Brunswick-based Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) announces the appointment of two new members, Debby Miller and Briana Warner, to its board of directors. The CEI family of organizations also added four new staff members, Lydia Atwood, Jen Burtchell, Rachel Rathburn and Tabin Tangila Mesu Kamba, to its teams.
New CEI board member Debby Miller is vice president for external relations at the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, where she oversees the organization’s philanthropy, marketing, communications and public policy efforts. She brings deep experience in community banking, Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) investment and philanthropy, according to a news release. She also serves on the NH Higher Education Assistance Foundation (NHHEAF) board and the advisory board of NBT Bank.
New CEI board member Briana Warner is president and CEO of Atlantic Sea Farms, an award-winning Maine-based company that is driving demand for Maine-grown kelp farmed by commercial fishermen as a supplemental income source in the face of climate change. As a former diplomat with the U.S. Foreign Service and the Economic Development Director at the Island Institute, Warner and her team developed ay new industry in Maine that has provided opportunities for 24 partner farmers to farm kelp in the fishing off-season and grown the kelp supply in the state by 1,200% since she became CEO in 2018. Their products, grown and manufactured in Maine, are sold throughout the country in restaurants, fast-casual chains, and grocery stores. Atlantic Sea Farms has received financing and business advice from CEI.
Jennifer Burtchell is CEI’s new junior accountant. Previously, Burtchell held positions, including senior accounts payable specialist for Bangor Savings Bank, accounts payable and staff accountant for the Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle and accounting assistant for a real estate agency in Bangor. Burtchell holds an associate’s degree in accounting from Northern Maine Technical College and a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Husson University.
Rachel Rathburn joins CEI as a business development services program coordinator. In this role, Rathburn will coordinate and provides administrative support for Women’s Business Center and CEI Small Business Development Center teams. Rathburn is a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University and holds an Associate of Science degree in culinary arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in culinary management.
Tabin Tangila Mesu Kamba joins CEI as program developer for workforce solutions. Most recently, he was the human resources coordinator for talent and culture at Maine Public. He brings experience as the former minority outreach program coordinator for the Frannie Peabody Center in Portland and as a program associate for the New Mainer’s Resources Center for Portland Adult Education. He also served as the national technical manager for ACS/AMO, a nonprofit health care and advocacy organization in his home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. He holds an Associate of Science degree in business administration from Southern Maine Community College and a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, finance major, from the University of Southern Maine.
Lydia Atwood has joined Bright Community Capital, CEI’s clean energy investment subsidiary, as vice president of finance and accounting. Lydia most recently served as controller for Ransom Consulting, Inc. and has held accounting and finance roles at Artel and BerryDunn. Atwood received her Bachelor of Arts in economics from Tufts University and her MBA in finance from the Questrom School of Business at Boston University.
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