Rogers gets promotion at Kennebec Behavioral Health
Robert Rogers has been promoted to assistant director for substance use prevention and grant services at Kennebec Behavioral Health in Skowhegan, according to a news release from the agency.
Rogers has been working with youth and families throughout Somerset County since 1994, most recently with KBH as coordinator of substance abuse prevention and intervention. He just finished work under a five-year grant with Somerset Public Health as the Drug Free Communities program director. He also coordinates the Respect ME program KBH, a certified batterers intervention program for women who use violence against their intimate partners. Rogers has been appointed to the state’s Substance Abuse Service Commission, served by appointment on the state’s Maine Opiate Collaborative Prevention and Harm Reduction team, is treasurer of the Maine Prevention Specialists Certification Board, is outgoing president of the Somerset County Association of Resource Providers and recently accepted a position as adjunct professor of substance use prevention at the University of Maine at Farmington. In 2014, he was awarded Prevention Provider of the Year by the Maine Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse.
Carla Stockdale, KBH’s clinical director, said recent changes in state contracting have given KBH an opportunity to be fully responsive to prevention and intervention needs in Kennebec and Somerset County.
Rogers lives in Clinton with his wife, Bonnie, and two grown children, Logan and McKenna.
New Dimensions credit union hires McNally to manage Augusta branch
Brianne McNally has been appointed as the Augusta branch manager of New Dimensions Federal Credit Union, according to a credit union news release.
McNally will be responsible for developing and strengthening new and existing member relationships in Kennebec County. She has 15 years of management and lending experience.
McNally is attending the University of Maine at Augusta, pursuing her bachelor’s degree in business management, and is an alumna of Cony High School. She lives in Augusta with her daughter.
Consultancy firm hires Augusta man
PORTLAND — Peter Fortunato has been hired as a manager in the risk and business advisory practice of Baker Newman Noyes, an accounting and consulting firm headquartered in Portland. Fortunato is expected to increase client service offerings in cybersecurity preparedness, information technology risk assessment and remediation.
Fortunato, of Augusta, joins the practice after having worked for global IT services provider EnablesIT, where he was vice president of technology and information security. With more than 30 years of IT consulting and management experience, Fortunato has an extensive background in designing and implementing secure network infrastructures, change control programs, high-level project management, and disaster recovery and business continuity planning.
In this new role, Fortunato will help clients to mitigate risk by assessing IT systems and cybersecurity vulnerabilities and developing recommendations for remediation. He holds numerous professional certifications in information security, and pursued a bachelor’s degree in computer science at the University of Maine at Orono.
Bechard receives promotion at Kennebec Savings Bank
Jennifer Bechard has been promoted to human resources officer at Kennebec Saving Bank, according to a news release from the bank.
Bechard works at the bank’s main office in Augusta.
Bechard began working for the bank in 2015 as its payroll and human resources information system manager.
“Jennifer has been instrumental in upgrading our payroll system to a true Human Resources Information System,” said Andrew Silsby, the bank’s president and CEO, in a news release. “She has been a major contributor to various Human Resources policy and practice changes and has played a leadership role on compensation issues and Federal compliance reporting.”
Bechard previously worked at the Bank of Maine in its Human Resources Department. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in marketing from Thomas College.
MCI Founders Campaign draws $10,000 Skowhegan Savings donation
PITTSFIELD — Maine Central Institute recently received a $10,000 grant from the Skowhegan Savings Charitable Foundation for MCI’s $6.5 million Founders Campaign during a check presentation with bank officials on the Pittsfield campus, according to a news release from MCI Headmaster Christopher J. Hopkins.
“We are grateful for the generous support of the Skowhegan Savings Charitable Foundation,” Hopkins said, according to the release, “and are honored to have earned their support for the Founders Campaign, which will strengthen MCI for the next 150 years.”
MCI celebrated its 150th year in 2016. The campaign is the largest fundraising effort in MCI’s history, and is also the school’s first comprehensive campaign.
“MCI is unique. We are pleased to support this independent school offering a comprehensive educational program to a multicultural student body,” said Renee Hawthorne, branch manager of the Skowhegan Savings Pittsfield branch, according to the release. “Our contribution is a team effort with the community to ensure that educational diversity is still available to the region for another 150 years,” Hawthorne added.
The campaign supports four areas — academics, the arts, athletics and endowment. The money will support major renovations in Founders Hall, the original building on MCI’s campus, and the repurposing of the 58-year-old J.R. Cianchette building to create a Visual and Performing Arts Education Center. Campaign contributions already have been spent to build three multipurpose athletic fields on campus. The fourth area of the comprehensive campaign will increase the school’s $6.5 million endowment by $2 million.
The campaign was launched at MCI’s reunion on Aug. 5, with the announcement of the school’s first $1 million pledge, and a major challenge gift. To date, 132 donors have contributed $4.36 million to the Founders Campaign. Gifts from individual donors are being matched dollar for dollar as part of the $500,000 Koester Family Challenge. Gifts totaling $279,506 have been matched so far. Officials hope to reach the Campaign goal by Aug. 4.
Jackman’s Forest Hills School gets $10,000 Weyerhaeuser grant
Forest Hills School in Jackman has received a $10,000 grant from the Weyerhaeuser Co. Foundation, which in the past 68 years has given over $222 million to philanthropic efforts in the communities in which it operates. The Weyerhaeuser Co. Foundation grants seek to “help cultivate growing minds and bodies, promote sustainable communities and nurture quality of life in Weyerhaeuser communities,” according to the company.
The money given to Forest Hills will help the district get access to career technical education programs through the Tri-County Technical Center and help it create different pathways for the students to demonstrate proficiency in graduation requirements. The district will partner with the Rural Aspirations Project, which works with schools all across rural Maine to expand educational opportunities that develop and honor community while stimulating the curiosity of students and teachers. Its staff offers comprehensive professional development processes for teachers, administrators and community leaders.
Weddings vendor E+H Creates among 2017 The Knot award winners
E+H Creates, a Maine business that sells custom-designed wedding stationery and other printed wedding material through its website, has been selected as a 2017 winner in The Knot Best of Weddings, an award representing the highest-rated wedding professionals as reviewed by couples, their families and wedding guests on The Knot, an online wedding planning marketplace.
In 2017, only 2 percent of the 300,000 local wedding professionals listed on TheKnot.com have received this accolade, the awarding of which is in its 11th year, according to The Knot. To determine the winners, The Knot assessed over 1 million reviews across the various vendor categories — venues, musicians, florists, photographers, caterers and more.
Down East magazine launches Maine Homes website
ROCKPORT — Down East magazine is launching a reimagined Maine Homes website this month.
The website offers expert advice, real estate listings and ideas. Sarah Stebbins, Down East’s special projects editor, is spearheading the project. She has 15 years of experience covering architecture and design for national and local magazines, according to Down East.
Maine Homes has partnered with Houzz, a national website and online community dedicated to home remodeling and design. Houzz will be contributing content specific to Maine.
The website can be found at mainehomes.com. It also has a Facebook page and can be found on Instagram at @mainehomesmagazine.
Compiled from contributed releases
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