Newsworthy people and performances

New hires

Maine Huts & Trails in Kingfield hired Kate Boehmer as marketing associate.

Sterling Rope Inc. in Biddeford hired Erin Weimer as public relations and content manager. Weimer was previously with The VIA Agency in Portland.

Norway Savings Bank hired Brian Robinson as vice president, employee relations and recruiting manager.

PeoplesChoice Credit Union in Saco hired Jenna Frost Arnaudin as indirect lending manager and Shari Smith as payment services manager. Previously, Frost Arnaudin was senior indirect lending officer at Town and Country FCU and Smith was vice president of compliance and training at Saco Valley Credit Union.

The Portland Museum of Art hired Marcia Griswold as public programs coordinator in the Learning and Interpretation Department. Griswold was previously communications and events coordinator at the Maine Women's Fund.

KeyBank hired Jody Pizzo Connolly as vice president and manager of its branch at 400 Forest Ave., Portland. Previously, Connolly was vice president, financial center manager at Bank of America in South Portland.

Franklin Health Women's Care in Farmington added James MacDonald to its medical staff. MacDonald was previously with Eastern Maine Medical Center.

Stantec, an engineering, consulting and design company in Scarborough, hired Lauren Meek as a senior transportation engineer. Meek is a professional transportation engineer with 15 years of experience in highway, intersection, bike and pedestrian, and toll plaza design.

Fluid Imaging Technologies, a laboratory instrumentation manufacturer in Scarborough, hired Heather Anne Wright as technical customer support associate. Wright was previously with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Boothbay Harbor.

Vicki Worden, owner of sustainability consulting firm Worden Associates Inc. in Camden, was named executive director of the Green Building Initiative in Portland, Ore.

The County Federal Credit Union in Caribou hired Michael Bosse as assistant vice president of marketing. Bosse was previously town manager in Fort Fairfield.

Berman & Simmons, a law firm in Lewiston, hired Elaine Gammon as marketing and business development manager. Gammon was previously marketing manager at Modern Pest Services.

Sebago Technics, an engineering consulting firm in South Portland, hired Brandon Blake and Caitlyn Abbott as civil engineers.

Community Credit Union in Lewiston hired Wendy Lausier as a member representative.

Atlantic Regional Federal Credit Union in Brunswick hired Christopher McGorrill as director of marketing. McGorrill previously worked for SAGA Communications, Portland Radio Group as operations manager and marketing director.

Crisis & Counseling Centers in Augusta hired Emily Brod as director of its Crisis Program. Brod previously provided individual and family outpatient mental health therapy through her own private practice in Portland.

Promotions

The MEMIC Group, a workers' compensation specialist in Portland, promoted Daniel McGarvey to COO. McGarvey, a CPA and member of the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter Society, joined the firm in 2009 as senior vice president of finance and CFO. The firm also promoted Gregory Jamison to senior vice president, underwriting. Jamison was most recently vice president, underwriting.

Planet Dog in Portland promoted Kristin Burgess to store manager and Joslin Chidester to assistant store manager of the company's flagship store in Portland.

TD Bank promoted Mark Winship to senior vice president, director in technology risk, regulatory and governance and Matthew Ham to senior vice president, senior change director in change management. Winship was previously senior manager in technology risk management and information security while Ham was vice president, senior change manager.

Horizon Solutions, an electrical equipment distributor in Scarborough, promoted Mike Herrmann to CEO/president and, as part of a staff reorganization, named Don Harrington executive vice president of operations and information technology; Karen Baker executive vice president of product, services and strategic marketing; and David Hayes executive vice president of sales and marketing communications.

Colby College in Waterville promoted Ruth Jacobs Jackson to vice president for communications. Jackson was previously assistant vice president for communications.

Community Credit Union in Lewiston promoted Natalie Green to branch operations support at its Turner branch.

Appointments

The National BBQ Association announced Dennis Sherman, creator of DennyMike's Sauces and Seasonings in York, was elected to serve his second two-year term. Sherman will serve as Region 5 vice president, representing members in Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts and the D.C. area.

Barbara Ernst Prey, a Maine artist, was elected to serve on the board of The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, including the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum.

OHI, a mental health nonprofit in Hermon, announced Matt Graham was elected to its board of directors. Graham is the assistant professor of management information systems at the University of Maine, Maine Business School.

Avesta Housing in Portland announced officers for its board of directors, including Rebecca Greenfield, chairwoman; Gail McBride, vice chairwoman; Carol Billington, secretary; and Gren Blackall, treasurer. Greenfield is a partner at Pierce Atwood; McBride, vice president and CRA Office and project management coordinator at Norway Savings Bank; Billington, retired mortgage consultant; and Blackall, marketing and banking professional.

The board of directors of the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce named Lee Speronis its chairman-elect. Speronis is a faculty member at Husson University in Bangor.

The Maine Health Access Foundation, a nonprofit health care foundation in Augusta, elected Dennis King, CEO of Maine Behavioral Healthcare, to its statewide board of trustees and Connie Sandstrom, executive director of the Aroostook County Action Program, to board chairwoman. The foundation's Community Advisory Committee also elected six new members, including Kate Brogan, Gloria Aponte Clarke, Dennis Fitzgibbons, Jake Grindle, Dennis Marple and Abdulkerim Said. Brogan is vice president for public affairs for Maine Family Planning; Clarke, program manager, HealthInfoNet; Fitzgibbons, executive director, alphaOne; Grindle, Health Navigator Program coordinator, Western Maine Community Action; Marple, executive director, Bangor Area Homeless Shelter; and Said, executive director, New Mainers Health Educational Empowering Center.

Maine Maritime Museum in Bath elected Bonaday Beck and Bruce Bickford to its board of trustees. Beck has volunteered at the museum for the past 15 years while Bickford is the owner of Carl A Bickford Lumber in Lisbon Falls.

Achievements

Lisa Pohlmann, executive director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, received a Women in Conservation Award from the National Wildlife Federation for efforts to reduce carbon emissions, promote clean energy and protect wildlife and their habitats from risks posed by climate disruption.

Charity Navigator, a national independent evaluator of charities, awarded Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn and United Way of York County each a 4-star rating for good governance, sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency.

The Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau announced that the Amtrak Dowenaster/ Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority was named its 2015 Member of the Year for Leadership and Innovation.

Cary Medical Center in Caribou was named to the Harvard Pilgrim Honor Roll, recognizing adult, acute care hospitals whose performance was among the top 25% of those measured nationally on a set of composite quality and patient experience measures, as reported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Hospital, Compare, and Leapfrog patient safety measures.

The U.S. Small Business Administration selected Jaimie Logan to receive its Financial Services Champion award for Maine. Logan is a governor's account executive with the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.

The Northern New England Clean Cities Coalition presented a Northern Star award to Oakhurst Dairy in Portland and the Greater Portland Transit District for efforts to cut carbon emissions, reduce their use of petroleum and promote and utilize alternative fuels to power vehicles.

Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, announced awards for excellence and pro bono service. Winners included David Soley, member of the firm's real estate and litigation practice groups, Sumner T. Bernstein Pro Bono Award; Caleb DuBois, member of the business law practice group and financial services and securities law group, Barnett I. Shur Civic Award; and Jack Montgomery, member of the energy and environmental practice group, Maine Supreme Court's Katahdin Counsel. The firm also announced that attorneys Paul McDonald, Daniel Murphy and Meredith Eilers co-authored the Special Claims – Injunctive Relief chapter in A Practical Guide to Superior Court Practice in Maine, An essential reference for Maine civil and criminal litigators published by Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education Inc.

Maine Farmland Trust, an organization in Belfast that works to protect farmland, support farmers and advance the future of farming statewide, was a 2015 recipient of a SOURCE Maine Sustainability Award, in the Storyteller Award category. The awards, presented by the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, recognize the people, nonprofits and businesses connecting Maine to its roots and making the state a healthier place to live.

Riding To The Top Therapeutic Riding Center in Windham recognized 23 individuals who were awarded the President's Volunteer Service Award during National Volunteer Week. Ginger Anderson, Jo Blinick, Renee Chervenak, Sara Conant, Tess Ferguson, Margi Huber, Halle Jandreau, Kate Jeton, Donna Warren and Mary Woodward were recognized as bronze level winners; Janis Childs, Mark Fuller, Jodi Peasley, Julie Shetterly and Bryony Urquhart as silver level winners; and Julia Hamilton, Alissa Lovely, Dan Morabito, Rosalyn Moison, Pat Niboli, Olivia Richmond, Patty Shaw and Paulette Shepard as gold level recipients.

The Maine School Nutrition Association announced Nancy McAdam, food service manager for Portland Public Schools, won its Manager of the Year Award. The award recognizes a cafeteria manager who has demonstrated dedication and ingenuity to improve his or her school meal program.

BlueTarp Financial, a Portland-based credit management company that works with the building-supply industry, was chosen by AlwaysOn as one of the OnFinance Top-100 winners recognizing companies for creating new opportunities in financial technology business, personal finance and digital currencies.

Nan Heald, executive director for Pine Tree Legal Assistance, received the American Bar Association Grassroots Advocacy Award for leadership and initiatives addressing the unmet legal needs of active duty military members, veterans, their families and caregivers.

Accounting Today listed Baker Newman Noyes, a CPA and consulting firm in Portland, No. 7 on its list of Firms to Watch for 2015.

Systems Engineering in Portland announced it was named to The Channel Company's CRN Tech Elite 250. This list recognizes IT solution providers that have invested in the training and education needed to earn the most advanced technical certifications from leading vendors.

The Caribou Fire and Ambulance Department received the Congressional Fire Services Institute's/Masimo Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Award, which recognizes best practices in emergency medical services by fire departments throughout the United States.

Waldo County General Hospital in Belfast was named one of the iVantage Top-100 Critical Access Hospitals in the U.S., recognizing hospitals that provide a safety net to communities across rural America by measuring 62 different performance metrics, including quality, outcomes, patient perspective, affordability, population risk and efficiency.

Jennifer Reid, University of Maine at Farmington professor of religion, was selected as a 2015 Guggenheim Fellow by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. This distinction is a lifetime appointment that recognizes mid-career scholars on the basis of achievement in the past and promise for future accomplishments, according to Edward Hirsch, president of the foundation.