This past spring, my husband and I spent a night at Hotel Ursa, the new hotel on campus. We enjoyed our stay, and it was very convenient. During our overnight visit, we visited the coffee bar on site, which has baked goods and breakfast sandwiches. The fitness room looked nice, but we did not have a chance to use it. We recommend staying there.
Kathy Harris-Smedberg G, ’19 Ph.D. was named Maine’s 2024 assistant superintendent of the year. Kathy works in the Bangor School Department. In the fall of 2020, she filled in as the interim superintendent while also being the assistant superintendent. She has led the district in ensuring that the district would provide full day PreK by 2025 and led the opening of the health clinic at Bangor Area High School while working with community partners.
Robert Harvey joined Haley Ward as the municipal infrastructure service line director. Robert’s experience includes capital planning and implementation and maintenance of paper mills in the United States and Canada. In addition to his mechanical engineering degree from UMaine, Robert earned an BMA from Husson University.
This past fall Julie Harris was named as the outdoors editor for the Bangor Daily News. She is the first female editor of this section. Julie has worked for nearly five decades at the Bangor Daily News. During the previous five years she led the local news team in Aroostook County.
Tanya Baker was named the executive director of the National Writing Project (NWP). Tanya earned a master’s degree in literacy education from UMaine in 1999 and am Ed.D. in literacy education in 2008. She was previously an assistant director of the Maine Writing Project, a site of the NWP housed at UMaine. Before her new role, Tanya was the director of national programs at the National Writing Project, based in Berkeley, CA.!
David Whitney is the founder and CEO of the Whitney Corp. and Downeast Packaging Solutions, a subsidiary of Whitney Corp. Downeast Packaging Solutions expands the use of the facility used by Whitney Wreath to package and ship the high volume of seasonal holiday wreaths and related products. Downeast Packaging Solutions uses the shipping expertise and talent already developed by Whitney Wreath to package and ship products for businesses, including Rope Co. based in Rockport, ME, and Wyman’s of Maine.