Newsworthy people and performances

New hires

Baker Newman Noyes, a CPA and consulting firm in Portland, recently hired Gina Hobert as a senior manager in the health care consulting practice. Previously, Hobert managed the billing compliance and medical audit functions for a major New England hospital system.

Connectivity Point, a security company in Auburn, recently hired Tim Parent as director of security solutions. Parent was most recently the general manager for a national security integrator.

Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Patricia French as a shareholder in its energy and environmental law practice group. Previously, French was chief compliance officer and division counsel at NiSource, an energy provider based in Houston, Texas.

The Cathance River Education Alliance, an environmental education organization in Topsham, recently hired Matt Dubel as executive director. Dubel was previously with Maine Audubon as director of fields, Pond Audubon Center.

The Maine Restaurant Association and the Maine Innkeepers Association recently hired Christopher Jones as COO for Hospitality Association Management Services. Most recently Jones was principal at Blue Creek Consulting LLC in Albany, N.Y.

Maine Environmental Laboratory, an analytical lab for industry, municipalities and homeowners in Yarmouth, recently hired Jacquelyn Villinski as lab technical director. Villinski was previously a research chemist at Tom's of Maine.

The Greater Bangor Convention & Visitors Bureau recently hired Annie Cambridge as membership and convention sales coordinator. Cambridge was previously a media planner and account manager with Cardinal Communications USA in New York City.

Lipman & Katz, a law firm in Augusta, recently hired lawyer Caleb Gannon. Gannon was previously in private practice.

BerryDunn, a CPA and consulting firm in Portland, recently announced several new hires. Carole Barker was hired as a senior consultant and Michele Staples as a manager in the health care/not-for-profit group in Portland; Philip Huntley, consultant, government consulting group, Portland; and Shareen Palmacci, staff accountant, Bangor.

Bangor Savings Bank recently hired Mischelle Adams as account officer for the Wealth Management Trust Group. Adams was previously with Bar Harbor Trust Services.

The Portland Symphony Orchestra recently hired Rose Kue as director of education and community engagement and Beth Ansheles as director of finance. Kue previously held program management roles with StoryCorps and the Florida Orchestra. Ansheles is the director of finance for the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Promotions

The Maine Department of Corrections recently promoted Galan Williamson to regional correctional administrator for Region II, juvenile. Most recently Williamson served as a regional correctional manager Region III, juvenile.

Portland's Downtown District recently promoted Steven Hewins to executive director. Hewins had been serving as interim executive director since August.

The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, a nonprofit immigration legal aid organization in Portland, recently promoted Susan Roche to executive director. Roche has been interim executive director since May 2013.

BerryDunn, a CPA and consulting firm in Portland, recently promoted Dave Erb, principal, to the practice group leader of the firm's tax consulting and compliance group and Renee Bishop, principal, to the practice group leader in the health care and not-for-profit group.

Portland Phoenix, a weekly newspaper in Portland, recently promoted Deirdre Fulton to managing editor, effective Jan. 8, 2014. Fulton was previously a staff writer.

The Portland Symphony Orchestra recently promoted Carolyn Nishon to general manger. Nishon was previously director of artistic operations.

Appointments

The Maine Women's Lobby announced that Corey Hascall, Christine Burstein and Paige Holmes were recently elected to its board of directors. Its new officers are Rebekah Smith, chairwoman; Vivian Mikhail, vice chairwoman; Pat Ryan, treasurer; and Karla Black, secretary. Sister organization the Maine Women's Policy Center recently elected Gillian Schair and Cara Pavlak to its board of directors.

The American Heart Association recently announced that Sara Burns, president and CEO of Central Maine Power Co., will chair the 2014 Go Red For Women Luncheon in Portland and Thomas Brown, of counsel at Eaton Peabody, will be the event chair of its Northeastern Maine Heart Ball in Bangor.

The Bennett Law Firm P.A. in Portland recently announced that Rick Finberg was elected to be a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Election is recognition by one's colleagues of performance in the practice of labor and employment law.

Environmental & Energy Technology Council of Maine members recently elected three new board members: Claudette Townsend, director of new products and services, Dead River Co.; Tim Soley, owner, East Brown Cow Management; and Gary Higginbottom, economic and market development consultant and the executive director of the Hydrogen Energy Center. Members also recently approved extension of the terms of five current board members: Brad Weller, managing director, Macpage LLC; Elizabeth Swain, director of strategic communications, POWER Engineers; William Ferdinand Jr., shareholder, Eaton Peabody; Brooke Barnes, senior associate environmental services, Stantec; and Patrick Coughlin, principal, St.Germain Collins.

Achievements

Rinck Advertising in Auburn recently received three W3 Awards, three Davey Awards and a Maine Public Relations Council Golden Arrow award.

The Maine Department of Labor recently announced that Marden's, a retail store in Scarborough, earned the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program Award. This certification recognizes businesses that voluntarily undertake a safety achievement program.

Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington was recently named Top Performer on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission, an accreditor of health care organizations in America. The hospital was recognized for its performance in using evidence-based clinical processes that are shown to improve care for certain conditions including acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), heart failure, pneumonia, outpatient services and the surgical care improvement project.

The Maine Grocers Association & Maine Food Producers Alliance recently announced Adam and Sheila Nappi, Bow Street Market in Freeport, as its 2013 Maine Grocer of the Year and Aaron Anker and Nat Peirce, GrandyOats in Brownfield, as its 2013 Producer of the Year.

Chewonki, an educational nonprofit in Wiscasset, recently announced that it was honored with a 2013 Top-Rated Award by GreatNonprofits, a provider of user reviews about nonprofit organizations. The award was based on the number of positive reviews received from volunteers, donors and clients.

Murray Plumb & Murray, a law firm in Portland, recently announced that five of its attorneys were included in 2013 New England Super Lawyers. Thomas Newman, Richard O'Meara, Peter Murray and John Bannon were listed among the top 5% of outstanding lawyers in New England. Kelly McDonald was selected as a Rising Star. Newman, O'Meara and McDonald were also recently recognized for their pro bono legal services in the 2013 Katahdin Counsel Recognition Program.

Fisher & Phillips LLP, a law firm in Portland, recently received a Metropolitan First-Tier Ranking for employment law, labor law and labor and employment litigation practice specialties in the 2014 Best Law Firms rankings from U.S. News - Best Lawyers. Nationally, the firm also received a First-Tier Ranking and a total of 18 of the firm's offices received Metropolitan First-Tier Rankings.

The Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce recently announced winners of its 53rd annual awards celebration. Winners included: Growth Award, Front Street Shipyard; Healthy Waldo County Award, Waldo County YMCA; Community Spirit Award, Maine Celtic Celebration; New Entrepreneur Award, Juice Cellar; Hometown Heritage Award, Colburn Shoes; Community Volunteer Award, Elaine Bielenberg; and Building Community Award, Our Town Belfast, A Main Street.

The Hampton Inn Waterville announced that Doreen Brown was recently awarded with the Spirit of Pride Award, which honors team members who exceed expectations and positively impact others. The award is given to 240 team members on a monthly basis out of more than 1,900 participating hotels worldwide.

Troubh Heisler P.A., a law firm in Portland, recently announced that Chris Neagle achieved Martindale-Hubbell's AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating in Real Estate. In addition, Neagle was recently included in the 2014 edition of the Best Lawyers in America.

Entrepreneur Magazine recently included Coffee News in its list of 75 Franchises Giving Back to Veterans. The publication, headquartered in Bangor, offers veterans three-year, 0% financing for second through fourth franchise units.

Eaton Peabody, a law firm based in Bangor, recently received Tier 1 rankings in Bangor for corporate law, land use and zoning law and mergers and acquisitions law and Tier 1 Rankings in Portland for real estate law in the 2014 Best Law Firms rankings from U.S. News - Best Lawyers. The firm also received recognition in 18 other practice areas.

Kennebec Behavioral Health recently received a three-year accreditation from CARF International, an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services. The accreditation recognizes the organization's commitment to quality care, effective treatment, consistent support and the promotion of recovery.

Winxnet, an IT service provider in Portland, recently announced it was listed No. 102 on the Ingram Micro 2013 SMB 500. The list celebrates the top 500 fastest-growing channel partners focused on small and mid-size businesses.

Yankee Magazine's 2013 Holiday Food Guide edition features Raye's Mustard of Eastport as one of the editors' favorite New England food products. The magazine named the Maine-made stone-ground mustard as a winner of the first annual Editors' Choice Food Awards in its November/December issue.

Perkins Thompson P.A., a law firm in Portland, recently announced that six of its attorneys were named in the 2013 New England Super Lawyers and Rising Stars directories. Listed as Super Lawyers were Philip Hunt for estate planning and probate, Gordon Scannell Jr. for real estate, Fred Bopp III for bankruptcy and creditor/debtor rights and David McConnell for business litigation. Listed as Rising Stars were Dawn Harmon for civil litigation defense and Sara Moppin for banking.

Nancy Marshall Communications in Augusta was recently honored with two Golden Arrow Awards from the Maine Public Relations Council. The firm's design and production of a responsive, multi-channel media room for the Maine Office of Tourism won a gold award for technology while its public relations and marketing campaign for the Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers Christmas Program captured silver.

TD Bank was recently listed as the Northeast's highest-ranked bank in small business customer satisfaction, according to the 2013 J.D. Power Small Business Banking Satisfaction StudySM. The study measures small business customer satisfaction with the overall banking experience by examining eight factors: product offerings, account manager, facility, account information, problem resolution, credit services, fees and account activities.

Cary Medical Center in Caribou was recently named Top Performer on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission, an accreditor of health care organizations in America. The hospital was recognized for its performance in using evidence-based clinical processes that are shown to improve care for certain conditions including pneumonia and surgical care.

Drummond Woodsum, a law firm in Portland, was recently named to the U.S. News - Best Lawyers 2014 Best Law Firms list. The firm has received Tier One, Two and Three designations in 23 categories, ranging from arbitration and employment law to tax law and trusts and estates in its Portland and Manchester, N.H., offices.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy recently invited University of New England Assistant Professor Michael Burman to participate in Super NEUROScience Saturday at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Through demonstrations and hands-on activities the event aims to foster a better understanding of the brain and how it functions, improve student study skills, promote improvements in neurological health and boost general science literacy among young people.

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada recently awarded the Maine Office of the State Controller the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011.

Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, recently announced that shareholder Peter Rubin was ranked in 2013 New England Super Lawyers as one of New England's Top 100 lawyers. Rubin is the senior member of the firm's litigation group.

Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution recently won the 2013 Candlelight Award by the Epilepsy Foundation of New England for its support of the epilepsy community.

Central Maine Partners in Health, an occupational health clinic in Auburn, announced that Stacie Kunas, a certified family nurse practitioner, recently passed the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners Exam. The program establishes requirements for health care professionals that perform physical qualification examinations on truck and bus drivers.

Edward Bilsky, University of New England's vice president for research and scholarship, professor of pharmacology and director for the Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences, recently received the Career/Lifetime Achievement Award from the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience. The award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding efforts on behalf of undergraduate neuroscience education and research.

The Atlantic Salmon Federation recently announced that Laura Rose Day was selected as the 2013 recipient of the Lee Wulff Atlantic Salmon Conservation Award. Day has provided leadership and management of the Penobscot River Restoration Project, the largest river sea-run fisheries restoration project ever undertaken in the eastern United States.