Newsworthy people and performances

New hires

The Bangor YMCA recently hired Diane Dickerson as executive vice president of marketing, development and community engagement. Dickerson previously owned and operated Merica Dickerson Advertising and The Dickerson Group in Las Vegas.

Public Affairs Group, a government and public relations and lobbying services firm in Portland, recently hired political strategist Patricia Eltman. Previously, Eltman was the director of the Maine Democratic Party's 2012 campaign.

People's United Bank in Scarborough recently hired Tonya Beckwith as customer service manager at its Scarborough branch. Beckwith has more than 10 years of experience in consumer and small business lending.

North Yarmouth Academy recently hired Leslie Durgin as director of summer programs. Durgin was previously business and events manager at Rippleffect in Portland.

The board of directors at Piper Shores, a nonprofit retirement community in Scarborough, recently hired James Adamowicz as CEO. Adamowicz was president of The Highlands at Wyomissing, a nonprofit continuing care retirement community in Wyomissing, Pa.

The Maine Heritage Policy Center recently hired Kate Clark as development associate. Clark previously worked in the life and health insurance industry.

iCST, an IT services company in South Portland, recently hired Kathleen Kerr, Mike Schultz and Maura Mulcahy. Kerr, previously with Martin's Point Health Care, was hired as the director of operations; Schultz, previously with TEKSystems in Chicago, will head up account management in IT recruiting and staffing departments; and Mulcahy, previously with Gartner Inc. in Fort Myers, Fla., will lead the business development team.

The Challenger Learning Center of Maine in Bangor recently hired Kirsten Lundstrom Hibbard as a member of the flight director team. Hibbard has a background in engineering and operations management.

Patient Advocates in Gray recently hired Renee Charlton as a customer service representative. Charlton has six years of customer service experience in private medical offices and a national insurance company.

Welch Signage, a firm providing signs and graphics in Scarborough, recently hired John Schaberg as an account executive. Schaberg was previously the branch manager of AIR Graphics in Portland.

The University of Southern Maine recently hired Cecile Aitchison as vice president for advancement and president and CEO of the USM Foundation. Aitchison was at the University of Michigan-Dearborn as associate vice chancellor for institutional development.

United Way of Greater Portland recently hired David D'Auteuil as senior vice president, resource development. D'Auteuil was most recently vice president of new business development for Igloo Products in Katy, Texas.

Gardiner Family Chiropractic recently hired Rich Knipping, who has 10 years of experience.

The Bangor Symphony Orchestra recently hired Brian Hinrichs as executive director. Hinrichs, who recently held graduate positions with the Madison (Wis.) Symphony Orchestra and Pro Arte Quartet, will start June 1.

Maine Community Health Options, a not-for-profit, co-op health plan in Lewiston that expects to provide health insurance to individuals and small businesses beginning January 2014, recently hired Ed Vozzo as chief financial officer. Vozzo has 13-plus years of experience in the financial and health insurance fields.

Finance Authority of Maine recently hired Diane Skog and Carlos Mello. Skog, previously with MaineHealth, was hired as the project leader of the Harold Alfond College Challenge. Mello, previously president and CEO of Prudential Bank and Trust in Connecticut, was hired as the director of finance and lending.

PowerPay Capital, a payment processing firm in Portland, recently hired Mike Normandeau as the manager of the company's capital program. Normandeau was previously a mortgage loan officer at TD Bank.

Beal College in Bangor recently hired Katrin Teel as the program director of business studies programs. Teel was previously a senior policy adviser on issues related to health care for Gov. Paul LePage.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Midcoast Maine recently hired Monica Charette as special events coordinator for Kennebec Valley. Charette, a freelance photographer, also served as director of development for Mount Merici Academy in Waterville.

Coldwell Banker Sandy River Realty recently hired Eric Kinney as a broker. Kinney was previously self-employed as a builder and in real estate.

Promotions

Camden National Bank recently promoted Stephen Matteo and Gregory Sirois. Matteo, who most recently served as senior vice president, credit administrator, overseeing the bank's commercial underwriting team, was named senior vice president, commercial banking officer for the bank. Sirois, who was previously vice president, mid-coast retail regional manager, was promoted to senior vice president and retail regional manager for Bangor/north.

Public Affairs Group, a government and public relations and lobbying services firm in Portland, recently promoted Regan Haines to assist on lobbying efforts in the areas of health care, energy, real estate, tax and finance. Haines joined the company's affiliate law firm, Curtis Thaxter, in 2010 and has been practicing law in Maine for 16 years.

Appointments

Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution recently announced that Don Lauzier, vice president of community relations, was elected chairman of the board for the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce. Lauzier, a 13-year employee of the bank, also serves as a board member for Wardwell Neighborhood and Saco Community Meals Programs.

Tri-County Mental Health Services in Lewiston recently added Mark Tanous to its board of directors. Tanous is senior account executive at FISC Solutions and has over 20 years of experience in sales and sales management.

Rudman Winchell, a law firm in Bangor, recently announced that attorney Anne-Marie Storey was selected as co-chair of the Workers' Compensation Section of the Maine State Bar Association. Storey is the immediate past-president of the Maine State Bar Association and is a member of the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar Professional Ethics Commission.

University of New England recently announced that associate professor of chemistry Amy Deveau was elected to a three-year term as a councilor in the chemistry division of the Council of Undergraduate Research. The council is a national organization representing over 900 colleges and universities that support and promote high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship.

Maine Mental Health Partners in South Portland recently announced new trustees James Georgitis, Norton Lamb, Robert Levine, David Smith and David Lakari. Officers of the board are: Cheryl Lee Rust, chair; Joseph deKay, vice chair; and Anne Pringle, secretary.

The Knox County Committee of the Maine Community Foundation recently appointed four new advisers: Jake Dowling, Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland; Bridgett Leavitt, marketing and design consultant; Gary Sukeforth, owner and operator of The Common Market grocery store in Union; and Pen Williamson, senior development officer and a consultant to nonprofit organizations.

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap recently appointed Patty Morneault as deputy Secretary of State for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

Accolades

The New England Book Festival recently named "The Coach Approach" as an honorable mention selection in the business book category in its annual best books competition. The book, authored by John Brubaker of Lewiston, chronicles the parallels between teambuilding and leadership development in the sports arena and how it translates to the business arena.

Princeton Review recently included College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor in its The Best Value Colleges: 2013 Edition. The college, one of four in Maine on this list, has been commended for its academics and values three out of the past four years by the publication.

Preti Flaherty, a law firm in Portland, recently announced that attorney Kenneth Rubinstein was selected as one of Engineering News-Record's Top Construction Professionals Under 40 in New England. Rubinstein practices as a director in the firm's Boston and Concord, N.H., offices and is a member of the firm's litigation and construction law groups.

NorthEast Charter and Tour Co./NorthEast Trailways in Lewiston recently received the American Bus Association's Green Operator Award at the association's annual meeting in Charlotte, N.C. The company was selected in the small category (30 or fewer buses) after a review of its operations, which included the company's commitment to environmentally friendly practices.

Good Shepherd Food-Bank in Auburn recently announced that Dead River Co. will receive the JoAnn Pike Humanitarian Award at the nonprofit's annual dinner in April. Over the past two years, the company has donated over $250,000 in food and heating assistance.

Junior Achievement of Maine recently announced that Rich Peterson, president of Maine Medical Center; Danielle Ripich, president of the University of New England; and Horace Hildreth Jr., chairman emeritus of Diversified Communications, have been selected for induction into the Business Hall of Fame for their outstanding contributions to free enterprise and the promise of a better, stronger society.

The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project in Portland recently recognized several volunteers at its annual awards event. The honorees included: Kelly, Remmel & Zimmerman, pro bono firm of the year, and Salvatore Savatteri, pro bono attorney of the year. Pro bono attorney collaboration awards were given to Barbara Vestal of Chester & Vestal and Rodney Shain. Other award winners included Erin Tolan, CeleSoirée volunteer of the year; Mary Stockmeyer, intake volunteer of the year; Meg Moran, in-house legal volunteer of the year; and Molly McMahon and Paul Revier as community volunteers of the year.

Golden Pond Wealth Management in Waterville recently announced that Brian Bernatchez, an independent financial adviser, was recognized as a top financial adviser and named to the LPL Financial Chairman's Council. This distinction is based on a ranking of all registered advisers supported by LPL Financial LLC, an independent broker-dealer, and is awarded to less than 2% of the firm's approximately 13,100 advisers nationwide.

The Historic Inns of Rockland, including Berry Manor Inn, LimeRock Inn, Captain Lindsey House and Granite Inn, were recently awarded the 2012 Champion Award at the annual Innkeeping Conference & Trade Show hosted by the Professional Association of Innkeepers International. The award is presented to individuals or entities that have made a difference in their local communities and states.

John Libby, founder of Houses & Barns by John Libby, was recently presented the 2012 business of the year award by the Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce. The award was in recognition of more than 40 years of successful business operations and generosity toward the local community.

Ray Hews was recently honored for his service on the TAMC Endowments Board. Hews served from 1989 to 2012, during which time he held the office of vice president and president. He was also a member of the TAMC Investment Committee for more than 12 years.

Colin Woodard of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram was recently awarded the George Polk Award for education reporting for his investigative story, "The Profit Motive." The story shed light on how the nation's largest for-profit online education companies were steering development of Maine's digital education policies.

The New England Board of Higher Education recently honored Unum at its 11th annual New England Higher Education Excellence Awards held in Boston. The company received the 2013 Maine State Merit Award and a new regional award for business contribution to higher education.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, a not-for-profit health care plan in New England, recently named Allen Insurance and Financial in Camden its broker of the quarter for the fourth quarter of 2012. The company was chosen from approximately 900 brokers in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Lewiston City Councilor Craig Saddlemire was recently presented the Just Do It award by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine. Saddlemire was recognized for being an active advocate for effective non-motorized and public transportation options.

Mercedes-Benz at Quirk Auto Park in Bangor recently won the Best of the Best dealer recognition award. The award is presented annually to top-performing dealerships for performance in customer satisfaction, sales, leadership and management, parts operations and market penetration. The car company also recognized David Roberts, sales manager, as one of the top-three new car sales managers in the Northeast region.

Blush Beauty Boutique in Lewiston was featured in February's edition of American Salon Magazine. The article, "Big Fish, Small Pond," highlights salons offering a high-end beauty experience in small towns.

Andrew Michaud, an account executive at Turner Barker Insurance in Portland, recently earned the Chartered Life Underwriter professional designation. The designation provides advanced training in life and health insurance, pension planning, insurance law, income taxation, investments, financial and estate planning and group benefits.

The Steven Chicoine Real Estate team was awarded triple gold status at the Keller Williams Realty annual convention held recently in Dallas. This designation recognizes teams selling between 60 and 74 units in 2012.

Thornton Tomasetti, an international engineering firm with an office in Portland, recently announced that principal Gunnar Hubbard achieved the rank of LEED Fellow, a title held by fewer than 80 professionals worldwide. Hubbard was among 43 professionals in the 2012 class of LEED Fellows.

Central Maine Power Co. topped this year's J.D. Power and Associates' midsize electric utilities customer satisfaction survey for the eastern region. The company beat out Pennsylvania-based Penelec and New York-based Central Hudson Gas and Electric to top the list for the second consecutive year.