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2021 Women's Leadership Virtual Forum - Panelist Bios

Moderator
 

Kristina Egan: Executive Director at the Greater Portland Council of Governments
Kristina has served as GPCOG's executive director since 2016. She previously worked as the director of Transportation for Massachusetts, a statewide coalition that advocates for policies that are innovative, sustainable and environmentally-friendly.

Before joining the coalition in 2011, Kristina served as director of the South Coast Rail project for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. She was also the first director of the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance. Kristina also served as a Freeport Town Councilor for over four years.


Panelists
 

Whitney Reynolds Waxman: Co-owner and Co-founder of American Roots
Whitney Reynolds Waxman is co-owner and co-founder of American Roots in Westbrook, Maine. Launched in 2015 by Waxman and her husband, Ben, American Roots is a family run textile business, creating American-made, union-made apparel. American Roots has been featured in many news articles, including the Washington Post for their mission and commitment to high quality American-made products and model employment practices. With the onset of COVID-19, American Roots quickly pivoted to the sole production of personal protective equipment for companies and individuals across the country. In 2021, they have begun their exciting transition back to apparel while expanding their line to grow the company once again.

Whitney was born and raised in Rochester, NY, spent her high school years in Australia, then returned to the United States for college. After spending time in the Pacific Northwest, she moved to New York City, earning a degree in anthropology from Fordham University. Whitney spent nearly 20 years in the hospitality industry and event management and planning before deciding to take on the textile industry in 2015. She serves as a member of the board for the Portland Recovery Community Center. Whitney lives in Westbrook, Maine with her husband and two sons. She is an avid skier and loves to fly fish.
 

 

Clayton Spencer: President, Bates College
Clayton Spencer became the eighth president of Bates College on July 1, 2012. She came to Bates from Harvard University, where she spent more than 15 years on the university’s senior leadership team.

Under Clayton’s leadership, Bates has launched new initiatives in a number of areas, including: creating a new program in Digital and Computational Studies, strengthening programming in equity, diversity and inclusion, and launching the largest fundraising campaign in the college’s history.  Clayton led the creation of the Purposeful Work program, which has received national recognition as a transformational approach to preparing students for work and career.

Before joining Bates, Spencer served for fifteen years on the Senior Staff at Harvard, the last seven as Vice President for Policy. She also spent a year concurrently as Acting Executive Dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Spencer was a lecturer at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, where she taught courses on federal higher education policy.

From 1993 to 1997, Spencer worked for the late U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy as Chief Education Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. Earlier in her career, Spencer practiced law at the Boston firm of Ropes & Gray, and served as an assistant U.S. Attorney in Boston.
 

 

Melanie Tinto: Chief Human Resources Officer, WEX
Melanie joined WEX in 2018, bringing an almost 20-year track record of leading global talent acquisition, talent management, leadership development, and organizational development for large, multi-billion dollar corporations.

As CHRO of WEX, Melanie is responsible for developing and executing human resources strategy in support of the company’s overall business plan and strategic direction, specifically in the areas of succession planning, talent management, change management, organizational and performance management, training and development, and compensation and benefits. Prior to joining WEX, Melanie served as Medtronic’s vice president of talent acquisition, talent management, and its chief learning officer and as Hewlett-Packard’s vice president of executive leadership development and organizational development. She also held HR Business Partner, global development, talent acquisition and talent management roles at Walmart, Bank of America and Cigna.

Melanie earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Maine and an MBA with a concentration in finance from the University of Connecticut.
 

 

Tina Hewett Gordon: General Manager at the Nonantum Resort
Tina Hewett Gordon is the General Manager at the Nonantum Resort in Kennebunkport and has held that position for the past 29 years. She is an active member in the hospitality community serving on various local and state boards. She currently sits on the board of directors for Maine Tourism Association, Hospitality Maine, Kennebunkport Beach Improvement Association and is a trustee at South Congregational Church. She is the past President of the Maine Restaurant Association, past President of the Kennebunk Kennebunkport Arundel Chamber of commerce and remains active in both associations.

She has received numerous awards for service, two of the most notable being the State of Maine Governor’s Award for Excellence in Tourism and the Joel Stevens Community Spirit Award. Most recently she was the co-chair of the Kennebunkport Promise which aided in guiding the hospitality industry in Kennebunkport to reopen safely during COVID. This initiative became the framework that many other towns throughout the state would follow. Her love of the outdoors draws her to many activities Maine has to offer and enjoys beach boot camp, running, cycling, kayaking, paddleboarding, skiing, gardening and cooking. She has completed 8 triathlons, 2 half marathons and many 5ks. She and her husband K.C. are the proud parents of two daughters, Kyleigh and Norah.
 

 

Stefa Normantas: Managing Partner of Green Tree Event Consultants
Stefa Normantas is a strategic event manager and managing partner of the New England Made Shows and Green Tree Event Consultants/Giraffe Events, Maine-based event services companies. Whether directing a trade show or managing a conference for hundreds, Stefa and her team provide strategic advice and expert support to their clients.

She is a member of the Women’s Presidents Organization and a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10K Small Business program. She has served on the boards of Pine Tree Society, the Maine Ad Club, Maine Marketing Association and currently serves on the board of Camp Neringa and Main Street Saco.

Stefa holds a dual undergraduate degree in Communications/Studio Art and masters degree in Communications Management from Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts. She’s a novice beekeeper, creative gardener, loves good beer, good dinners and likes to find any excuse to bring the outdoors in. She married a Texan, Frank, and has four children, Harry, Lucy, Liam, and Mikas.