Hires, promotions, appointments

Creative Portland has chosen Dinah Minot as its new executive director, effective Oct. 5. Minot moved to Portland a year ago after 25 years in the arts and entertainment business in Los Angeles. A lifelong summer resident of North Haven, Minot sees her new job as a great opportunity, saying, “The vibrant arts community and thriving food culture are an inspiration for creative growth, and I hope to facilitate new partnerships and enthusiastic participation throughout the region.”

Sea Bags, a  Portland-based designer and manufacturer of handmade items from recycled sails, announced the first round of graduating staff from the Sea Bags Associates Program: Melissa Kenison was promoted to public relations & social media manager; Sean Powers, sail trade manager; Allison Killen, marketing associate; Page Young, operations and marketing specialist. Sea Bags established the program in 2014 to develop young talent across multiple departments by introducing them to variety of assignments is customer service, operations, marketing, sales, and sail trade.

Jennifer Beck has joined the John T. Gorman Foundation in Portland as a program associate.

The Real Estate Leader has added Denise Gasbarrone to the staff at the Scarborough location.

KeyBank announced that Michael R. Walp, of Portland, has been named senior vice president and private bank sales leader in Maine.

Maine Community Foundation has elected Reza Jalali of Falmouth to its board of directors.

Southern Maine Community College Foundation has named five new members to its board of directors: Jane Eberle, director of business partnerships for the South Portland School Department and president of the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Community Chamber of Commerce; Michael Vaillancourt, attorney and partner with Ainsworth, Thelin & Raftice in South Portland; Marty Madden, financial advisor at Merrill Lynch in Portland; Josh Reny, assistant city manager and economic development director, city of South Portland; Norma Willis, SMCC faculty representative, chair of the SMCC Cardiovascular Technology program.

Moya Elliot has joined the Wealth Management team at People’s United Bank. 

Macpage LLC, a certified public accounting firm with offices in South Portland, announced Elena Mikuzis and Tom Loring have been promoted to manager.

News from nonprofits

The Yarmouth Rotary Club received a $3,500 grant from the Rotary Foundation for trail improvements in Yarmouth. According to club President Sarah MacGillivray, the funds will be used to develop universal accessibility at one of the town’s trails. Club member Dan Ostrye is leading an effort to develop a trail head to meet the standards of Universal Accessibility under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The project will run 1/4 of a mile from the exit 15 Park and Ride to Portland Street, allowing users of all abilities to access the 1.5-mile trail network. The grant will largely fund materials such as the lumber, boardwalks, and gravel, with club members volunteering their labor. Work is expected to start this fall.

Volunteers from All Saints Parish in Brunswick spent hours on Aug. 31 moving items from the former nursing home into a storage container at Saint Charles Borromeo Church in Brunswick. From there, they were sent to Cameroon to be used in the recently constructed Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Hospital. Father Eugen, a priest originally from the village of Nkar in Cameroon, is studying in the United States and has been assisting at All Saints. He said a parish donation of towels and blankets for the people of his home diocese prompted him to share photos of some of the children there, which, in turn, led to the larger donation.

Three local museums will benefit from grant funding awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services Museums for America program. Maine Historical Society in Portland will receive $149,275 to catalogue, re-house, and digitize approximately 1,000 of the earliest photographic images from Maine’s history, as well as develop a digital research tool for these photos that can be accessed free of charge. Victoria Mansion in Portland will receive $129,123 to conserve the original 1859-60 painted finishes of the walls and ceilings of its Reception Suite, the only still-in-existence architectural commission by artist Giuseppe Guidicini. Portland Museum of Art in Portland will receive $18,356 to install new window treatments in its exhibition spaces. In addition, Maine State Museum in Augusta will receive $85,397 to fund the first long-range plan for the museum’s collections, institutional records, and archival resources. 

Save the Date

Maine Real Estate & Development Association will host its annual Networking Fall Social Oct. 20 on Portland’s waterfront from 5-7 p.m., with hors d’oeuvres, spirits, and conversation with colleagues, friends and other industry professionals. Tickets for members are $45; nonmembers are $60, with a $10 price increase after Oct. 13. Register at www.mereda.org.

Walp

Mikuzis

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