🔒Newsworthy people and performances for Jan. 12, 2026

New hires

Norway Savings Bank hired Ryan Thompson as commercial loan officer vice president. The Friendly Toast, a brunch and bar spot headquartered in Portsmouth, N.H., with a location in Portland, hired Shawn Utke as CEO. Most recently, Utke served as CEO and senior advisor at Tatte Bakery & Café. Murray Plumb & Murray, a law firm in Portland, hired Meredith Cook as an attorney in the firm’s litigation, education and employment law practices. Cook previously served as a judicial law clerk to the Judge Stacey D. Neumann of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine. Penobscot Community Health Care in Bangor hired Kendra Emery as chief medical officer, effective March 2026. Emery most recently was chief medical officer of the MaineHealth Accountable Care Organization. Pine Harbor Advisors, a financial advisory firm in South Portland, hired Matt Welch as employer retirement plan service associate and Sadie Laperle as client engagement coordinator. Records Management Center & Shredding On Site in Bangor hired Michelle Eaton as inside sales coordinator. Eaton was previously a housing assistant at Penquis. The Central Maine Growth Council in Waterville hired Joshua Devou as economic development specialist and Jeff Frank as program manager of Dirigo Labs.

The Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce hired Kelly McCormack as director of events and Thomas O’Boyle as director of advocacy. McCormack was previously with the Center for Grieving Children while O’Boyle was a news producer with WGME and WCSH. Allen Insurance and Financial in Camden hired Ashley Rackliff as a client service associate in the company’s personal insurance division. NBT Bank in Portland hired Suzanne Cange as Maine retail market manager. Island Institute in Rockland hired Charlie French as chief community development officer. French previously led the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension’s Community and Economic Development division. Bath Savings hired Justin Poulin as a commercial lender. R.M. Davis, a private wealth management firm in Portland, hired Bridget Bailey as a senior client relationship associate, Tori Brooks as an estate associate, Nicklaus DeBlois as finance manager and Melissa Heffernan as an associate compliance officer. Bailey was previously a relationship administrator at HM Payson & Co. Inc., Brooks was a relationship banker at M&T Bank, DeBlois was a senior tax manager at One River CPAs and Heffernan was controller at Dewey Community Inc. Hancock Lumber in Casco hired Curtis Pratt as safety director.

Promotions

Consigli Construction Co. Inc. in Portland promoted Andy Miller to senior project manager. Miller was previously project manager. Whitten Architects, a residential architectural firm in Portland, promoted Adam Darter, Ian Parlin and Jesse Patkus to associate. Avesta Housing, a nonprofit affordable housing provider based in Portland, promoted Eric Boucher to executive vice president, CFO and COO; Patrick Hess to vice president of real estate; and Jessica Moninski to senior director of organizational development. Boucher was previously senior vice president of finance and administration, Hess was director of real estate development and Moninski was director of human resources.

Berman & Simmons, a personal injury law firm in Lewiston, promoted Susan Faunce to managing director. Faunce, who has been with the firm for two decades, focuses her practice on medical malpractice, wrongful death and other catastrophic injury cases. Pierce Atwood, a law firm in Portland, promoted Molly Putnam Liddell to managing partner. Since 2018, Liddell has been chair of the firm’s trusts and estates practice group. SMRT Architects & Engineers promoted Ben Halleck, Bradley Baker and Lura Wade to principal. Halleck is a senior mechanical engineer and project manager in Portland, Baker is a senior architect and the sustainability leader in Portland and Wade is electrical engineering discipline leader in Bangor. Uprise Partners, a cybersecurity and IT managed services provider in Portland, promoted Tyler Dunlea to senior director of managed services. Previously, Dunlea was director of managed services. Kebo Valley Golf Club in Bar Harbor promoted Peiter DeVos to PGA professional/director of operations. DeVos is entering his 25th year as the head golf professional at the course.

Appointments

The Maine Sports Commission named Linsey MacDougall as board chair. MacDougall is director of development and operations for the Maine Justice Foundation. New England Cancer Specialists elected Devon Evans as board president. Evans, a medical oncologist and hematologist, has been with the organization since 2007. The American Heart Association named its Maine Woman of Impact nominees including Mindy Beyer, acute coronary syndrome program manager, cardiovascular services, MaineHealth; Ella DiPietro, senior client service associate, Raymond James; Carolyn Lebeis, co-owner, C. Skin Co. Medical Aesthetics; and Ashley Lucas, strategic account consultant, large group sales, Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield. Bath Savings elected Jeff Zachau to its board of trustees. Zachau is CEO of Zachau Construction. High Peaks Alliance in Farmington named John Rogers as board president. Rogers has four decades of public service and extensive experience in outdoor recreation.

Achievements

Maine State Credit Union in Augusta named Tucker Sharples and Michelle Haskell as its “President’s Award” winners at the organization’s annual employee banquet. Additional award winners included Jessica Rowe, “Social Responsibility Award;” Jason Cormier, “Leading Forward Award;” Ashley Dyer, “Commitment to Culture Award;” Claribel Henry and Dylan Hersey, “Dedication to Member Service Award;” Caitlyn Morgan, “Innovation Award;” and Shelley Rowe, “Empowerment Advocate Award.” Camden National Bank announced the recipients of its “2025 Leaders & Luminaries Awards” including Kate Borduas, board president, Scarborough Public Library; Don House, president emeritus, Belknap House; Jordan Stanwood, board president, Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center; Kristin Valdmanis, board member, Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine; and Annie Watson, board member, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. “Spotlight Awards” were also presented to Beth Ann Barrett, board chair, The Friendly Kitchen in Concord, N.H. and Penny Kittle, founder, Book Love Foundation in North Conway, N.H. Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro in Portland said it’s Fragrant Coconut Soup with Tofu & Baby Bella Mushrooms earned a “Souper Vegan Award” from PETA as one of the nation’s 10 best plant-powered soups and stews. KidsPeace, a national nonprofit offering services in various locations in Maine, announced that it has been named a “Culture Leader” by Kudos, an employee recognition, rewards and corporate culture platform provider. University of Maine at Augusta announced that Leigh Alley, assistant professor and coordinator of teacher education, was named by the Maine Children’s Alliance as the 2025 recipient of the “Educator Award” at its Champions for Children Giraffe Awards. Give IT. get IT., a digital inclusion nonprofit in Waterville, said it earned a “2025 Top-Rated Nonprofit” designation by GreatNonprofits, a platform for community-generated nonprofit reviews and ratings. Eastern Maine Development Corp. in Bangor selected Maine Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman as its “2025 Community Spirit Award” winner at its annual awards. Others recognized included Alison Lane, Maine Small Business Development, for her one-on-one, no cost support for small businesses; Kelly Flagg and the Associated General Contractors, “Business Partner of the Year;” Diane Dickerson and the Bangor YMCA, “Nonprofit of the Year;” and Miranda Pelkey, director of the APEX Accelerator program, “The Tom Davis Employee of the Year Award.” U.S. Sen. Susan Collins was awarded the “2025 Award for Excellence in HIV/AIDS” by the Global AIDS Policy Partnership and the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership. Wright-Ryan Construction in Portland announced that the Tekakapimek Contact Station at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument was named Engineering News-Record “New England Project of the Year.” MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta said that it earned seven “Women’s Choice Awards” for 2026 including recognition as one of “America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience,” “Best Hospitals for Cancer Care,” “Best Hospitals for Knee & Hip Replacement,” “Best Hospitals for Minimally Invasive Surgery,” “Best Hospitals for Obstetrics,” “Best Hospitals for Orthopedics” and “Best Hospitals for Stroke Care.” SKILLS Inc., a nonprofit in St. Albans that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, announced that Lolice Brann was named a “2025 Direct Support Professional of the Year” by the Maine Association for Community Service Providers.