bob Daigle Award for Achievement through Innovation: Jim Butler, vice president, information technology operations manager; and Officer of the Year: Ryan Smith, senior vice president, commercial regional manager and corporate services manager, Auburn.

Idexx Laboratories Inc. in Westbrook announced that its Synergy Center was chosen by Interiors & Sources for inclusion in the magazine's “Beyond LEED: Top Ten Projects for 2014” list.

Adrian Kendall, an attorney at Norman Hanson & DeTroy in Portland and German Honorary Consul, received The Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. Kendall has served as Germany's Honorary Consul to the States of New Hampshire and Maine since 2007.

Berman & Simmons, a law firm in Portland, announced that 12 of its attorneys were named to 2014 New England Super Lawyers, including three as rising stars.

Mercy Hospital in Portland earned an “A” grade in the fall 2014 Hospital Safety Score, which rates how well hospitals protect patients from errors, injuries and infections. The rating is compiled by experts on patient safety and is administered by The Leapfrog Group, an independent industry watchdog.