NEW HIRES

• Betty Olivier has joined Fisher & Phillips New England office as an of counsel attorney.

Olivier’s practice focuses on employment counseling and compliance. She advises employers on various employment-related issues including anti-discrimination laws, wage and hour laws, FMLA and ADA, and employee discipline and termination.

• Dan Powdermaker was hired as chief executive officer of AcademicMerit LLC.

Powdermaker brings 20 years of experience as an executive. He previously worked with several ed-tech companies in the Boston area before joining AcademicMerit.

• Christine Alberi was hired as the Maine Child Welfare Services ombudsman.

Alberi replaces Dean Crocker, who is retiring after 10 years in the position. She brings several years of experience in the child welfare system. She graduated from the University of Maine School of Law and has since practiced largely in the field of family law, including mediation and representation of children as a Guardian ad litem. She lives in Hope.

PROMOTIONS

• Frederick L. Lipp, a shareholder at Bernstein Shur and longtime member of its Business Law Practice Group, was selected to lead the group.

Lipp will be responsible for more than 30 corporate and commercial attorneys and will share duties with co-chairman Anthony E. Perkins.

Lipp, of New Gloucester, has more than two decades as a business attorney. He has led the privatization of Maine’s wholesale liquor business, developed strategies for key M&A ventures, and furthered the interests of both multigenerational enterprises and NYSE-traded companies.

• Matt Morrison was promoted to chief officer of operations of Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine LLC. The companies under the umbrella are: Maine Lobster and Maine Hospitality.

BOARD APPOINTMENTS

• The Maine State Chamber of Commerce has appointed Melinda Poore of Time Warner Cable as the organization’s board chairperson. Poore serves as vice president of government relations for Time Warner Cable, Northeast.

Charles “Wick” Johnson of Kennebec Technologies was confirmed as first vice chairman of the board.

The chamber welcomes six new board members as well. They are: Michael Bourque of Maine Employers’ Mutual Insurance Co.; Brian J. Bowman of Bowman Constructors; Craig Pendleton of the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce & Industry; John Porter of the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Christopher Quinn of Kaplan University; and Andrew Sturgeon of James W. Sewall Co.