Bath resident Alyssa Hemingway
joins Pine Tree Society as CFO

Pine Tree Society recently announced Alyssa Hemingway, CPA, CGMA as chief financial officer/chief administrative officer.

Alyssa Hemingway Photo contributed by Pine Tree Society

A life-long resident of Bath, Hemingway has always had a passion for nonprofits and is motivated by Pine Tree Society’s mission and vision. She finds it particularly meaningful to work for an organization headquartered in her hometown that serves a critical need for children and adults with disabilities statewide.

She has over 25 years of accounting experience with an emphasis on advising nonprofits. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Southern Maine and is a certified public accountant and chartered global management accountant. As a financial and operations professional, Hemingway’s diverse background spans from public accounting to advising private companies to guiding nonprofit organizations. Her career concentration in nonprofits extends to operations and internal systems including facilities, human resources and IT.

Sagadahoc County Local Emergency Planning Committee
names newly elected Executive Committee members

The Sagadahoc County Local Emergency Planning Committee held elections for its executive officers Jan. 5, naming Ron Vachon to serve as chairperson. Vachon is a resident of West Bath and has a combined 16 years’ experience serving as a member of Sagadahoc and Lincoln County LEPC’s. Members elected John Starbird, resident of Arrowsic, to serve as the vice chairperson; Sarah Bennett and Hannah Dickinson from Sagadahoc County Emergency Management Agency will serve as treasurer and secretary of the committee.

Vachon has an extensive background in hospital emergency preparedness and has been involved in many exercises and real-world incidents. He currently works for the West Bath District Court as the director of facilities and is well versed in the legal reporting requirements of facilities storing hazardous substances in reportable quantities.

Bennett, serving as LEPC treasurer, has been the director of Sagadahoc County Emergency Management Agency for over six years. She also serves as the committee’s emergency coordinator. Dickinson, a county employee for over 20 years, has recently joined the SCEMA department and will serve as the LEPC secretary. Both positions will provide administrative and fiscal management of the committee’s affairs.

The mission of the LEPC is to increase awareness of and take proactive preparedness and preventive measures to protect those who live, work and visit the county from hazardous materials known to exist in the communities.

Applications open for tuition-free,
entrepreneurship training in Brunswick

New Ventures Maine has an open call for “Venturing Forth: Business Planning for Entrepreneurs,” a tuition-free, comprehensive course starting March 20. The course will be offered in person at the University of Maine Augusta, Brunswick Center with additional weekly lunchtime Zoom meetings for networking, topic lectures and professional development sessions.

For new entrepreneurs or existing business owners, Venturing Forth helps participants create a written business plan from start to finish with feedback from facilitators and fellow entrepreneurs. The 60-hour course covers topics including the customer, competition, marketing, recordkeeping, taxes, financing, legal aspects and more. In-class activities, guest speakers and homework assignments lead to the completed business plan and road map for success. This course also includes three follow-up networking sessions.

The class will meet in person from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Mondays, March 20 through June 12, at the UMA Brunswick Center (12 Sewall Street, Brunswick Landing) and on Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays.

Applications are due by noon on March 10 and can be found online at newventuresmaine.org/schedules/venturing-forth-business-planning-for-entrep-13/.

Anyone with a business idea or current business is welcome to apply. The in-depth course also qualifies for three pass/fail credits from the University of Maine at Augusta upon approval of a completed business plan.

To learn more, contact Small Business Advisor Jenn Dobransky at New Ventures Maine at jenn.dobransky@maine.edu or visit the New Ventures Maine website.

United Way of Mid Coast Maine names
Nicole Evans as executive director

The United Way of Mid Coast Maine board of directors recently announced that Nicole Evans will lead the organization as its next executive director.

“As a board, we could not be happier with the process and the way it turned out,” said Joel Merry, chairperson of the United Way of Mid Coast Maine board of directors and Sagadahoc County Sheriff. “The quality of the applicants was outstanding and Nicole checked all the boxes.”

Nicole Evans Brian Fitzgerald photo

Evans brings 25 years of experience to the role that will benefit the work of the organization for years to come. Prior to her appointment, Evans joined United Way of Mid Coast Maine as director of development in May 2022. She previously served as executive director for the American Red Cross Central and Mid Coast Maine Chapter, and held leadership positions at Mid Coast Humane and United Way of Southern Maine. During her 12-year tenure at United Way of Southern Maine, Evans held multiple positions that helped the organization build a path toward transformative community impact initiatives. In her time at United Way, she helped to launch three 10-year, community-wide goals, invest millions of dollars into the community and build a statewide initiative that increases household financial stability.

“Nicole has a demonstrated leadership ability that makes her well suited to lead our organization into the future,” Merry said. “While we have many challenges facing our communities, it is important to have a leader with a clear vision on how we can make individuals, families and communities stronger and more connected.”

Cathance River Education Alliance receives
grant in support of school programs

Cathance River Education Alliance has been awarded $12,000 by Battelle in support of its nature-based science programs for local public schools. Battelle is an international nonprofit headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, that applies science and technology to solving problems.

The funding will ensure that CREA can continue to teach nature-based science to elementary students and support outdoor research by a local high school biology class.

CREA hosts elementary classes from SAD 75 and Brunswick School District at its Ecology Center, located at Cathance River Nature Preserve in Topsham. During field trips in spring and fall, students do hands-on, “place-based” science that helps them understand the landscape, life cycles and ecological processes present in their backyards and community.

CREA also leads trainings for elementary teachers. These trainings prepare teachers to take learning outdoors on school campuses and to implement the discovery-based Next Generation Science Standards adopted by Maine in 2019.

The grant funding will bring nature-based science to approximately 1,500 students and 75 teachers in the coming year. The learning that occurs as a result of this grant will build upon ongoing work by CREA and local schools to strengthen science curricula in the elementary grades.