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Updated: January 3, 2025

Newsworthy people and performances for Nov. 3, 2025

Side by side photos of John Flynn and Erica Young Photos / Courtesy of Versant John Flynn, left, will be succeeded as president of Versant Power by Erica Young. She will join as acting president on Jan. 1 and take up her new role four months later.

New hires

Erica Young has been named president of Versant Power, effective April 30, 2026, when the utility’s longtime president, John Flynn, is set to retire. Young serves as executive vice president of ENMAX Energy, one of the companies operated by Versant’s Canadian parent company, ENMAX Corp.

Ryan Pelletier
Photo / Courtesy of Saco City Council
Ryan Pelletier

The city of Saco hired Ryan Pelletier as city administrator, effective Jan. 5, 2026. Pelletier is currently county administrator for Aroostook County.

Haley Ward Inc., an employee-owned engineering, architecture, environmental, planning, BIM and surveying consulting firm in Bangor, announced several Maine-based hires. In Bangor, Chloe Desmond was brought on as a scientist in the environmental division and Lynn Brochu as a project coordinator; in Portland, Michael Hutchins was hired as senior project architect, Manuela Kayembe as a civil engineer and Claudia Etrillard as project design professional; and in Saco, James Gallagher was hired as an environmental technician.

Saco & Biddeford Savings hired Beth Burcke as senior vice president of human resources and chief people Officer. Burcke was most recently executive vice president and chief human resources officer at River Run Services LLC.

Ketcha Outdoors in Scarborough hired Lucia Stancioff as executive director. Stancioff was previously deputy director at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine.

Island Institute in Rockland hired Charles Eichacker as editor of The Working Waterfront newspaper and Island Journal annual magazine. Previously, Eichacker was state editor at the Bangor Daily News.

Fontaine Family, an Auburn real estate firm, hired Mark Michaud as an agent in Auburn.

Norway Savings Bank hired Matthew Lambert as market manager assistant vice president at its branches in Windham.

Northern Light Mercy Hospital in Portland hired Benjamin Schwartz as a cardiologist at Northern Light Mercy Cardiovascular Care; Sara Zelman as a general gastroenterologist and Hannah Andrews as a certified family nurse practitioner at Northern Light Mercy Gastroenterology; Camilla Baronas as an audiologist at Northern Light Mercy Ear, Nose, and Throat Care; Valerie Nye as a board-certified physician assistant at Northern Light Mercy Breast Care; and Kate Rossiter as a board-certified family nurse practitioner at Mercy Hospital’s High Risk & Genetics Clinic.

A person poses for a headshot.
Photo / Courtesy Northern Light Health
Dr. R. Guy Hudson, president and CEO of Northern Light Health

Northern Light Health in Brewer hired Guy Hudson as president and CEO. Hudson, a pediatric urologic surgeon, has two decades of clinical and executive leadership experience including serving as CEO of Swedish Health System and chief executive of Providence’s North Division, including Puget Sound and Alaska.

New Dimensions Federal Credit Union in Waterville hired Sarah Sachs as COO. Sachs has 25 years of executive leadership experience in the financial industry.

Skowhegan Savings hired Chris DeMerchant as vice president commercial lender.

Acadia Center in Rockport hired Kate McAuliffe as senior policy advocate for Connecticut.

Bath Savings hired Meghan Dudley as vice president, commercial lending in Westbrook.

Knickerbocker Group, a design-build firm in Portland, hired Greg Norton as director of design.

Promotions

Saco & Biddeford Savings promoted Eric Doyon to senior vice president, director of lending. Doyon was head of commercial lending.

Haley Ward Inc. announced several Maine-based promotions. In Bangor, Jared Merry was promoted to senior project manager and MEP team lead in the engineering division, Cody Lyons to project manager in the engineering division; in Lewiston, Chris Williams was promoted to project manager in the environmental division; in Saco, Sam Hayden was promoted to project manager in the environmental division; in Portland, Ben Meader was promoted to project manager in the engineering division; and in Waterville, Ames Quimby was promoted to senior project manager in the environmental division.

Drummond Woodsum, a law firm in Portland, hired David Kallin as managing director. Kallin is a co-leader of the firm’s land use and conservation practice group.

Skowhegan Savings promoted Lynn Andrews to assistant vice president community banker in Fairfield. Andrews was previously a mortgage loan underwriter.

Knickerbocker Group, a design-build firm in Portland, promoted Rick Nelson to vice president.

Achievements

Haley Ward Inc. announced that David Smallwood earned his professional engineer license and Taylor Casillas earned her SHRM-CP certification.

The city of Auburn presented its “2025 John Jenkins Hearts & Hands Leadership & Service Award” to Rita Beaudry. Beaudry is the city’s grant manager.

Drummond Woodsum, a law firm in Portland, announced that attorney Elizabeth Germani was admitted to the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in North America.

Condé Nast Traveler listed two Atlantic Hospitality properties as top hotels in the Northeast in its annual “Readers’ Choice Awards.” The Dunes on the Waterfront in Ogunquit landed at No. 19 while the Claremont Hotel in Southwest Harbor was No. 22.

HospitalityMaine in Augusta announced its “2025 Hospitality Award” winners including “Chef of the Year,” Gil Plaster, executive chef, the Causeway Restaurant at the Craignair Inn, Spruce Head; “Restaurateur of the Year,” Joshua Miranda, owner, Blyth & Burrows, Via Vecchia, Papi and Off-Track Pizza, Portland; “Innkeeper of the Year,” Katie Keene, Dunes on the Waterfront, Ogunquit; “Allied Member of the Year,” Paper Trails, Kennebunk; and “Employee of the Year,” Cheyenne Wright, York Harbor Inn, York.

The Maine Crafts Association in Gardiner named Sarah Haskell and Gabriel Frey as its “2025 Maine Craft Artist Award” recipients. Haskell is a textile artist while Frey is a Passamaquoddy basket maker.

The Maine Downtown Center, a program of Maine Development Foundation in Augusta, announced its annual awards including Common Roots Studio, Biddeford, “Downtown Small Business Award;” World Markets, Westbrook, “Downtown Project Award;” and Tara Kelly, executive director, Maine Preservation, “William F King Jr. Downtown Champion Award.”

The Institute for Family-Owned Business in Portland honored seven Maine companies at its 25th annual awards ceremony including Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, “Renys Large Business Award” (25 or more employees); Raye’s Mustard, Eastport, “Chalmers Insurance Group Customer Service Award;” Calais IGA and Orono IGA, “EOS Worldwide First Generation Award;” M&R Development Co., Scarborough, “M&T Bank Innovation & Technology Award;” Freckle Farm, St. David, “Shep Lee Community Service Award;” Southpaw Packing Co., Windham, “Maddy Corson Small Business Award” (fewer than 25 employees); and Estabrook’s Farm and Greenhouse, Yarmouth, “Geiger Environmental Leadership Award.”

The Maine Association of Realtors named Martin Cates as its “2025 Maine State Realtor of the Year.” Cates, who is director of Mid Coast Regional Housing Trust, has served as a director of the association as well as many volunteer positions for not only the state association but also the statewide multiple listing service, Maine Listings.

The Maine Press Association in Camden announced the winners of its “Better Newspaper Contest.” The Bangor Daily News, Midcoast Villager, the Houlton Pioneer Times and the Sun Journal Sunday edition were recognized for “General Excellence” in print newspapers; and the Maine Monitor, Harpswell Anchor and Island Ad-Vantages took top honors for digital “General Excellence.” In the “Weekly 1” division, for newspapers with less than 2,000 print circulation, the Houlton Pioneer Times, now known as The County, took top prize; the “Weekly 2” winner was Midcoast Villager; Ben Meiklejohn, Lincoln News, won the “Freedom of Information” first-place award in the Weekly division, while Rose Lundy and Alexa Foust, the Maine Monitor, shared top honors in the Daily/Weekend division; Rose Lundy, the Maine Monitor, was named the “Journalist of the Year;” Fred Berry, The Ellsworth American, was named the “Advertising Person of the Year;” Kristian Moravec, the Maine Monitor, won the “Bob Drake Young Writer’s Award; and Brian Robitaille, the Maine Trust for Local News, and Paula Brewer, Bangor Daily News, were both recognized with the “Unsung Hero of the Year Award.”

Ricky Leighton, a Maine-based video producer and director of video at Esquire Digital in Medford, N.J., produced a video that won a “2025 MarCom Gold Award” for its “Stewart Law Firm Overview” video.

MaineHealth Southern Region Chief Nursing Officer Devin Carr and MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland Nurse Practitioner Valerie Fuller were named as “2025 Fellows in the American Academy of Nursing.”

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