Awards

Christine Bearce, the physical education teacher and assistant principal at Longfellow Elementary School in Portland, has received the highest award for leadership given by the Maine Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. The award, given at the association’s recent conference in Rockland, recognizes Bearce for her significant contributions to the physical education profession over many years.

Avesta Housing has awarded the 2012 Mike Yandell Award for extraordinary work in the field of affordable housing to the Maine State Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development. The office was recognized for its growing commitment to creating and preserving affordable housing in Maine.

Broadreach Public Relations, a public relations firm based in Portland, recently received four Golden Arrow Awards from the Maine Public Relations Council for their exemplary work in public relations and strategic communications. For the past 20 years, MPRC has acknowledged excellence in public relations and communications with the annual Golden Arrow Awards. The Golden Arrows provide a forum for recognizing the work of Maine’s public relations practitioners and promoting the high quality of communications produced in Maine.

Heidi E. Bowden, the executive director of the Maine Autism Alliance recently received the Margaret L. Bauman, M.D. Award for Excellence in Serving the Autism Community at the recent Current Trends in Autism Conference held in Burlington, Mass. The award recognizes Bowden’s work in establishing the Maine Autism Alliance and organizing core programs that help people with autism and their families.

Appointments

The Fulbright Association, Maine Chapter, has appointed three new board members: Dan Sandweiss was a Fulbright Scholar to Peru; Betty Leonard participated in Fulbright teacher exchanges to Hungary and Turkey; and Amy Russell participated in a teacher exchange to Hungary. The new board members will have three-year terms, starting immediately. These members join a board of other Fulbright alumni from Maine, both university administrators and professors, with international experiences and a commitment to international education. The goals of the Fulbright Association are to welcome foreign Fulbrighters to Maine, to advocate for the program and international education in general, and to create a community of Fulbright alumni across the state.

Thomas S. Rogers, certified financial planner and principal at Portland Financial Planning Group, is serving a one-year term as president of the Maine Estate Planning Council. Rogers was previously vice president. Maine Estate Planning Council is an interdisciplinary group of over 200 estate planning professionals who meet on a monthly basis to enhance members’ professional skills through education and peer interaction. 

Kenneth Stafford, founder of Stafford Advisors in Falmouth, has been named to Intuit’s Accountant and Advisor Customer Council. Intuit Inc., a leader in online solutions with 45 million customers using its connected services and more than 50 mobile apps, develops software products and services to help accounting professionals and their clients work more efficiently. Stafford is one of 15 council members nationwide who will share their insights, experience and expertise to help Intuit develop new products and services for accounting professionals and small business owners. He has more than 30 years experience as a practicing certified public accountant.

Designations 

Verrill Dana recently announced that eight of its attorneys have been recognized as Katahdin Counsel by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Attorneys recognized as Katahdin Counsel are those who have personally completed 50 or more hours of pro bono work in the previous calendar year. 2012 is the inaugural year of the Katahdin Counsel Recognition Program. The Verrill Dana attorneys who have been recognized as Katahdin Counsel for 2012 are Seth S. Coburn, Benjamin E.  Ford, Katie M. Gray, Nathaniel R. Hull, Riikka E. Morrill, Misti D. Munster, Andreea Sabin and Timothy R. Shannon. Verrill Dana is a full-service law firm with more than 100 attorneys conducting a nationwide practice.

Eleven lawyers from Perkins Thompson have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers In America. The lawyers named are Timothy P. Benoit, Fred W. Bopp III, Randy J. Creswell, John A. Hobson, Philip C. Hunt, James Katsiaficas, Peggy L. McGehee, Paul D. Pietropaoli, William J. Sheils, Mark P. Snow, and John S. Upton. Perkins Thompson was also selected as a Best Law Firm by U.S. News and World Report for 2013, with First- Tier Rankings in Bankruptcy, Real Estate, Creditor Rights, and Banking and Finance. 

New Hires and Promotions 

The Telling Room announced recently that is has hired Hakim Kodi to serve as an AmeriCorps volunteer for an eight-month position. Kodi will work in the Southern Maine community and serve English language learners through mentoring, school skills support and community engagement. Kodi was hired in partnership with the Multilingual Leadership Corps, a program of Goodwill Industries of Northern New England. The Corporation for National and Community Service provides funding through the Maine Commission for Community Service. The Telling Room is a nonprofit writing center in Portland, dedicated to the idea that children and young adults are natural storytellers.

Douglas Title Company has recently hired Leslie A. Raifsnider of Casco to join the real estate closing department. Raifsnider has over 25 years of experience in the title industry as a closing processor and escrow officer. Owned and operated by Abigail R. Douglas and Donnelly S. Douglas of Freeport, Douglas Title Company has provided comprehensive title, escrow and settlement services since 1987. The firm maintains offices in Yarmouth and Augusta.

Lara Lermond joined Winxnet, a Portland-based IT solutions provider. Lermond has a bachelor’s in marketing and brings to Winxnet more than two years of professional operations experience. Most recently, she worked as the web marketing coordinator for Acadia Insurance. 

The Maine Jewish Film Festival has announced the appointment of Louise Rosen as the new executive and artistic director of the festival. Rosen has played a leading role in Maine’s media community for just under a decade, serving as vice chair of the Maine Film & Video Association, on the board of the Maine Media Workshops & College and as a board member and advisor with other media arts organizations nationally and internationally. Rosen started her career with WGBH/Boston. 

Kailyn Cimino, of Portland has been named salon coordinator at O2 Salon & Spa, 605 Congress St., Portland. According to salon owner Jennifer Leigh, responsibilities of the new position include customer service, appointment bookings, product information and general salon management. Cimino, who studied at Maine College of Art, grew up in the Boston area, where her father owned and operated a salon and her mother worked as a stylist.

Putney, Inc., a rapidly growing pet pharmaceutical company focused on the development and sale of generic prescription medicines for pets, has hired Paul Adams as director of quality assurance. As part of Putney’s quality team, Adams will be responsible for overseeing both internal and external quality systems, including commercial manufacturing and research and development functions. Adams joins Putney from Genzyme Corporation, a Sanofi company, where he served 12 years as director of quality assurance.

Baker Newman Noyes, an accounting and consulting firm, has recently promoted Heather Tiffany to tax specialist.  In her new role, Tiffany will be working with tax-exempt organizations and their affiliates. Tiffany started at BNN as a temporary employee in March 2011 and became a full-time administrative assistant soon thereafter. Tiffany received her bachelor’s from University of Rhode Island, and also attended Oberlin College and Columbia University. Tiffany comes to BNN with 10 years of experience in the nonprofit management and fundraising field.

Good Deeds

James Holland, principal of South Portland High School, has accepted a $1,000 donation  from the students of the South Portland High School Honor Society, which will be given to the Charitable Fund, a fund that helps students and families in need within the community. The National Honor Society raises money through fundraising efforts such as raffles, wrapping gifts during the holidays, and sponsoring the “Mr. SPHS” contest, an annual spring event.  

Peace Corps volunteer Melissa Bernard, of Freeport, are working with Togolese community members to promote women’s empowerment by organizing the third annual national women’s wellness and empowerment conference. Throughout the five-day conference, 30 women will participate in seminars and activities to enhance their personal development and entrepreneurial skills. Seminar topics will include family planning, maternal health, nutrition, food security, social entrepreneurship and financial literacy.

Evergreen Credit Union presented checks totaling $13,000 to local food pantries, on behalf of the annual effort by our staff, members and the Maine Credit Union League to raise funds toward ending hunger in Maine.