Recognition

Mercy Hospital in Portland and Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick were two of 55 hospitals in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut that were included on the ninth annual Hospital Honor Roll by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. The Honor Roll acknowledges acute care hospitals among the top 25 percent measured nationally for quality and patient experience. The data was reported by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Hospital Compare, and the Leapfrog Group’s Leapfrog patient safety measures.

Intermed in Portland was the only Maine practice included of 59 on Harvard Pilgrim Health Care’s 14th annual Physician Group Honor Roll of doctors in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Giving Back

Through the company’s charitable foundation, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Cares, the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office in Brunswick donated $750 to Tedford Housing, a nonprofit organization in Brunswick that provides emergency shelter, supportive housing and homelessness prevention services. In addition, a $250 donation was made to the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, which provides assistance to families in Brunswick and the surrounding area.

Hires, promotions, appointments

Kate Dempsey of Bath has been named Nature Conservancy’s new Maine state director. Dempsey brings more than 25 years of experience in conservation, economic development and public health to the role, including 12 years at The Nature Conservancy in Maine as senior policy adviser for federal affairs and director of external affairs. During her time at the Conservancy, Dempsey played a key role in the Penobscot River Restoration Project, widely recognized as one of the most innovative and far-reaching river restoration projects ever undertaken in the United States. She also helped bring the Conservancy’s groundbreaking 240,000-acre Katahdin Forest Project to completion.

Freeport Players elected new members Carmela Castro and Penny Davis-Dublin to the board of directors at its annual meeting. They will join Sally Grover, Judy Lloyd, Phil Chin, Nancy Salmon, Betsy Roper, Jane Bradley and Scott Miller, who were elected to new terms. The 2016 Executive Committee was also named: Scott Miller, president; Phil Chin, vice president; Judy Lloyd, treasurer; and Betsy Roper, secretary.

The Portland Chamber Music Festival elected the following people to its board of directors: Laura Cyr, of Portland, a post-graduate fellow with the vice chancellor’s office at the University of Maine System; Darya Haag, of Portland, an attorney at Norman, Hanson & DeTroy; Philip Hamilton, of Portland, managing director of Insight Capital Research & Management, Inc.; and Glenn Israel, of Cape Elizabeth, a shareholder at Bernstein Shur. The following officers were elected at the PCMF annual meeting: President Frank Douglass, treasury director at WEX who resides in Brunswick; Vice President Jessica Smart, of Portland, director of mission investment at Goodwill Industries of Northern New England; 2nd Vice President Richard Kraut, of Falmouth Foreside, a retired lawyer; Treasurer Douglas Chene, of Natick, Massachusetts, associate professor of accounting at Salem State University; and Secretary Laura Miller, of Portland, the marketing director of cPort Credit Union.

The conservation organization Friends of Casco Bay elected four board members to three-year terms: Peter Dufour, of Portland, Peter LeBourdais, of Harpswell and Pat Ianni, of Falmouth, who all returned after a one-year hiatus to join Jim Dusch, re-elected to the board.

GrowSmart Maine, based in Portland, hired Janet Sawyer as business development director. Andrew Zarro will shift from development director to community engagement director.

Maine Medical Center announced that Isabella Stumpf, D.O., has been appointed as the division director for palliative medicine. Mary Harkins Becker, M.D., has been appointed fellowship director of the MMC Palliative Medicine Division.

Albin, Randall & Bennett, a certified public accounting firm in Portland, has recently promoted four accountants: Samantha Anderson, Karla Brannen, Ian Dumond and Amy Kronenthal. The firm also hired Mary Polito as its new operations director.

New Ventures

Allison V. Bishop, who brings 18 years of experience as a certified public accountant, has started a financial coaching business in Portland.

Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC has opened an office in Portland to service the portfolio of alternative energy assets held by the company throughout North America. Headquartered in New York City, Greenbacker operates approximately 38 megawatts of solar generation assets in more than 150 locations in the United States and Canada. In conjunction with the office opening, Carol Lambert, of North Yarmouth, was hired as the new vice president focusing on financial and asset management, CFO Richard Butt, of Falmouth, announced.

Celebrations

Norway Savings Bank is kicking off a year-long celebration of the bank’s 150th anniversary by hosting a party at all 24 branch locations Friday, Feb. 5 (snow date, Monday, Feb. 8). The public is invited for refreshments, and the first 150 visitors at any branch will receive a free copy of an anniversary book. Attendees can also enter to win cash prizes, and are encouraged to visit the Norway Savings Bank Facebook page to post the name of their favorite Maine-based nonprofit, which will be entered into a drawing for $1,500. The bank also asks people to share stories about how Norway Savings has helped them, their family, their business, their community or a nonprofit on its Facebook page. Every month, a name will be drawn and the winner will receive $150.

Dempsey

Bishop