PROMOTIONS

The U.S. Small Business Administration has named Diane Sturgeon district director of its Maine District Office. Sturgeon has worked for the SBA for nine years in the Maine office and most recently served as deputy district director. She joined the SBA in 2012 as a lender relations specialist and has more than 10 years of banking experience, having worked in a variety of roles for both community and national lenders. A graduate of the University of Maine with a degree in secondary education, Sturgeon has also completed the National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders Fundamentals Diploma Program. Sturgeon succeeds Amy Bassett, who held the position from January 2017 until December 2020.

Dr. Rebecca Hemphill has been selected chief medical information officer at MaineHealth. Hemphill has over 15 years of experience in medical informatics and has been a key member of the Shared Electronic Health Records Physician Leaders group during all of MaineHealth’s Epic (medical software) go-lives. She became the medical director for clinical informatics for Maine Medical Partners in 2014 and has led multiple efforts to improve Epic tools and workflows. Hemphill is trained as an Epic physician builder and has also achieved board certification in informatics from the American Board of Preventive Medicine.

NEW HIRES

Sheila Lowe has joined Allen Insurance and Financial as an account executive in the company’s benefits division. Lowe previously represented AFLAC for five years, earning numerous sales awards and serving as the company’s district coordinator beginning in 2020. She is vice chairman of the board of directors at the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Midcoast Chapter of the Maine Women’s Network and a volunteer for One Community, Many Voices. A graduate of Rockland District High School and the University of Maine, Lowe and her family live in Union.

SeniorsPlus has announced the hiring of Barbara Price as the organization’s new nutrition services director. Prior to joining SeniorsPlus, she was the consumer assistance program manager at Consumers for Affordable Health Care and worked in the nonprofit sector in higher education for many years before that. Price holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of Southern Maine.

Lucie Hannigan has joined Northeast Bank in Portland as senior vice president and senior deposit relationship officer. Hannigan will work closely with Maine businesses, offering depository products, cash management services and other related services. She brings over 20 years of experience supporting Maine corporations and municipalities, managing their operating cash, creating payment efficiencies and protecting their assets through the appropriate cash management tools and services. Hannigan is also an active member of the community, volunteering for organizations including Junior Achievement, American Heart Association and Sebago Warming Hut.

The DuBois Realty Group of Keller Williams Realty is excited to be expanding its team with sales agent Amy Landry, who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team. Prior to her career in real estate, Landry spent over 10 years in a variety of progressive health care roles, most recently serving as CEO of Maine Optometry, where she managed its seven practice locations as well as its real estate division. She has both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in health care administration from New England College. When not working or volunteering, Landry can be found hiking, camping and exploring the outdoors with her children.

Partners Bank has hired Eric Walker as the new market manager of its York branch. Walker’s extensive career in the financial industry began in 2000, when he worked as the branch manager for CitiFinancial in York. He served in that role for 10 years before transitioning to center manager until 2016. Since then, he spent time as an assistant manager at One Financial in Rochester, New Hampshire, before being brought on as the branch manager for People’s United Bank in York in 2020. Walker was responsible for growing a $15 million portfolio consisting of fully secured real estate accounts and personal loans to over $18 million during his time with CitiFinancial.

OTELCO is pleased to welcome several new employees. Dwayne Fournier worked previously as a technical support representative for Cox Communications and a technical support coordinator for Verizon Wireless. He attended Gibbs College in Rhode Island and attained his PC networking and support certificate as well as CompTIA A+ certification. Fournier is a resident of Brewer. Paul Holyoke spent five years in tech support and customer training prior to joining OTELCO. Holyoke has a bachelor’s degree in earth science and resides in Brewer. Jeff Valenzuela worked previously for Comcast as a service assurance technician and has fiber experience. He is a resident of Corinna. Ann Beckwith joins OTELCO as an accounts payable lead/senior accountant in the company’s New Gloucester office. Beckwith previously worked at FirstLight Fiber for 10 years after attending Southern Maine Community College and the University of Southern Maine. Christopher Pingree-Felts joins the Gray office as an outside plant technician. He spent 10 years working for Spectrum and Time Warner Cable and is a resident of Naples.

AWARDS & HONORS

John Hughes, a private wealth adviser with Ameriprise Financial in Scarborough, has qualified for the company’s circle of success annual recognition program and will be honored for this achievement. He has  27 years of experience with Ameriprise Financial, and as a private wealth adviser, Hughes provides financial advice that is anchored in a solid understanding of client needs and expectations and is delivered in one-on-one relationships with his clients.

Tyler Bryant, executive senior living director at Allen and Coles Moving Systems in Portland, has received two awards from North American Van Lines. He earned the 2020 Corporate Business Development award, as well as the 2020 Corporate Rookie of the Year award. These awards are due to the success of the senior relocation program Bryant created and oversees called Seniors Need Movers, which specializes in relocation for seniors moving in and out of long-term care communities across the country. In just one year of going national, Seniors Need Movers has grown to provide relocation services for over 200 senior communities and holds partnerships with six major senior living corporations.

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