Camden, Maine, December 3, 2020 – Camden National Bank announced its 2020 Leaders & Luminaries Awardees and provided $22,000 in grants for their respective organizations. The honorees include: Doris Dennee from The Iris Network, Evelyn Kieltyka from Medical Care Development, Inc., Jackie Studer from Classical Uprising, Ray Gerbi from the Pejepscot History Center, and Dr. Robert “Bob” Holmberg from Community Compass.
Since the recognition program launched in 2011, Camden National Bank has donated nearly $175,000 to 48 Maine nonprofits with Leaders & Luminaries Awards presented to outstanding board directors from across the state. Over the years, hundreds of board directors have been nominated by fellow board members and nonprofit staff, highlighting countless stories of volunteers going above and beyond as stewards for positive community change.
“This year especially, nonprofits have had to adapt and reprioritize, all at lightning speed. And effective board directors have been instrumental in helping their organizations navigate these unchartered waters, without losing sight of longer term goals,” said Greg Dufour, President & CEO of Camden National Bank. “It’s an honor to shine a light on our 2020 awardees who have demonstrated innovative thinking and an outstanding commitment to community.”
Camden National Bank’s independent selection committee narrowed the pool of nominations down to four Leaders & Luminaries Award Winners, each receiving $5,000 grants, and a Spotlight Award Winner, receiving a $2,000 grant. Donations were funded through the bank’s private charitable foundation, The Bank of Maine Foundation.
2020 Leaders & Luminaries Award Winners:
Doris Dennee, Board Treasurer, The Iris Network (Portland, ME)
Doris Dennee first became involved in The Iris Network from her work with Guiding Eyes for the Blind, where she trained puppies to support people who are visually impaired. She soon joined the board, first from 2002 – 2004, when she was instrumental in opening Iris Park Apartments, and again in 2017. She currently serves as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee, and she played a key role in supporting the organization’s staff transition to a new finance lead. Her expertise as a CPA, most recently with Baker Newman Noyes before retirement, and her passion for the mission of The Iris Network made her a perfect person to help find, train, and work closely with the new Accounting Manager. During a challenging time, Doris dedicated countless hours to stewarding a key transition and streamlining financial processes—all while raising spirits and keeping the board of directors and staff engaged.
Jackie Studer, Board President, Classical Uprising (Portland, ME)
Jackie Studer first joined the board of a local nonprofit called the Portland Bach Experience in 2019, immediately bringing her business acumen as a corporate lawyer and her passion for performing arts. Seeing a clear synergy between the Portland Bach Experience and Oratorio Chorale (another local nonprofit), she led the two organizations and boards through a detailed exploration and eventual merger, forming Classical Uprising. Jackie’s leadership through the process preserved the identities of both organizations, while creating efficiencies and opportunities for greater impact and financial stability. Soon thereafter, the merged organization acquired a youth choir program, furthering its ability to meet its mission and thrive. Less than two years after joining the board of Portland Bach Experience, and after leading the merger process, Jackie was elected to be board president of Classical Uprising, which now serves 200 adult and youth singers and reaches more than 4,000 Mainers with concerts, events, and educational programs. Jackie’s leadership and organizational vision helped transform the organization, achieve fundraising and membership goals, and reach new levels of stability and service.
Ray Gerbi, Board Treasurer, Pejepscot History Center (Brunswick, ME)
Having retired in Maine and looking to give back in the community, Ray Gerbi began volunteering at the Pejepscot History Center (PHC). Eventually, his passion and professional experience in buildings and grounds work emerged, and no matter the job—from smaller “handyman” tasks to much larger, long-range construction projects—Ray was ready to help. After serving on the Buildings & Grounds Committee, he was elected to the board. In 2018, he became board treasurer as well as chair of the strategic planning and facilities master plan committees. Bringing 30 years of experience leading facility and real estate strategy and operations at Concord Hospital in NH, Ray’s expertise was an incredible asset to the small team at PHC. Especially this year, when the historical society had to dramatically reduce the number of visitors and rely on alternative revenue streams, Ray was instrumental in helping chart a new path forward—balancing vision with practicality for long-term sustainability.
Dr. Robert “Bob” Holmberg, President & Founder, Community Compass (Blue Hill, ME)
Eight years ago, Dr. Robert “Bob” Holmberg, a retired pediatrician from Brooksville, Maine, was inspired by a presentation on confronting poverty in the Blue Hill Peninsula. After researching programs and solutions across the nation, Bob founded Community Compass, fueled by his vision of focusing on today’s children and youth to ensure that tomorrow’s adults are prepared and empowered to thrive. In launching Community Compass, Bob formed an engaged, strong board of directors with experience across disciplines working to end poverty in the region. Together, they were able to secure significant funding while collaborating with local nonprofits to ensure no duplication of efforts or wasted resources in supporting local families. With an eye for long-range planning and fiscal responsibility, as well as a deep-seeded passion for the work, Bob’s leadership has made Community Compass a vital community resource, providing emergency support, educational forums, a hub of information, scholarships, and more.
2020 Spotlight Award Winner:
Evelyn Kieltyka, MSN, MS, FNP-BC, Board Chair, Medical Care Development, Inc. (MCD) (Augusta, ME)
Evelyn Kieltyka, a family nurse practitioner who serves as Senior Vice President of Program Services at Maine Family Planning, originally joined MCD’s board to represent Maine’s nursing community. Very quickly, she became enamored with the organization’s ability to offer creative solutions for health needs worldwide. As board chair, she’s guided MCD’s 2017 restructuring to focus the Maine-based non-profit exclusively on public health here in Maine, across the US, and in low and middle income countries overseas. She was instrumental in hiring the current executive director, diversifying and engaging the board, and facilitating a year-long strategic planning process. As MCD has worked to respond to the pandemic, Evelyn has played a key role in developing a comprehensive contingency plan to enable MCD to expand and reorient its programmatic efforts to effectively help in Covid-19 response planning and mitigation efforts in the regions where MCD works. As a result of her leadership, MCD is well positioned to continue to fulfill its global mission of improving the health and wellbeing of people around the world.
About Camden National Corporation
Camden National Corporation (NASDAQ:CAC) is the largest publicly traded bank holding company in Northern New England with $5.2 billion in assets and approximately 650 employees. Camden National Bank, its subsidiary, is a full-service community bank founded in 1875 in Camden, Maine. Dedicated to customers at every stage of their financial journey, the bank offers the latest in digital banking, complemented by personalized service with 58 banking centers, 24/7 live phone support, 68 ATMs, and additional lending offices in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. For the past two years, Camden National Bank was named "Customer Experience Leader in U.S. Retail Banking" by Greenwich Associates, and in 2019, it was the only New England based organization included in Sandler O'Neill's "Bank and Thrift Sm-All Star" list of high-performing financial institutions. The Finance Authority of Maine has awarded Camden National Bank as "Lender at Work for Maine" for ten years. Comprehensive wealth management, investment and financial planning services are delivered by Camden National Wealth Management. To learn more, visit CamdenNational.com. Member FDIC.