Newsworthy people and performances for Sept. 21, 2016

New hires Island Institute in Rockland hired Doug Schlemmer as COO. Schlemmer was previously assistant vice president of customer experience transformation at Unum Group. Healthy Communities of the Capital Area in Hallowell hired Isabelle Newman as a program associate nutrition educator with Nourish ME, a statewide nutrition education initiative focused on reducing chronic disease and improving health outcomes with food is medicine approaches. The town of Yarmouth hired Audra Caler as town manager, effective Oct. 1. Caler was previously town manager in Camden. Portside Real Estate Group in Falmouth hired Lily LaCasse as an agent on its southern Maine team. Keller Williams Realty Maine in Portland hired Cayla Baker, Molly Brown, Luca Duina, Benjamin Graffius, Jake Levesque, Mary Metherell, Manny Paolucci, Sarah Vincent, Kristin Stephan, Tess Hakilla and Stanley Rintz. Atlantic Federal Credit Union in South Portland hired Jamie Arnold as director of loan operations Reveler Development in Portland hired P.J. Massey as director of asset management. Skowhegan Savings hired Elsa McGary as vice president of treasury management. McGary was previously vice president cash management relationship manager and cash management service team leader at Machias Savings Bank. Bangor Savings Bank hired Joe Luciano as vice president, cash management solutions sales manager. Previously, Luciano was senior cash management relationship manager at NBT Bank. KeyBank hired Mark Williams as business banking leader for the New England market. Williams, who was most recently chief growth officer at Androscoggin Bank, will oversee the business banking sales teams in markets in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Fontaine Family, an Auburn real estate firm, hired Jessica Costa as an agent. GrowSmart Maine hired Leigh Hallett as CEO. Allagash Brewing Co. in Portland hired Matt Place as sales director. Place was previously with Athletic Brewing Co. Hannaford Supermarkets in Scarborough hired Sara Olson as community impact manager. The MEMIC Group, a workers’ compensation specialist in Portland, hired Brandon Waddingham as production underwriter on its northeast underwriting team. Bangor Savings Bank hired Laura Mullins as assistant vice president, mortgage loan officer at bank’s Andover, Mass. mortgage loan office. Promotions Dentons, an international law firm, promoted Chad Higgins to managing partner of the firm’s Portland office. Higgins joined the firm in 2024, representing clients in state and federal courts across the U.S. in products liability and mass tort matters, with a focus on environmental litigation. Appointments VOA Northern New England, a regional housing and social service nonprofit in Maine and New Hampshire, elected Summer Main, Jill Rolland and Dan Quinn to its board of directors. Main is senior corporate counsel at Elsevier Inc., Rolland is laboratory director at Kennebec River Biosciences and Quinn is chief actuary at Devoted Health Medical Practice. Greater Portland Landmarks added seven trustees to its board of trustees including Kendal Anderson, Stephanie Carver, Vince DiYenno, Natalie Hill, David Hingston, Matthew Kendall and Josh Trombley. Achievements Jes Wallimann, a broker at Vitalius Real Estate Group in Portland, was named “best realtor” in the Best of Portland 2026 rankings. The Finance Authority of Maine in Augusta announced that Martha Johnston, director of education, was presented with the “Candance Johnson Vinette Award” by the Maine Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. The award is presented to an individual who has made special contributions of energy, spirit and dedication to increasing access to higher education for the citizens of Maine. Berman & Simmons, a law firm in Lewiston, said that announced three of its attorneys were recognized as Best Lawyers” in the 2027 edition of “Best Lawyers in America,” a national peer-review guide, including one that was named “Lawyer of the Year.” In addition, Christopher Boots was included among the “Ones to Watch in America.” Health Care for Maine, a coalition of Maine-based organizations working together to ensure that every person in Maine has access to high-quality healthcare at a cost they can afford, recognized Gov. Janet Mills as a “Health Care Hero.” VIP Tires & Service in Auburn said it was named a “Silver Arrow Award” winner by the Maine Public Relations Council for its development of the “Journeys with VIP” magazine in 2025. Bixby Chocolate in Rockland announced that six of its creations were named Grand Jury finalists in the “2026 Americas – USA Bean-to-Bar and Craft Chocolatier Competition” leading to three silver International Chocolate Award medals and one bronze medal.