Melissa L. Brancely Burns
I hope your summer is going well. As I am writing this, everyone who is able is sheltering at home for school and work. I am hoping that by summer there will be some sense of normalcy but only time will tell.
Kellie Doyle Bailey ’92G is a practicing speech language pathologist in Mid-Coast Maine and an adjunct professor at UMF teaching graduate courses in speech and language development/disorders and mindfulness in education. She is also the co-founder of The Children’s Collaboration Center, founder of Calm Cool Kids Educate, and a certified mindfulness meditation teacher. Kellie and her daughter, Hannah Bailey, a 2018 UMaine alum, collaborated on a book, Some Days I Flip My Lid: Learning to Be a Calm, Cool Kid. Kellie was inspired to write the book because of her teaching K-8 students about the brain. She works monthly with over 850 students teaching mindfulness techniques. The main character is a third-grader, Max, who develops skills not to flip his lid when he is scared, worried, sad, or upset. It is “a colorful and delightful story for the classroom, at bedtime, or whenever your child needs a mindful reminder to be a calm, cool kid. Includes bonus material for educators, parents, and caregivers.” The book can be purchased on Amazon or through PESI
Publishing.
Todd Hanson, the head boys’ basketball coach at Brunswick High School, achieved his 300th career victory this past basketball season. It was his 24th year coaching at Brunswick. He played basketball at Piscataquis Community High School, Waterville High, and the University of Maine. The Brunswick Dragons are consistently in the post-season tournament.
In January, Dean Preston was promoted to Brigadier General at a ceremony at the 240th Regional Training Institute in front of family, friends, and National Guard members. In his new position, he will be “responsible for all training, manning, and equipping of Maine Army National Guard forces, and ensuring operational readiness requirements are properly met.” Dean is a graduate of the Army ROTC program at UMaine. He lives in Pembroke, ME, with his wife, Avery, and their two children.
Matt McHatten is the COO at MMG Insurance, the largest Maine-based insurance provider. Matt has served on the Maine Business School Advisory Board for 14 years and also was the board chair for several years. He believes UMaine is an integral part of the solution to preparing students to meet the needs of the business community — preparing students to be career-ready through internships, aligning the curriculum with the needs of the business community, and more.