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Charlene Virgilio
July 22, 2021
Wabanaki-related Orono nonprofit promotes a manager to executive director
By Staff
An Orono nonprofit whose mission is to improve the social and economic conditions of the Wabanaki tribes in Maine has hired a new director from its own ranks.
The board of Four Directions Development Corp. voted to promote Director of Operations Charlene Virgilio to the role of executive director. Virgilio, who has been with the nonprofit for two years, will start her new role in October.
Virgilio will succeed Susan Hammond, who helped found the nonprofit 20 years ago and plans to leave her position this fall.
Her responsibilities expanded rapidly, the nonprofit said, “in keeping with the organization’s growth as one of the preeminent Native American Community Development Financial Institutions in the nation.”
Virgilio, who is a former IBM manager, helped develop and oversee operational systems and manages the nonprofit’s lending and business development programs for the Wabanaki tribes.
She is also co-chair of the Economic Development and Entrepreneurship Committee of the United South and Eastern Tribes and she recently concluded two consecutive terms as a tribal councilwoman of the Penobscot
Nation.
“We are always pleased and proud when a tribal citizen returns to serve our community, and Charlene has brought a wealth of talent,” said Board Chairman Stan Meader. “Susan Hammond set the bar high in leading the FDDC so capably since its inception, and the board is excited to have identified a successor who can meet that standard of excellence. Charlene is ideally suited to preserve Susan’s legacy and help realize our shared vision for the four tribes in Maine.”
Virgilio praised her predecessor, Hammond, saying she was “a tremendous FDDC leader who has accomplished so much for our native communities. I am honored to continue her legacy of leading this amazing organization with the same passion and dedication to further increase our impact and positive results.”
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