NEW FACES

Suzy Lawrence was hired by Northeast Charter and Tour bus company. She is also a school bus driver for the Auburn School District.

The Rev. Scott Planting of Farmington has been named executive director of the Maine Sea Coast Mission and will assume the position this fall. He is pastor of three rural parish churches in western Maine and executive coordinator of the Mission at the Eastward.

Ellen Schneiter was sworn in as commissioner of the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services on July 1. She has served as the state budget officer since 2006.

Kieth Tong has joined Norton Insurance as a financial consultant. Previously, he worked with Fidelity Investments in Merrimack, N.H.

Nick Lansky has been hired as financial services coordinator for Norton Insurance. He was previously employed with Charles Schwab.

Jessica Garcia has been hired by Diversified Business Communications as a customer service representative. She is a recent graduate of Susquehanna University.

Maureen McCrann Sturtevant has joined Lambert Coffin, a multi-lawyer firm in Portland, as an associate. She previously practiced with a large firm in Boston, representing debtors and creditors committees in Chapter 11 cases and out-of-court restructurings.

Steve Murdock, artist blacksmith and founder of Unity Forge, has been hired by Colby College to teach blacksmithing at the Colby-Hume Center forge to a select group of students during the 2011 January program.

Kellie Slate Miller has been named director of the Office of Continuing Medical Education in the College of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of New England. Previously, she served as executive director of the Maine Osteopathic Association for 12 years.

Nicole Becnel has joined the consulting staff of Berry Dunn McNeil & Parker, CPAs and management consultants. She previously worked for a large corporation implementing Medicaid management information systems throughout the country.

Chad DeVogt joined the sales department of Systems Engineering Inc. in Portland as a business developer. He was previously employed with ENS Corp.

John Graham joined Systems Engineering Inc. as a help desk technician. He brings 10 years of experience to the position.

Verna Lynch has joined Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker as senior consultant with the management and information technology consulting group, bringing 22 years of experience to the position.

PROMOTIONS

Paul Nau has been named executive director of Woodfords Family Services. He has served as the agency’s director of programs since 2004.

AWARDS and RECOGNITION

Kirsten Walter, director of the Nutrition Center of Maine in Lewiston, has been named the recipient of the Katherine O. Musgrave Public Service Award. The award recognizes an individual, organization or institution for outstanding work in nutrition policy, education or research.

The Shalom House is recognizing Edward Blanchard on his 25th anniversary as clinical director, by renaming the Clark Street Group Home to Blanchard House.

SMMC Visiting Nurses was recognized as one of the top 25 percent of the 350 agencies in Fazzi Associates’ national database. The recognition honors the organization’s superior performance in patient satisfaction in 2009.

Stephanie Brown of Westbrook received the highest award in Girl Scouting, the Gold Award, for her community service project, Safety, Schools and Social Interaction. Her project consisted of a series of four plays she produced for students in kindergarten through second grade, focusing on respect, responsibility, kindness and safety.

Central Maine Power was ranked number one in customer satisfaction among large electric utilities in the East for the third year in a row.

GENERAL

The University of New England announced officers for its board of trustees through May 2011. These include Michael Morel, chair; Mark Doiron, vice chair; and Sandra Gooden, secretary and treasurer.

Bangor Theological Seminary announced the following new members to the board of trustees; Nancy Hawes of Baker Newman Noyes, Robert Card, retired in 2000 from West Somerville Dental Associates, and Peter Fellenz, who has a master’s degree in theological studies and has had a 40-year professional career expanding opportunity for disadvantaged families and their children.

Southern Maine Community College Foundation Board has named Tim Walton as chairman, Ralph Good as vice chairman and Sean O’Hare as treasurer.

Goodwill Industries of Northern New England has been accredited for a period of three years for its community service, employment service, brain injury and residential rehabilitation programs. This is the ninth consecutive three-year accreditation that the accrediting body has awarded the organization.

Susan Williams, a third-grade teacher at Cumberland’s Mabel I. Wilson School, has been selected by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to serve on a committee composed of a select group of educators from across the country to assure the National Board’s Middle Childhood/Generalist Standards reflect the best practices and latest research in the field.

Gerard Conley and John Bubier were reappointed to transportation posts by Gov. John Baldacci. Conley was first appointed to the Maine Turnpike Authority in 2004. Bubier was appointed to the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority in 2004.

Friends of Midcoast Maine gave three smart-growth awards at its annual meeting, recognizing Bettina Doulton of the Cellardoor Winery in Lincolnville for her community building activities, Amtrak for the extension of the Downeaster to Brunswick, and the Port Clyde Fishermen’s Co-Op for its sustainable practices that also build a sustainable community.

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