Camden National Bank recognized six nonprofit board directors with a 2019 Leaders & Luminaries Awards and $22,000 total in grants for their respective organizations. The awards breakfast took place during Maine Association of Nonprofits’ executive forum, “Focus on Strategic Board Recruitment: Connecting People with Purpose,” according to a news release from the Camden-based bank.

Since the Leaders & Luminaries Awards began in 2011, Camden National Bank has now given $152,000 to 43 Maine nonprofits through its private charitable foundation, The Bank of Maine Foundation.

“Our Leaders & Luminaries Awards aim to shine a spotlight on the critical impact that volunteer board directors have each day,” said Greg Dufour, president & CEO of Camden National Bank, according to the release. “We couldn’t be prouder of this year’s awardees who bring passion, strategic vision, and leadership to their organizations in order to strengthen our communities.”

This year, more than 55 nonprofit board members were nominated by the community for a Leaders & Luminaries Award. Camden National Bank’s Leaders & Luminaries independent selection committee selected four Leaders & Luminaries Award Winners, each receiving $5,000 grants, an Emerging Leader Award Winner and a Spotlight Award Winner, each receiving $1,000 grants.

2019 Leaders & Luminaries Award Winners:

• John Manganello, co-founder and board president, Boots2Roots
Manganello co-founded Boots2Roots with Col. Dave Hickey in 2016 when they saw a significant gap in services for active duty military members separating from service or retiring to Maine. Manganello helped draft the original Boots2Roots business plan, and he was instrumental in nonprofit incorporation, drafting bylaws, recruiting a diverse board, hiring staff and creating long-term sustainability. Boots2Roots is now the only organization in Maine focused on proactively working with soon-to-be veterans up to a year before they come to Maine, and John has been instrumental in their success.

• Lydia MacDonald, board trustee and former board president, Island Community Center
MacDonald, a lifelong resident of Stonington, first joined the Island Community Center board of trustees in 2016. Passionate, dedicated and a natural leader, she eventually became the board president during a challenging time for the Island Community Center. Significant funding was needed to repair and upgrade their building, but MacDonald stepped up to rally the board, reinvigorate positivity, recruit new board members, and develop a “Save Our Center” public campaign. She was the driving force in building open lines of communication with key partners and putting the community center on a new path of stability and success.

• Katie Feliciano, board vice chairwoman, Literacy Volunteers of Greater Augusta
Feliciano first became involved with LVA in 2014 as a passionate volunteer tutor, and in 2016, she joined the board. In addition to eagerly attending events and fundraisers, she brought her experiences as a tutor to board conversations in order to propel advancement and growth. At the board’s strategic planning retreat in 2018, she played a key role in establishing a subcommittee for tutor support that would work to engage board members in tutor outreach and develop easily accessible online trainings for tutors. With the support of the full board, Feliciano helped propose action items that would lead to a culture focused on making LVA part of a cohesive learning community.

• Barrett Brown, board president, Midcoast Recreation Center
Brown joined MRC’s board of directors with a focus on achieving measurable goals, building a strong community and creating long-term sustainability. As board president, he led the process of hiring a new executive director with the skills to improve best practices, create tighter financial controls, increase board involvement and initiate annual support campaigns. As a result, the organization reached exciting milestones with audits in place, an active finance committee, and a new treasurer and finance director as well. He also focused on creating a strong, strategic board of directors by aligning board practices, creating a governance committee, and recruiting new members with needed skillsets. Board job descriptions, by-laws, succession planning and recruitment practices were all updated and put into action, uniting the board’s vision for success as they began a strategic planning process.

2019 Emerging Leader Award:

• Katie Shorey, board chairwoman, Startup Maine
Shorey had been serving as a loyal volunteer at Startup Maine for several years when the board nominated her to become the new president. During this time, the organization faced a challenging situation and a public relations crisis, but she immediately stepped up to lead with strength and diplomacy. Under her leadership over the past two years, Startup Maine has officially become a nonprofit with an expanded mission and several new key partnerships. Shorey has helped rebuild and rebrand Startup Maine and grow its community of supporters. With Shorey at the helm, Startup Maine is creating a strong, lasting impact in Maine’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

2019 Spotlight Award:

• Clayton Cleaves, board director, Four Directions Development Corp.
When Cleaves first heard about Four Directions Development Corp., a Native American Community Development Financial Institution that provides support to members of the Wabanaki tribes, he saw an opportunity to help the Passamaquoddy people. As the Director of the Passamaquoddy Housing department on the Pleasant Point/Sipayik reservation, he had seen too many houses in need of repair and causing health problems, high bills and unsafe conditions for families. He also understood the challenges the tribe faced when trying to get a mortgage because of tribal and federal legal restrictions. As board director leading with passion and humility, Cleaves demonstrates outstanding leadership as a coach and mentor on the board, and he has played an essential role in developing new, safe infrastructure on the reservation.

Maine Municipal Association welcomes new president, vice president, executive committee members 

Christine Landes, city manager in Gardiner, soon will ascend to the position of president of the Maine Municipal Association’s executive committee, based in Augusta. James Gardner Jr., town manager in Easton, will be MMA’s new vice president.

Landes will take over her duties of MMA president effective Jan. 1, 2020, leading the 12-member committee that steers MMA on operational and budgeting priorities, according to a news release from the association.

Christine Landes Photo courtesy of the Maine Municipal Association

Landes was first appointed to the MMA executive committee in 2016. She became the city manager in Gardiner in August 2018, having previously served as Bethel’s town manager from 2014-2018. She previously was a deputy city clerk in Brewer, deputy town clerk in Veazie, deputy tax collector in Orange Park, Florida, and town clerk in Warren.

Landes holds a master’s of business administration degree from Southern New Hampshire University. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Maine at Augusta.

Upon her swearing in at the recent MMA Convention, Landes said that her first priority as president will be to make sure that MMA continues to offer superior services to municipal officials in Maine, and to add to them when possible.

Landes also challenged her municipal colleagues to “give it everything — to your local role, your affiliate group role, your individual educational achievement and, most important, what you can give to our association,” according to the release.

“How can you help?” she continued. “Look deep inside and find your passion, like I did 20 years ago. Share it with young people. Share it with the public you serve. Share it with your colleagues, with MMA and, most importantly, share it with yourself.”

Gardner has led the Town of Easton in Aroostook County for nine years. He previously managed the towns of Ashland and Washburn, totaling 21 years of front-line, municipal management experience.

He is a graduate of Presque Isle High School who attended Ricker College, Unity College and earned an associate degree in business management from Northern Maine Vocational and Technical Institute. He is a certified Maine code enforcement officer, who also worked for 11 years at the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone. Gardner is a veteran of the Vietnam War.

As vice president, he will be the chairman of MMA’s Legislative Policy Committee, a 70-member group that guides MMA staff on legislative priorities and issues. Gardner is scheduled to begin as MMA president on Jan. 1, 2021, according to the release.

Also joining the executive committee are Ivan McPike, mayor of Hampden, and David Cyr, town manager in Mars Hill.

McPike has been a high-profile small business owner in the Bangor area for many years, including stints as president of the Greater Bangor Chamber of Commerce and president of the Downtown Bangor Association. He joined the Hampden Town Council five years ago, and currently serves as mayor. He is a graduate of Hampden Academy and the University of Maine, where he majored in accounting. He also served on the school committee of Regional School Unit 22 for seven years.

Cyr has led Mars Hill for the past five years, and previously served three terms as an elected selectman in the Town of Woodland. He has extensive experience in the area of public works (Town of Fort Kent, Aroostook County) and the engineering field. He graduated from the University of Maine, with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering technology, in 1982.

The Maine Children’s Home for Little Wanderers welcomes new director of development

The Maine Children’s Home for Little Wanderers in Waterville welcomed Elizabeth Barron on Monday, Nov. 18, to the nonprofit’s development team. In this newly created role, she will become the director of development for the organization, according to a news release from the nonprofit.

Elizabeth Barron Photo courtesy of The Maine Children’s Home for Little Wanderers

As director of development, Barron is responsible for the development and oversight of The Maine Children’s Home’s donor relationship program and fundraising strategies. Her experienced background includes working with nonprofits for more than 30 years in many capacities: In key leadership roles as president and CEO of United Way of Mid-Maine, director of development and communications at Children’s Center: Early Intervention and Family Supports and also in volunteer positions on numerous boards as chairwoman, secretary, treasurer, grant writer, newsletter editor, publicist, special event coordinator, volunteer coordinator and volunteer. Her background includes teaching, facilitating retreats, consulting, providing direct therapeutic services (as a licensed therapeutic horseback riding instructor), business management, accounting and auditing.

“Elizabeth’s depth of experience in philanthropy and development, as well as her understanding of community connections, make her a tremendous asset to our organization. It is very exciting that she will be able to continue serving in the Mid-Maine community and across the state to support the mission of The Maine Children’s Home,” said Rick Dorian, executive director of The Maine Children’s Home.

Barron holds a master’s degree in business administration from Thomas College and is a 2012 graduate of the Kennebec Leadership Institute.

OTIS Federal Credit Union commemorates International Credit Union Day with donations to school lunch programs, heating assistance funds

Credit unions in countries all over the world recognized International Credit Union Day on Oct. 17, celebrating the not-for-profit cooperative spirit that all credit unions share. This year, OTIS Federal Credit Union in Jay chose to commemorate the special day by making donations to area school lunch programs and to local heating assistance funds, according to a news release from the credit union.

OTIS FCU donated a total of $1,200 to help offset student lunch debt within area schools. Each of the six districts falling within the credit union’s field of membership received $200 to pay down past-due meal accounts: Regional School Unit 73 (Jay-Livermore-Livermore Falls), Maine School Administrative District 58 (Phillips, Eustis, Avon, Kingfield, Strong), RSU 9 (Farmington, Wilton, Starks, Industry, Chesterville, New Sharon, Weld, Temple, Vienna and New Vineyard), MSAD 52 (Turner, Leeds, Greene), RSU 38 (Wayne, Readfield, Mount Vernon and Manchester), and RSU 78 (Dallas Plantation, Magalloway Plantation, Rangeley, Rangeley Plantation and Sandy River Plantation).

“Ending hunger in Maine is the signature social responsibility cause championed by Maine’s credit unions,” said Sarah Hayes, director of marketing and communications at OTIS FCU, according to the release. “The ‘people helping people’ philosophy that credit unions share isn’t just a tagline. It is a mission, a call to action; one that our institution and other credit unions everywhere strive to exemplify every day. Donating to each of the school lunch programs within our field of membership serves as an additional way for us to combat food insecurity beyond our participation in the Campaign for Ending Hunger, allowing us to make further inroads at the local level. Despite the existence of subsidized lunch programs, there are still many students who unfortunately are falling through the cracks for various reasons. With these donations, we hope to lessen a stressful financial burden on area families, and to provide some relief to those who most need it during an especially expensive time of the year.”

In addition to the lunch program donations, OTIS FCU made donations of $200 to both Rural Community Action Ministry’s Heating Fund and the United Way of the Tri-Valley Area’s heating assistance program via The Very Basics Fund.

Kim Turner, president and CEO of OTIS FCU, said “Donating to RCAM and United Way of the Tri-Valley Area was also an easy decision for us as we understand that the cold nights and days are here and will be here over the next few months. This is a time when those of modest means have to sacrifice in other areas just to make sure they have the fuel they need to stay warm during these difficult months,” according to the release.

Walt McKee earns Martindale Hubbell AV-Preeminent Rating, Best Lawyers in America distinction and named New England ‘SuperLawyer’

McKee Law has announced that lawyer Walt McKee has for the eighth consecutive year received the AV Rating from Martindale Hubbell for 2019, has been selected for 2019 for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America and has been named as a 2019 New England “SuperLawyer.”

Walter McKee Photo courtesy of McKee Law

McKee’s AV-Preeminent rating from Martindale Hubbell is considered to be the height of professional excellence and is earned through a strenuous peer review process. Attorneys receive the AV-Preeminent rating only when they have demonstrated the highest level of professional excellence for legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards, according to a news release from the law firm.

McKee has also been named a New England SuperLawyer for 2019. SuperLawyers is a national lawyer rating service that rates the country’s top lawyers for their degree of peer review recognition and professional achievement based on independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.

McKee is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, is the past chairman of the Maine Ethics Commission, and previously served as president of the Maine Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He has been a practicing attorney for more than 25 years and is a veteran of more than 200 jury trials.

At the same time, McKee Law has been named a Tier 1 “Best Law Firm” in Maine by U.S. News — Best Lawyers in 2019 and 2020. Tier 1 rankings are determined through a combination of impressive feedback from peers and clients as well as information provided in response to the “Law Firm Survey” conducted by Best Lawyers in America. It is the highest honor a law firm can receive.

Northern Light Health names Eastern Maine Medical Center’s new president

Rand O’Leary will become Eastern Maine Medical Center’s next president in Brewer, according to Northern Light Health. In this role, O’Leary will also serve as a Northern Light Health senior vice president.

Rand O’Leary Photo courtesy of Northern Light Health

O’Leary was selected as president following a national search, during which several candidates from various backgrounds were interviewed. The selection process was in-depth and guided by a search committee chaired by Lynne Spooner, chairwoman of the EMMC Board of Trustees. More than 100 stakeholders participated in interviewing the finalists, including providers and front-line staff — nurses, medical group members, food and nutrition services, compliance, facilities, and marketing and communications. Others who participated were members of the community, Northern Light Health boards and leadership council, and medical center vice presidents, directors and managers.

In making the announcement, M. Michelle Hood, Northern Light Health president and chief executive officer, said O’Leary will bring a talent and energy to both the medical center and the system. “Rand is a dynamic leader. He has a strong background in leading organizations of similar complexity to Eastern Maine Medical Center which will allow us to benefit from his past experiences from day one of his joining Northern Light Health. Rand joins a very strong leadership team at the system and the Medical Center and I’m confident we’ll continue to see the positive results we have realized in the last several months regarding physician and employee engagement, building relationships that allow us to deliver on our mission, and our dedicated focus on quality and accessibility,” according to the release.

O’Leary was intrigued by the job at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center for a variety of reasons. He cites the direction the system is moving in and the pride that is evident here among staff and community. “There is an outstanding medical staff and they are doing very good work. I look forward to advancing a strong focus on quality and safety, and to fostering a high level of engagement with nurses, providers, staff, boards and the communities we serve. I believe in integrated health delivery systems and know firsthand the value working together brings in delivering community-based care,” said O’Leary.

O’Leary is also attracted to Maine’s changing seasons. “My wife, Sandy, and I were born and raised in Michigan, so we are used to cold and snow. We love the outdoors no matter what the weather, and we are thrilled to be coming to Maine and exploring all the state has to offer. It already feels like home,” said O’Leary.

With more than 20 years at the helm of healthcare operations, O’Leary is highly skilled in business development, financial sustainability, patient experience and team leadership. He was most recently the chief executive for Peace Health Oregon Network. He has a successful record in improving quality and safety. Before Peace Health, O’Leary was senior vice president and chief operating officer at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan, and Borgess Health Alliance in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

O’Leary will report directly to Tim Dentry, Northern Light Health senior vice president and chief operating officer. Dentry has served as the interim president at Eastern Maine Medical Center since March and he will work closely with O’Leary to assure a continuity of leadership during the transition.

O’Leary and his wife have three grown children, two sons and a daughter, and three grandchildren who are living in the United Kingdom with their parents. He assumes his new role on Dec. 9.

Dave Foster,  Anna Waldman join Fontaine Team as new agents

Fontaine Family — The Real Estate Leader has announced the addition of two new agents to its team in Auburn. They are Dave Foster and Anna Waldman.

David Foster Photo courtesy of the Fontaine Family – The Real Estate Leader

Foster and his wife, Tricia, moved to the Auburn-Lewiston area in 2016 from Saco, where they raised two children who have successful careers in education and government contracting. Foster quickly got involved with the Auburn-Lewiston Rotary Breakfast Club where he is currently the 2019-20 president. Volunteerism is not new to him as he and his dogs Moose and Colton, are certified therapy dogs. He acts as a liaison for pet therapy contacts at Central Maine Medical Center. They also raise guide dog puppies for Guiding Eyes for the Blind.

Foster’s long and successful career in sales and marketing services will continue at Fontaine Team where he’ll specialize in process and negotiation with a singular focus on customer satisfaction. His broad experience in restaurant, retail and outside sales will bring a unique perspective to his clients. Dave is looking forward to representing both homebuyers and home sellers in the Auburn-Lewiston and Saco-Biddeford areas.

Foster comes to Fontaine with his Maine real estate sales agent license. He will be working out of both its Auburn and Scarborough locations.

Anna Waldman Photo courtesy of the Fontaine Family – The Real Estate Leader

Waldman grew up in Monmouth and graduated from Monmouth Academy in 1976. She then attended Southern Maine Community College, graduating in 1984 with a degree in respiratory care.

To further enhance her career, she attended University of New England and graduated in 1998 with a degree in longterm care. After college, she traveled all across the state of Maine for 25 years doing home health with Apria Healthcare. She most recently worked at MidCoast Pulmonology in Brunswick.

Her experience as a respiratory therapist for 41 years will allow her to provide her real estate clients with compassion and personal attention. She resides in Minot with her husband, Andy Marsh, founder of Uncle Andy’s Digest with Dow Media and Friend of Edward Little Class of 1972. She is also a lifelong summer resident of Ocean Point in Boothbay.

Waldman comes to Fontaine with her Maine real estate sales agent license and looks forward to helping her clients find their forever home. Anna will work out of the agency’s Auburn location.

The Fontaine Family Team serves eight counties — Androscoggin, Cumberland, York, Sagadahoc, Oxford, Kennebec, Franklin and Somerset — in three locations: Auburn, Fairfield and Scarborough.

Compiled from submitted releases.

For more Central Maine business briefs, visit centralmaine.com.

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