Welcoming all my classmates to the winter months of 2022-23 and remembering we had an amazing hot and dry summer in New England. Living in southern Maine we had lots of opportunities to play disc golf, paddle tennis, mountain biking, paddleboard on warm saltwater rivers, and we had a great striped bass run in the early months of summer.
News in my household includes a great opportunity for me to join Partners Bank as a VP commercial banker in their York market. I have been lucky enough to live and work in the Seacoast market for the past 30 years! My son, Turner ’22 graduated in May from Orono and joined Enterprise Rent-A-Car as a management trainee working in New Hampshire. My other son, Bryant ’20, begins his third of four years at Michigan Tech in their mechanical engineering school, where he is a Ph.D. candidate, concentrating on automotive and electric auto engineering.
Catherine DeWick Johnson (elementary ed and English) and her husband live in Brunswick, ME, and she shared that after raising four amazing daughters over 25 years she decided to go back to work, where for the past five years she served in several roles including the associate director of philanthropy at Midcoast Hospital in Brunswick and currently is the interim director of volunteers. At the end of September, she joined ‘The Landing Y’ (YMCA located on the former Brunswick Naval Base), where she will serve as the branch director. Catherine shared that her daughters all graduated from Maine schools — Lizzie (SMCC) – business, Annie (USM)- communications, Gracie (UMFK)-nursing, and Marjorie (UMFK) -nursing. Oh, and one more amazing fact — Catherine now has two grandchildren! So great to hear about your family!
Lisa Park Laflin (art) reports she is moving on to pursue new professional endeavors after serving for the past 14 years as the executive director of the United Way of the Tri-Valley area (Farmington, ME). The Livermore Falls Advertiser press release in April 2022 captured, “Lisa will be missed for her energy and enthusiasm, and she looks forward to volunteering for United Way for years to come . . . United Way of the Tri-Valley area has become known for its creativity, compassion, and unwavering commitment to improve people’s lives.” Thank you for your commitment to United Way, Lisa, and enjoy spending time with your family!
Thomas Peaco (business administration) has joined the UMaine Alumni Association as CEO and president. Tom has over three decades of leadership experience in not-for-profit organizations. He most recently served as the president and CEO of the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce, which serves over 750 businesses and organizations in the Camden-Rockland region. Prior to leading the chamber for the past seven years he led Make-A-Wish Maine for almost 20 years. Tom is part of a Black Bear family; his wife, Michelle Coosard Peaco, is a 1992 UMaine graduate and their son, Zach, is a Class of 2019 grad. Their middle son, Josh, is a senior, and their youngest, Andrew, is a first-year student. Best of luck as you help the UMaine Alumni Association become even better, Tom!