Lori Schlenker
Welcome to summer 2020 — a time to reflect on where we have been, the paths we took to get here, and what the next adventure will be.
Victor Smith has joined the Brewer office of CES as a project engineer. At this Maine-headquartered firm of engineers, environmental scientists, and land surveyors, Victor brings his experience to traffic planning and engineering projects. He previously worked for the Maine Department of Transportation and as a construction inspector.
Stephanie Burchill Love was promoted to marketing and sales manager at Northrim Bank in Anchorage, AK. Stephanie has been with Northrim Bank and Residential Mortgage for the past three years and has more than 15 years of experience in the financial industry.
Holly Priest Kopp is running as a Republican for the Maine Senate District 23 seat in November. This district encompasses all of Sagadahoc County, as well as Arrowsic. Holly has served as a professional volunteer in the community for the past 15 years and as an elected school board member for Maine School Administrative District 75 for nearly a decade. Holly lives in Topsham with her family.
Matthew Shea has a new position with the Winthrop Public Schools as their director of teaching and learning. In this role, Matthew guides teachers and administrators in developing and implementing curriculum and instructional programs. Prior to this position, he served as coordinator of student achievement for Hallowell-based Regional School Unit 2 for the past seven years, and worked at Lisbon and Hall Dale High Schools. Matthew and his wife, Holly, live in Gardiner.
Many classmates celebrated their half-century birthdays last year. Some of you may have taken a special trip or celebrated with family and friends. Perhaps a few of you set your sights on a goal like Jim Nute did. In February 2019, he celebrated his 50th birthday by completing a 50-mile run through two states — Maine and New Hampshire. According to Jim, it was “35 miles at a slog of a run — which included a five-hour marathon. The remainder was at a Black Bear crawl. It brought me back to my days at UMaine, the Fiji 24-hour marathon inside the Field House, and the inaugural Grant’s Dairy Milk Run 5-miler in 1989. Wish I could say I've been running ever since! Maybe it wouldn’t have taken me half of 24 hours to finish!”
Jim offered thanks to his wife, Kim Fulhan Nute ’93, and his 11-year-old daughter, Emily, for helping him get to the finish line and for all their love and support in his life.
More than just a birthday goal, this run was in honor of the 50th year of the Mayhew Program in New Hampshire (Mayhew.org), where Jim serves as executive director. Jim says, “it was also in celebration of the tremendous boys we work with throughout New Hampshire — many of whom face down challenges every day that make a 50-mile run look like a walk in the park.” Mayhew is one of 27 youth programs across the nation profiled in the upcoming public television documentary series “Our Kids.” The series is based on the bestselling book Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis by Robert Putnam. Putnam hosts the PBS series, which focuses on innovative programs that help bridge the opportunity gap.
We’d love to hear more about how you celebrated your special birthday or other milestones.
M-A-I-N-E, Gooo Blue!