Jackson named VP for communications at Colby College

Ruth Jacobs Jackson has been named vice president for communications at Colby College, effective last Wednesday, the college announced in a press release.

Jackson was most recently assistant vice president for communications and is a longtime employee of the college. The press release said she has “contributed immeasurably to the success of the communications efforts” at the college, and has headed the communications office since August.

“Ruth Jackson is the perfect person for this challenging assignment,” said President David Greene in the release. “She is deeply analytical, adept at synthesizing complex ideas, and a forceful advocate for Colby’s outstanding educational program.”

A graduate of Brandeis University and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Jackson came to Colby in 2003 as assistant director of communications for news and information. She has been associate director, then director, and was named assistant vice president last year.

“I was drawn to Colby because it does such an exceptional job at educating young people and preparing them to make a positive impact on the world,” Jackson said in the release. “I stayed because the community is like no other — intellectual, collaborative, and kind.

“I am eager to take on this new role because, under the leadership of President Greene, we are already on our way to making Colby more accessible to the most highly qualified students from all kinds of backgrounds. I am honored to play a role in that effort.”

Jackson will act as Colby’s chief communications officer and will oversee the strategic planning behind, and the development and creation of, Colby’s communications and marketing programs, including the website, Colby Magazine, advancement and admissions materials, media relations, social media, and internal communications, according to the release.

A native of Farmington, Jackson lives in Oakland with her husband and two sons.

Hayes named Franklin Savings Bank’s head of commercial lending

Franklin Savings Bank has named Derek Hayes to the management team as director of commercial lending.

“We are thrilled to have Derek on the management team at Franklin Savings Bank,” said Peter Judkins, bank president and CEO, in a press release. “I am confident that his strong work ethic and enthusiasm for the business will contribute greatly to the continued success of the bank.”

Hayes most recently was at Camden National Bank, where he was regional vice president for commercial lending of the 11-branch region of the greater Ellsworth market. He has a dozen years’ experience in commercial banking and has been a regional “team leader” for five years.

At Franklin Savings Bank, Hayes will be responsible for managing the bank’s commercial lending activities and developing a strategy for growing the small business community in western and central Maine, according to the release.

“I am both honored and excited to be joining the Franklin Savings Bank family and look forward to continuing the organization’s long tradition of serving the customers and communities of Western Maine,” said Hayes.

Hayes earned a bachelor’s degree in political dcience at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, holds an MBA from St. Joseph’s College and is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is completing a professional certification in employee coaching.

Hayes began his banking career as a commercial credit analyst and trainee and has spent the past 11 years as a commercial lending officer, most recently as a vice president and commercial regional manager at Camden National Bank.

Hayes, an avid runner and outdoor enthusiast, is relocating to Farmington with his wife and children. While in the Ellsworth area, he was active in the community and has volunteered with several organizations including the Ellsworth Rotary Club, Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce, Down East Family YMCA, SCORE and Down East Health Services.

MOFGA raises money to provide CSA shares for low-income Mainers

The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association is, for the fifth year, spearheading a fundrainsing drive that will enable Community Supported Agriculture farmers to offer reduced price shares to low-income families while the farmers still receive the full share value. CSA farms are those in which customers buy a “share” of the farm for a given season before that season begins, and receive, in return, products from the farm at a discount.

This year Unity-based MOFGA is holding a crowdsourcing “Fundrazr” to support the program, which helps struggling Maine families eat local, healthy and organic food, generates new customers for farmers, and keeps federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program money in local economies, according to a press release from MOFGA.

In just two weeks, more than 24 contributors have taken the fundraising campaign past the halfway, $3,000 mark toward the $6,000 goal.

MOFGA hopes to exceed its funding goal in order to expand the number of participating farms more quickly, to fund additional discounted shares for struggling Maine families that don’t qualify for SNAP, and to support resource sharing with other national programs that are trying similar programs, according to the release.

Participating farms inlcude Full Circle Farm in East Vassalboro, Village Farm in Freedom, Wolf Pine Farm in Alfred; Tide Mill Farm in Edmunds; Little Ridge Farm in Lisbon Falls; Happy Town Farm in Orland and Hatchet Cove Farm in Warren

For information visit fundrazr.com/campaigns/7xla6/sh/f4cUtf.

Society for Human Resources Management seeks ‘Best Places to Work in Maine’

The Maine State Council of the Society for Human Resources Management has kicked off the 10th annual “Best Places to Work in Maine” program. Endorsed by the Maine Department of Labor, the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Best Companies Group, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, the Maine HR Convention and Mainebiz, the program recognizes companies that have established and consistently fostered outstanding workplace environments, according to a news release from the council.

In June, Best Companies Group will survey the companies that have registered online by the deadline of Friday, May 22. The survey will incorporate a company’s employee benefits and policies and responses from a comprehensive employee engagement and satisfaction survey, according to the release. The data collected from the assessment will be used to determine the Best Places to Work in Maine.

The Best Companies Group Employee Feedback Report is presented to each participating company, even if it did not make the list. The report includes the summarized employee engagement and satisfaction data, the Maine Benchmark Report, and the transcript of employee written comments. The report is used by many to make significant improvements in their workplace culture, according to the release.

First place winners of the ninth annual “Best Places to Work in Maine” program in 2014 included Edward Jones based in Belfast in the large company category; Patriot Subaru, located in Saco, took the same honor in the medium category; and No. 1 in the small company category was TruChoice Federal Credit Union, based in South Portland.

Any company with at least 15 employees in Maine can participate. Companies selected as a “Best Place to Work in Maine” will be announced in the fall. A complete list of top companies will be featured in a statewide publication put out by Mainebiz, according to the release.

Cooperative Design Lab to host workshops at Viles Arboretum

Cooperatives and co-op supporters around Maine will gather at the Viles Arboretum in Augusta for the 2nd annual Principle Six Conference later this week, a day of workshops and discussions that will bring businesses together to cooperate in building a new economy, according to a press release from the program.

The conference will run from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday. There will be a networking session from 3-4 p.m. and the Cooperative Design Lab Celebration from 4-6 p.m., at which participants will make short presentations about their new cooperatives. The general public is invited

The Cooperative Design Lab is a three-month development program for worker and producer cooperatives that was held at the Wayfinder School in New Gloucester from January through March. Participants from six different cooperatives participated in the inaugural program and learned skills they need to develop their cooperative and grow their business, according to the release.

The Cooperative Design Lab is organized by Cooperative Fermentation, the Resilience Hub and the Cooperative Development Institute with support from the Belfast Co-op, Crown of Maine Organic Cooperative, MOFGA, Cabot Cheese, Coastal Enteprises Inc., Maine Community Health Options, Democracy at Work Institute, Cooperative Fund of New England and Cooperative Maine.

Local Edward Jones team participates in advanced life insurance training

Julie Barter Lucas, a financial advisor with the financial services firm Edward Jones, and Melanie Boucher, a branch office administrator, recently attended an advanced life insurance training opportunity at the firm’s St. Louis headquarters, according to a press release from the firm.

The two-day Insurance Partnership Program is offered to branch teams that are among the firm’s most successful in helping clients work toward their long-term financial goals, the release said. Only 10 branch teams attend each session. Barter Lucas and Boucher were one of the 10 branch teams, out of firm’s more than 12,000 branch teams, attending the session.

“Life insurance is an important way investors can protect their families’ financial security. At the Insurance Partnership Program, we developed a better understanding of available insurance solutions to meet the individual needs of our clients,” Barter Lucas said in the release. “Melanie and I also identified ways to provide clients with greater efficiency when processing insurance needs.”

Boucher added, “Attending this training together has allowed us to strengthen our team approach to serving our clients’ protection needs. With our new insights on efficiency and available resources, we are now better even equipped to deliver an ideal client experience to every client.”

Maine Women’s Fund makes awards to nonprofits investing in state’s economic security

The Maine Women’s Fund, focused on advancing the economic security of women and girls, has awarded grants totaling $98,000 to organizations working to build the economic security of Maine women and girls, including the Elder Abuse Institute and the Girl Scouts of Maine.

The 2015 grantees will be recognized at the Fund’s annual Leadership Luncheon on May 19 in Portland, according to a press release from the organization.

The grant cycle included $30,000 from the Karen Moran Leadership Fund for Women and Girls, created in 2014 to honor the memory of Yarmouth resident Karen Moran, who died in 2013 and dedicated to reflecting her commitment to strengthening leadership capacity, according to the release. Last year, the first grant was awarded to Waterville based nonprofit organization Hardy Girls Healthy Women.

The full list of Maine Women’s Fund 2014-15 Economic Security Initiative grant recipients is as follows:

Elder Abuse Institute of Maine – Transitional Housing for Elder Victims of Abuse.

Girl Scouts of Maine — Sharing the Wealth: Financial Literacy for Girls where volunteers will be trained by GSME to deliver a series of financial literacy programs to girls 5-17.

Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center — Supporting Mabel’s Clinical Care. This project will help the Center continue seeing uninsured and clients with MaineCare.

Maine Boys to Men — Reducing Sexism & Violence Program.

Maine Women’s Policy Center — Advancing Women’s Economic Security.

Next Step — Innovations in Youth Education, focusing on dating violence.

ROiL dba Maine Inside Out — Transitional employment program at Long Creek Youth Development Center.

SeniorsPlus — Money Matters for Women.

Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services — Bridging the Gap.

Wayfinder Schools — Passages Program for Teen Parents.

Women Unlimited — WorkReady, Set, Go! Maine Department of Education certified Women Unlimited as a WorkReadyME training center to offer standards based training and employment support.

Bernstein Shur attorneys author chapter on superior court practice in Maine

Bernstein Shur attorneys Paul McDonald, Daniel J. Murphy and Meredith Eilers have co-authored the “Special Claims – Injunctive Relief” chapter in “A Practical Guide to Superior Court Practice in Maine,” the firm announced.

Published by Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc., the guide is a premier resource for civil and criminal legal practitioners in the state of Maine written by judges and lawyers, according to a Bernstein Shur news release.

Bernstein Shur has offices in Augusta and Portland, as well as Manchester, N.H.

McDonald is a shareholder, the chair of the Litigation Practice Group and member of the Business Law Practice Group. He resides in Cape Elizabeth, Maine with his wife and children.

Murphy is a shareholder and member of Bernstein Shur’s Litigation Practice Group and Business Law Practice Group. He lives with his wife and two children in Portland.

In 2010, McDonald and Murphy were awarded the Vincent L. McKusick Award by the Maine State Bar Association, which honors the author of the best article published in the Maine Bar Journal that year, for the article entitled Recovery of Lost Profits Damages; All Is Not Lost.

Eilers is an associate and member of Bernstein Shur’s Litigation Group and Construction Law Practice Group. She lives in Bowdoinham with her husband and daughter.