NEW HIRES

Chris Johnson has begun serving as deputy secretary of state for information services and chief information officer for the Maine Department of Secretary of State, led by Secretary of State Shenna Bellows. Johnson, a former state senator from Lincoln County, most recently served as the IT integration specialist at the Island Institute and also previously worked as the senior network architect at Central Maine Power and as the director of IT at DeskNet Inc. The department is in a multi-year process of replacing the central voter registration system, which was first installed in 2007, and implementing automatic voter registration.

Camden National Wealth Management announced that Ned Muskie has joined its team as senior vice president, senior wealth adviser. With more than 35 years of experience in banking and wealth management, Muskie brings extensive knowledge in investment management, multi-generational wealth transfer, retirement and estate planning, tax strategies and more. In his new role, he’ll cultivate and manage relationships with high-net-worth individuals and families as well as nonprofit and public entity clients across Maine and northern New England. The son of former Maine Gov. and U.S. Sen. Edmund S. Muskie, he has enjoyed many summers in Kennebunkport. Muskie is deeply committed to public service and the local community, and lives in Portland.

Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park is pleased to announce hiring Susi Acord as development coordinator. Acord will work with the institute to implement a comprehensive balanced fundraising program in support of the organization’s work to advance science, education and stewardship for parks, people and the planet. Before joining Schoodic Institute, Acord was the media and communications director for Rural Action, a community economic development organization working to promote thriving communities and healthy environments throughout Appalachian Ohio.

PROMOTIONS

The Boulos Company is pleased to announce that Derek Miller and Jon Rizzo have been made partners, having been brokers with the company since 2011 and 2016, respectively.

Miller has found great success working in the retail sector representing both tenants and large commercial portfolios owners; his notable retail transactions include the sales of the Aroostook Center Mall in Presque Isle, 510 Alfred Road in Biddeford, as well as 104 and 131 Topsham Fair Mall Road in Topsham. When he’s not putting deals together, Miller can be found at Sugarloaf or enjoying Portland’s downtown.

Rizzo has become a top producer in Maine’s industrial market, and has been involved in over $140 million in sale and lease transactions since joining the firm. Outside of work, he is actively involved in his community, spends his time exploring Maine’s outdoors with his wife and two sons, and coaches tee-ball. Rizzo is currently marketing the Innovation District at The Downs, a light-industrial-focused business park within the massive 524-acre mixed-use development in Scarborough.

Portland engineering firm Woodard & Curran has named Jeff Stearns director of technical practices for water infrastructure, a promotion from the position of operations leader for its municipal strategic business unit. He joined Woodard & Curran in 2006 and held a variety of roles with progressing responsibility, beginning as a project engineer and growing into his most recent role as operations leader starting in 2018. In his new role, Stearns is responsible for overseeing the municipal wastewater, drinking water and recycled water practices, building the technical teams and coordinating between the practices and business development.

RETIREMENTS

William J. Brennan, president of Maine Maritime Academy, has announced he will retire after the upcoming school year, capping off 12 years of dedicated service to the institution. In a letter announcing his decision, Brennan articulated his love of the school and reflected on his tenure as the college’s 14th president while highlighting the challenges and successes the school has experienced. Earle Cianchette named AGB Search as the consulting group facilitating the national search and outlined a process and timeline for selecting the next president.

AWARDS & HONORS

Ocean Avenue Elementary School held a surprise ceremony to celebrate school lead custodian Donna Colello for earning a finalist nomination in the 2021 Custodian of the Year award. Her hard work, kindness and passion earned her the prestigious nomination earlier this year. Colello was presented with a $1,000 check from Cintas Corp. for not only her hard work and dedication during the contest, but throughout her tenure at Ocean Avenue School. She also is eligible for free tuition to one ISSA Cleaning Management Institute training event. Colello was the only finalist from the Northeast and one of only two women to make it to the top 10 nationwide.

Cross Insurance announces that Paul Cook, a longtime employee and member of the CPCU Society, Maine Chapter, was awarded with CPCU’s Lee G. Allen Presidents’ Award of Excellence for outstanding contributions to the insurance industry. He is a multiple-year winner of the Producer of the Year award with Cross Insurance and has been a fixture in the Bangor insurance market for more than 40 years. He began his career with life insurance for Prudential and moved on to Fenderson Insurance in 1985, working as a personal lines and life insurance producer. Cook also is a dedicated mentor to young agents entering the business, teaching licensing and sale classes encouraging all to be better industry professionals.

Please send your submissions to business@pressherald.com.

Copy the Story Link

Comments are not available on this story.