🔒Newsworthy people and performances for Sept. 4, 2023

New hires

MMG Insurance Co. in Presque Isle hired Julia Clukey as vice president of people and engagement/HR. The former U.S. Olympian has held leadership positions at General Electric, WEX, Wayfair, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and VF Corp.

CUSO Home Lending, a licensed mortgage company in Hampden, hired Troy Taylor as vice president of servicing and loss mitigation. Taylor has 30 years of experience in financial services.

Allen Insurance and Financial in Camden hired Kristen Baker as a personal insurance account executive. Baker has 10 years of insurance experience and holds the Certified Insurance Service Representative designation.

Bar Harbor Savings and Loan Association hired Theresa Colson as bank manager. Colson was most recently supervisor for account reconciliation at Bar Harbor Bank and Trust.

Maine Family FCU in Lewiston hired Andrew McGeorge as executive vice president and CFO. McGeorge was previously treasurer and CFO at the Unitarian Universalist Association, a Boston-based nonprofit.

Maine Children’s Home in Waterville hired Candace Marriner as executive director. Marriner, who has 25 years of leadership experience across the helping professions, was clinical director for Sheepscot Regional Education Program.

The Master of Science in Athletic Training program at the University of New England in Biddeford hired Michele LaBotz as medical director. LaBotz most recently worked as a physician partner at InterMed Physician Associates.

Channel 8 WMTW in Portland hired Jessica Gagne as a member of its morning team.

University Credit Union in Orono hired Seth Poplaski as a community engagement manager covering central Maine. Poplaski was previously a videographer at Northern Light Health.

Promotions

AR Gould Hospital in Presque Isle promoted Jay Reynolds to president. Reynolds, who will also serve as a senior vice president for Northern Light Health, has served as the senior physician executive at the hospital.

Sweetser, a behavioral health nonprofit in Saco, promoted Justin Chenette to senior director of public relations and advancement. Chenette was previously communications director.

The Maine Business School at the University of Maine promoted Patti Miles to associate dean and Meghan Gardner to assistant dean of business. Miles, professor of management, was interim associate dean of business while Gardner was academic advisor and student support specialist for the Graduate School of Business.

KeyBank in Portland promoted Alina Dubois to business banking relationship manager for southern Maine. Dubois was previously area retail leader.

Appointments

Waynflete, a private school in Portland, added Shamit Grover to its board of trustees for a three-year term. Grover is a co-managing partner of Vesper Co. and managing partner of Andalusian Credit Partners.

Dirigo Labs in Waterville appointed Jonathan Godbout as its entrepreneur in residence. Godbout is co-founder of Prospector, a startup utilizes human-centered artificial intelligence data analytics to allow investors to better understand the environmental, social and governance impact of the mining industry.

Achievements

Penquis President and CEO Kara Hay was awarded the “National Lyndon Baines Johnson Leadership Award” by the National Community Action Partnership. The award recognizes Community Action practitioners whose expertise on what works to promote greater economic opportunity for children and families is known and respected at the national, state and local level.

Maine Seacoast Mission in Northeast Harbor presented its “2023 Sunbeam Awards” to its former director of island health, Sharon Daley, as well as its health care partners, the Maine Center for Disease Control, Mount Desert Island Hospital, Dan Johnson, Brien Davis, Scott Schiff-Slater and Anand Viswanathan.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust presented its first half “Brand Behavior Awards” for demonstrating behavior that exemplifies the bank’s core values of communication, initiative, positivity, professionalism, quality and teamwork. Recipients included Amy Foskett and Lacee Lounder, “Communication Award;” Kim DeSchuiteneer and Brittani Nash, “Initiative Award;” Mynor Aldana and Sam Calfy, “Positivity Award;” Susan Albee and Susan Ordway, “Professionalism Award;” Shane Klardie and Joanne Ryan, “Quality Award;” and Tina Brown and Cristy Harding, “Teamwork Award.”

Seven hospitals in Maine are among the 2,600 nationwide that were recognized as participants in the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines initiative to improve outcomes for Americans who experience heart disease or stroke. Participants included Eastern Maine Medical Center, Central Maine Medical Center, MaineGeneral Medical Center, Maine Medical Center, Northern Light Health AR Gould Hospital, Northern Light Mercy Hospital and Pen Bay Medical Center.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services gave Maine Medical Center in Portland five stars for quality in 2023. The top rating was awarded 10.4% of the 4,654 hospitals it evaluated.

The Greater Portland Board of Realtors named Mary Jo Cross, an agent at Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty in Portland, a “Spirit Award” winner.

Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty in Portland announced that Brian Wickenden, an agent in Camden, was named “Realtor of the Year” by the Pen Bay Council, Mid-Coast Board of Realtors and that Laura Pellerano, an agent in Northeast Harbor, was named “Realtor of the Year” by the Acadia Council, Mid-Coast Board of Realtors.

The city of Portland said that its Riverside Golf Course retained its designation as a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, an Audubon International program.

The University of New England in Biddeford was, for the ninth straight year, named by The Princeton Review as one of the nation’s best institutions for an undergraduate college degree in its annual college guide, The Best 389 Colleges for 2024. The university also said it was named to the 2023 “Best Colleges For Your Money” list, published by Money magazine.

Julia Hazel, director of BIPOC career pathways and leadership development at the Portland Public Schools, was among 10 recipients to receive a “Compass Career Award” as part of the 2023 Maine Black Excellence Awards. The award recognizes an individual who has accomplished a standout achievement in their workplace or sector.

Preti Flaherty, a law firm in Portland, said that 32 of its Maine-based attorneys were named to “Best Lawyers in America 2024,” including four who were named “Ones to Watch.”

Pierce Atwood LLP, a law firm in Portland, said that 34 of its Maine-based attorneys were named to “Best Lawyers in America 2024.”

Verrill, a law firm in Portland, said that 45 of its Maine-based attorneys were named to “Best Lawyers in America 2024,” including seven who were named “Ones to Watch.”