NEW HIRES

Bobby Papazian

Bobby Papazian has joined the Portland law firm of Curtis Thaxter, where his practice focuses on commercial law, health care and employment, and civil litigation. Previously, Papazian practiced at an international law firm in New York and served as a law clerk in the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He also clerked for a justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. Papazian earned a J.D. from Rutgers Law School and served as senior notes and comments editor for the Rutgers University Law Review.

Laura Retherford

Maine College of Art & Design has named Laura Retherford as associate vice president of development, responsible for leading the college’s development team while supporting annual and strategic fundraising goals. She brings to the role more than 20 years of experience in development and nonprofit management. For the past four years, Retherford served as director of leadership giving for the ACLU of Maine. She also was an annual fund manager at the Portland Symphony Orchestra and co-executive director of a Girls Inc. affiliate based in Indiana.

Mingyuan Wang

Mingyuan Wang joined Dufour Tax Group in Portland. He is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University where he earned a bachelor of arts degree, later continuing his accounting education at the University of Maine at Augusta’s Rockland campus.

Jayden Walton

Jayden Walton has joined the Biddeford law firm of Woodman Edmands Danylik Austin Smith & Jacques. Walton is a graduate of the University of Maine School of Law and a member of the Maine Bar, and will practice in the areas of residential and commercial real estate and estate planning.

Broadreach Public Relations, based in Portland, has hired Chance Viles as a client associate. Previously, he worked at The Forecaster newspaper group, covering the city of Westbrook for the American Journal. He also has worked at daily and weekly papers in Massachusetts.

Jana Magnuson

Drummond Woodsum, a law firm in Portland, has named Jana Magnuson as a shareholder in its Trust and Estate Planning and Administration Practice Group based in Portland. Magnuson has more than 15 years of experience, and previously practiced with another law firm in the city. She is recognized by Chambers High Net Worth Guide for private wealth law and Best Lawyers in America for trusts and estates law. Magnuson graduated from Duke University and the University of Maine School of Law.

William Wood

William Wood has joined Partners Bank as vice president and market manager for the Sanford financial institution’s branches in Buxton, Limerick and Waterboro. In this role, he is responsible for their overall management, including new business development, customer service and daily operations. Wood began his banking career in lending before he moved on to customer service and branch management. Most recently, he held the position of branch manager and vice president at Biddeford Savings Bank. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from the University of Southern Maine.

Natalie Demler has become an executive assistant at East Brown Cow, a real estate investment, development and management firm in Portland. In her new position, she supports the firm’s chief operating officer and general counsel, Stephen Nahley, and will also be taking on the role of office manager. Demler graduated from Utah State University and later lived in Massachusetts, where she served as the office administrator for a commercial real estate company in downtown Boston.

RECOGNITION

The recently retired general manager of the Portland Water District, Carrie Lewis, received the President’s Award of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies. The award is presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the improvement of water supply management. Lewis is a nationally known leader in the water sector and served as GM of the Portland Water District for more than five years. She came from Milwaukee Water Works, where she led the utility through a waterborne disease epidemic, and has been influential in shaping regulatory policy for the water industry.