Taking their cue

The board of directors of Freeport Players announced Janie Downey Maxwell of Cape Elizabeth has been hired as the new executive director for the nonprofit theater group. Maxwell is well-known in the Portland area theater community, having been involved with Portland Players and Lyric Theater as well as Freeport Players. In addition, she created and led a children’s drama program at Cumberland schools. “I look forward to using my creative and organizational skills to continue their tradition of producing wonderful community theater for the greater Freeport area,” Maxwell said.

Acorn Productions, the producer of the Portland-based Naked Shakespeare series of  Shakespeare performances, announced that the company’s founding artistic director, Michael Levine, will be handing over leadership of the 14-year-old troupe to Sarah Barlow this fall. The transition marks the first time in the ensemble’s history that someone other than Levine will be guiding the ongoing series that has included performances in a variety of locations in Southern Maine. 

Mergers

Portland-based Winxnet, Inc. and K&R Network Solutions, Inc. have merged to form a coast-to-coast IT services company. The new company will retain the Winxnet name, remain headquartered in Portland and employ over 130 people between offices there and in San Diego, Lawrence, Massachusetts, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. Winxnet Co-founders Chris Claudio and Michael Williams will lead the combined entity as CEO and president, respectively, and will be joined by technology and IT automation pioneer Jeremy Kurth as incoming chief technology officer.

The Cancer Community Center in South Portland and the Dempsey Centers for Quality Cancer Care in Lewiston merged, effective July 1, and will be operating under the Dempsey Centers name. Moving forward, new services and programming are expected to provide a wider range of cancer support. However, for the time being, programs and services in South Portland will not change.

Granted

AmeriCorps positions were created at the Brunswick School Department, which was awarded $73,798 to fund five members. The federal funds were bolstered by the Maine Commission for Community Service, which helped support Maine AmeriCorps programs that included LearningWorks in Portland, which was given $497,646 for 101 members. Maine Campus Compact at USM in Portland was given $177,893 for 38 members. The AmeriCorps members will address opioid use, enhance K-12 education for underserved populations and at-risk youth, conserve the environment, and augment job skills and readiness.

Recognition

Whitney Bruce of WB College Consulting in Falmouth led a professional development session at the Higher Education Consultants Association annual conference in Dallas on June 13, when she talked about appropriate expectations for students and families during the college admissions process. 

Hires, promotions, appointments

Megan Pryor, of Bath, who is with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, will serve as the new vice president of Northeast Recycling Council. Pryor is an environmental specialist with the DEP, where she oversees and administers the paint, mercury thermostat, and mercury lamp product stewardship programs. Pryor provides outreach, education and technical support to municipalities and businesses in their waste reduction and recycling efforts. Based in Vermont, NERC is a nonprofit that conducts research, training and outreach on issues associated with source reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, and environmentally preferable purchasing.

Aubree Harris, RN, has joined Mid Coast Senior Health as the director of nursing. In her new role, she will manage the nursing department and oversee the daily operations of the Mid Coast Senior Health’s long-term care community, Mere Point, and skilled nursing and rehabilitation at Bodwell.

RE/MAX Shoreline welcomes Lee Goyette, a local restaurateur and an associate broker with a strong background in luxury real estate, to its Portland office. Goyette co-owns The Little Tap House in Portland with Brianna Jaro.

Norway Savings Bank announced Ed Gardner was recently elected to its board of directors. Gardner is the owner of Ocean Gate Realty, one of Portland’s boutique real estate companies. He has more than 35 years of real estate experience, was president of the Greater Portland Board of Realtors in 2013, and honored as state realtor Realtor of the Year in 2014. Gardner was president of the Maine Association of Realtors in 2016 and is the incoming president of Greater Portland Landmarks for 2018. 

Save the Date

Join E2Tech at Flight Deck Brewing on Brunswick Landing for the Summer 2018 Networking Reception, 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, July 24. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with the area’s leading business, environmental, energy, and clean tech professionals. Located at 11 Atlantic Ave., Flight Deck Brewing is leading the way in producing their beer with 100 percent renewable energy by using a state-of-the-art electric brewing system, and source electricity from a combination of anaerobic biodigestion and solar generation. It also offers free electric vehicle charging. To register for the event, see e2tech.org/event-2966632. 

Maxwell

Patrick and Sue O’Reilly, far right, owners of O’Reilly’s Cure Restaurant and Bar in Scarborough, present a check for $17,840 to Scarborough Town Manager Tom Hall and Eastern Trail Executive Director Carole Brush. The proceeds from the John Andrews Memorial 5K, created and sponsored by O’Reilly’s Cure, will benefit the Close the Gap campaign to bridge the trail between Scarborough and South Portland.

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