Newsworthy people and performances for Nov. 30 issue

New hires

Verrill Dana, a law firm in Portland, hired Stephen Segal and Chantal Wilson. Segal most recently served as a law clerk to the Judge John A. Woodcock Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine while Wilson interned with the United Kingdom Ministry of Justice in London, England, for the Family Justice Review.

Norton Financial Services in Cumberland Foreside hired Jeanne Fenton as clerical assistant and Norton Insurance Agency in Cumberland Foreside hired Lauren Faulkner as commercial lines assistant. Fenton previously worked for First Choice Title Co. in Gorham as title abstractor/mortgage processor while Faulkner was with TAMC in Presque Isle as front office specialist/health services assistant III.

U.S. Sen. Angus King hired Morgan Cashwell as a legislative assistant in his Washington, D.C., office. Cashwell most recently worked for U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla.

WEX Inc., a provider of corporate payment solutions in South Portland, hired Roberto Simon as CFO. Simon was previously executive vice president and CFO for Revlon Inc.

The Salvation Army of Northern New England in Portland hired Carol Holt as donor relations director.

Wright-Pierce, a water, wastewater and infrastructure engineering firm in Portland, hired Andrew Ian to direct the firm's new Instrumentation Integration and Field Services Division. Ian is a recognized industrial instrumentation expert with over 40 years of experience, including more than 20 years as a systems integrator for the water and wastewater industry.

Sage Data Security, an independent information security firm in Portland, hired Jockel Carter as senior information security advisor. Most recently, Carter was a principal security engineer and PCI master for Agero.

United Way of York County in Kennebunk hired Fiona Robinson as manager of communications and donor development. Robinson previously worked as a freelance writer and editor.

Center Theatre in Dover-Foxcroft hired Patrick Myers as interim executive director.

The Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers in Waterville hired Richard Dorian as executive director. Dorian, who spent 15 years as executive director at Life Enrichment Advancing People, is scheduled to start on Jan. 1.

Diversified Communications, an international media company in Portland, hired Andrew Pratt as a desktop support analyst and Sean Williams as a technical lead. Pratt was previously employed with EditShare in Boston and Williams was with Stone Coast Hedge Fund Services in Portland.

Camden National Bank hired Jennifer Morin as vice president, commercial banking officer for the greater Bangor area. Previously, Morin was vice president, senior relationship manager for Bangor Savings Bank.

The Maine Small Business Development Centers in Portland hired Peter Harriman as a business advisor.

Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, hired Peter Herzog as an associate attorney in the firm's labor and employment practice group. Herzog was previously with Fisher & Phillips LLP in Portland.

OTT Communications in New Gloucester hired Joe Bourgault as a strategic account manager for New England.

The Maine Small Business Development Centers in Portland hired Peter Harriman as a business advisor.

Promotions

Dead River Co. in South Portland promoted Deanna Sherman to president, effective Jan. 1, 2016, and to CEO in July 2016. Sherman, previously vice president of energy, takes over from current President and CEO Robert Moore, who is scheduled to retire in July 2016.

Coffee News USA promoted John Buckley to senior vice president of franchise development and Peter Philbrick to assistant vice president of franchise development.

WEX Inc., a provider of corporate payment solutions in South Portland, promoted Steve Elder to senior vice president, investor relations. Elder was previously CFO.

The Maine Small Business Development Centers promoted Steve Lovejoy to center director at the Portland office located at the University of Southern Maine. Lovejoy was previously a business advisor.

Salem Advisory Group LLC in Wells promoted Kevin Colley to president, chief compliance officer and portfolio manager and Jennifer Arps to executive vice president. Colley was most recently a vice president and portfolio manager while Arps was vice president.

Avesta Housing, a nonprofit affordable housing developer and property manager in Portland, promoted Leah Osberg to senior property manager in the Greater Portland Region and Krissie Bodkin-Rubino to property manager. Osberg was previously property manager while Bodkin-Rubino was a resident service coordinator.

Appointments

MaineHealth added Melissa Smith to its board of trustees. Smith is the president and CEO of WEX Inc. In addition, the organization announced Susannah Swihart was appointed chair and Greg Dufour vice chair of its board of trustees. Swihart, who spent 20 years in financial institutions, also serves on the board of directors of the Dead River Co. while Dufour is president and CEO of Camden National Corp.

The Maine Humanities Council added Joseph Conforti, Gregory Fahy, Edward Kelleher and Iva Sussman to its board of directors. Conforti is former director and professor of American and New England studies at the University of Southern Maine, Fahy is the dean of arts and sciences and associate professor of philosophy at the University of Maine at Augusta, Kelleher is a lawyer with Drummond Woodsum and Sussman is a community advocate and volunteer.

The Plant Memorial Home, an assisted living facility in Bath, announced that Kimberly Braley was appointed to its board. Braley is a registered nurse at Maine Medical Center.

The Maine Medical Center in Portland named Bill Burke, chairman of the Portland Sea Dogs and the U.S. Biathlon Association, as chairman of its board of trustees and added Mike Simonds and Brett Loffredo as board members. Simonds is president and CEO of Unum U.S. while Loffredo is a primary care physician and the associate medical director for Maine Medical Partners – Westbrook Primary Care.

Milestone Foundation, a substance abuse agency in Portland, elected several new members to its board of directors including Barbara Merrill, chief executive director of the American Network of Community Options and Resources; John Branson, founding attorney of Branson Law Office PA; Tony DiSotto, vice president and business banking relationship manager at KeyBank; Shawn Hamelin, construction superintendent at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard; Mike Miles, senior human resources consultant; Tom Ptacek, veterans health care outreach community organizer with Preble Street; and Michael Sauschuck, Portland chief of police.

The Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development in Portland added Jennifer Bush and Brett Austin to its board of directors. Bush is COO for HistoryIT and Austin is president of Kepware Technologies.

Achievements

The Maine Children's Alliance in Augusta presented its 2015 Giraffe Awards to Sue Mackey Andrews, Judy Feinstein, Jim Wellehan, Nakia Dana, John Woods and Full Plates, Full Potential, My Place Teen Center and Don Sanders. The annual awards are given to individuals, organizations and businesses that make a difference for Maine kids and families.

Wright-Pierce, a water, wastewater and infrastructure firm in Portland, was the design engineer for the Cromwell, Conn., Mattabassett Water Pollution Control Facility project, which won an Engineering News Record “Best Regional Project of 2015” award.

The Franklin Community Health Network spirit committee announced its October EPIC award winners were Dee Christiansen, maternal and child health unit; McKenzie Searles, internal medicine; Diana Ladd, patient registration; and Jon Abell, physical rehabilitation.

The International Regional Magazine Association named Down East magazine in Camden as “Magazine of the Year” for the category of regional magazines with an audited circulation of 30,000 and higher. In all, the magazine earned 14 awards.

Maine Huts & Trails in Kingfield announced it was featured as one of nine eco-friendly winter vacation ideas by Travel + Leisure magazine.

The Maine State Chamber of Commerce presented its Alton “Chuck” Cianchette Business Hall of Fame award to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins. The award annually recognizes an individual who demonstrates public service leadership, business success, compassion, courage and commitment.

The Environmental and Energy Technology Council of Maine received the “Startup Supporter of the Year Award” at the 2015 Green Tie Gala hosted by the Northeast Clean Energy Council.

NAI The Dunham Group, a real estate firm in Portland, announced that Justin Lamontagne earned Certified Commercial Investment Member accreditation. The accreditation is awarded by the CCIM Institute recognizing an individual as an expert in commercial and investment real estate.

Douglas McDaniel Campo and Schools, a law firm in Westbrook, announced partners Tom Douglas and Anne Schools were recognized by New England Super Lawyers as top attorneys in Maine.

Perkins Thompson, a law firm in Portland, announced Christopher Dargie, Stephanie Williams, Sara Moppin and Lauren Weliver were selected as “2015 Rising Stars” by New England Super Lawyers.

Cary Medical Center in Caribou and Inland Hospital in Waterville were recognized for patient safety with an A grade in the Fall 2015 Hospital Safety Score, which rates how well hospitals protect patients from preventable medical errors, injuries and infections within the hospital. Both were also recognized as a Straight A's hospital for never receiving a grade lower than an A in the rating since it launched in June 2012.

Dan Libby, plant operator at the Camden & Rockland Division of Maine Water Co., recently graduated from the Management Candidate School, a program which prepares drinking water and wastewater personnel for career advancement in utility management.

Adrienne Cogill and Chelsea Potter were named “Caregiver of the Month” for October by Comfort Keepers, a provider of in-home support services for older adults in southern Maine.

Cushman Creative, a design agency in Port Clyde specializing in biomedical and life science marketing, was chosen for inclusion in the 2016 Graphic Design Annual for its Catalyst for Cures campaign case statement for the MDI Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor.

The Portland Water District and the city of Portland's Industrial Pretreatment Program was selected by EPA for a 2015 Regional Industrial Pretreatment Program Excellence Award, recognizing the efforts of inspecting, permitting and sampling of industrial users that discharge industrial waste into the city's collection system.

The Maine Windjammer Association in Blue Hill announced that the board of trustees at the USS Constitution Museum in Charlestown, Mass., presented the Don Turner Award to captains John Foss and Douglas and Linda Lee for their devotion to the sea and for preserving the nation's maritime history.

The Bennett Law Firm in Portland announced that the firm was selected for the 2016 edition of “Best Law Firms” by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers.

Skelton Taintor & Abbott, a law firm in Auburn, received a Tier 1 ranking in the Portland metropolitan region in the U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers' “2016 Best Law Firms” rankings.

Pratt & Whitney North Berwick was named a 2015 Best Plants finalist by IndustryWeek magazine in recognition of its efforts to deliver manufacturing excellence through increased competitiveness, enhanced customer satisfaction and by creating stimulating and rewarding work environments.

Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, was recognized in the “2016 Best Law Firms” directory by U.S. News - Best Lawyers. The firm was ranked in metropolitan-area practice categories and received 38 tier-one distinctions.

The Telling Room, a writing center in Portland that assists children and young adults develop and build storytelling skills, won a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from the White House.

Penobscot Community Health Care in Bangor announced that Deborah MacLean, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, was the 2015 recipient of the Maine Primary Care Association's Behavioral Health Excellence Award.

Professional Logging Contractors of Maine in Augusta nominated Voisine Bros. Inc., a logging company in Fort Kent, for a Northeastern Region Outstanding Logger Award presented by the Forest Resources Association.