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Newsworthy people and performances for Dec. 1, 2025

New hires

The Downeast Salmon Federation in Columbia Falls hired Carla Ganiel as chief of staff.

Bangor Savings Bank hired Linda Elliott as a mortgage loan officer in Ellsworth. Previously, Elliott was a loan officer at Maine Savings Federal Credit Union.

Keller Williams Realty hired Sabra Lindsay hired brand and communications specialist.

RE/MAX Shoreline in Portland hired Matt Narowetz as an agent specializing in commercial real estate.

Louisa Donelson
Photo / Courtesy of the Portland Museum of Art
Louisa Donelson

The Portland Museum of Art hired Louisa Donelson as director of programming and events and Margaret McDonnell as director of leadership giving. Donelson most recently served as a producer for the Maine Outdoor Film Festival while McDonnell was leadership gift officer at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.

CORE, commercial real estate brokers in Portland, hired Stephanie Albert as general counsel and Brady Saunders, Clay Hardy, Seamus Henry, Bennett Joseph and Roan Hopkins as members of its brokerage sales and leasing team.

WEX Inc., a financial technology service provider in Portland, hired Sandy Kuohn as chief people officer. Kuohn most recently served as chief human resources officer at City National Bank, a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Canada.

E2Tech hired Orion Breen as executive director.

Fisher Phillips, an international labor and employment law firm representing employers with an office in Portland, hired Russell Ford as a partner. Russell, who will be part of the firm’s immigration practice group and higher education team, was previously a co-founder of FordMurray, a boutique immigration-law firm in Portland.

LifeFlight Foundation hired Matt Mullen as director of leadership giving. Mullen was previously philanthropy officer and associate director at the University of Maine Foundation.

Promotions

Photo / Courtesy The Dempsey Center
Brandon Hotham

Kennebunk Charter Oak Capital Management in Kennebunk promoted Sarah Serling to CEO. Serling was previously partner and senior financial advisor.

Pierce Atwood LLP, a law firm in Portland, promoted Margaret Smith to chair of its Maine real estate practice group.

Maine State Credit Union in August promoted Adelia Batey-Kee to manager, business intelligence and Kiley Connor to assistant controller.

InterMed PA, a physician-owned primary care and specialty practice, promoted Scott Cathcart, Sarah Kim and Shashi Panozzo to shareholders. Cathcart practices internal medicine; Kim, psychiatry; and Panozzo, family medicine.

The Dempsey Center in Lewiston promoted Brandon Hotham to president and CEO. Hotham had been serving as interim president and CEO since February.

Appointments

The American Heart Association named Marco Diaz, chair of the Department of Cardiac Services at Maine Medical Center and chief of MaineHealth’s Cardiovascular Service Line, as the 2026 Maine Heart Walk chair. The executive leadership team for the May 17 event includes Phil Cohen, M&T Bank; Andrew Cook, Mascoma Bank; Greg Cox, R.M. Davis; Britt Crewse, MaineHealth; Michelle Fitzgerald, New England Rehabilitation Hospital of Portland; Robert Hatem, Hannaford Supermarkets; Drew McMullin, Burns & McDonnell; Matt Rector, Trellis Health; George Samaras, Portland Mattress Makers; Stevan Stromsky, Kennebec Savings Bank; Alec Young, Turner Construction; and Jack Zinn, Zinn Wealth Management.

Piper Shores, a nonprofit lifecare retirement community in Scarborough, named Adrian Kurre, a former Hilton executive and global hospitality leader, as chair of its board of directors. The organization also announced Stephen Brooks as vice chair, David Gowen as treasurer and Megan Walton as secretary.

Maine Development Foundation in Augusta named its 2025 board officers including chair, Michael McKernan, director, government and community relations, Jackson Laboratory; vice chair, Kendra Coates, senior vice president and CFO, MMG Insurance; and Treasurer, Rick Leonard, director of finance and assistant treasurer, Cianbro Corp. The foundation also added Kelly Barton, president of MaineHealth Behavioral Health – Westbrook and Didier Hakizimana, CFO of CEI Capital Management, as board members.

Achievements

Southern Maine Community College, Kennebec Valley Community College and York County Community College were among eight institutions recognized by the New England Commission of Higher Education for meeting the organization’s Noncredit Quality Assurance Framework standards.

AARP Maine named Age-Friendly Bowdoinham its “Beacon Community Award” winner, Anne and John White as its “Steadfast Advocate Award” winners and Portland Downtown as its “Champion in Aging Award” recipient.

Charter Oak Capital Management in Kennebunk said it was ranked No. 85 in CNBC’s “Financial Advisor 100” list for 2025 and was recognized as a runner-up in Citywire’s “50 Growers across America.”

The Central Maine Growth Council in Waterville named Matthew Boulerice, founder of Boulerice Management and New England Realty Group, as its “2025 Developer of the Year” and Max Kenney, an engineer with the Kennebec Water District, as its “2025 Young Professional of the Year Award” winner.

Newly renovated Reiche Elementary School received notice that it attained LEED Silver Certification.

The Associated General Contractors of Maine selected Tom Nason as its “2025 M.A.C. Award” winner. Nason is a past board president and retired from Sargent Electric.

Maine Downtown Center named its annual award winners including Tara Kelly, executive director, Maine Preservation, “William F. King Jr., Downtown Champion;” Westbrook World Markets, “2025 Downtown Project Award;” and Common Roots Studio in Biddeford, “Downtown Small Business Award.”

Shaheen & Gordon PA said its Portland-based personal injury litigation — plaintiffs practice area was recognized as “Metropolitan Tier 1” and its Portland-based medical malpractice law — plaintiffs practice area was recognized as “Metropolitan Tier 3” in the 2026 edition of the “Best Law Firms in America” by Best Lawyers.

Verrill, a law firm in Portland, said it earned national rankings in five practice areas and 47 of its Maine-based practice areas garnered recognition in the 2026 edition of the “Best Law Firms in America” by Best Lawyers.

Pierce Atwood, a law firm in Portland, said it earned 11 national and 73 metropolitan recognitions in 43 of its practices area in the 2026 edition of the “Best Law Firms in America” by Best Lawyers.

File photo
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins received the “Care in Action Congressional Award” from the National Alliance for Caregiving.

The Finance Authority of Maine named its annual award recipients including Roselyn North Academy, “Business at Work for Maine Award;” Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute and Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, “Education at Work for Maine Award;” Northern Maine Development Commission, “Partner at Work for Maine Award;” Camden National Bank and Acadia Federal Credit Union, “Lender at Work for Maine Award” (over $1.5 billion in assets); and First National Bank, “Lender at Work for Maine Award” (most enhanced partnership).

Avesta Housing in Portland presented “Core Values” awards to Alicia Burnett, senior accounting specialist; Allison Curtis, health services supervisor; Courtney Curtis, lead waitstaff; and Montana Galvan, senior property manager.

The Leapfrog Group its “2025 Hospital Safety Grades” ranking Maine hospitals No. 9 in this cycle with 42.9% hospitals in the state listed as “A” hospitals.

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