Love Maine Radio With Dr. Lisa Belisle

Mitchell Lench founded Treetops Capital in 2008 to help small businesses succeed. He runs Treetops Capital's fund management businesses in sustainable agriculture and aquaculture. Lench is also responsible for co-management of the Gawa Microfinance Fund, which invests in rural and agricultural-focused microfinance and financial institutions focused on small and medium enterprises across the developing world. Prior to founding Treetops Capital, he was managing director in the structured finance group at Bank of America's investment bank in London. He then joined Credit Suisse in New York where he ran global syndicate and a multi-billion dollar trading book. He earned a master’s degree from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and a BS from the State University of New York at Binghamton. More recently, he served as an advisor at the 2015 Fish 2.0 conference in San Francisco, where he helped select and pool viable, impact-oriented seafood businesses for investors to consider for

Lauren Wayne loves music. As general manager and talent buyer for Crobo, Wayne promotes over 260 concerts in Portland every year. Crobo owns and operates the State Theatre and Port City Music Hall, and the company is the exclusive, live-concert promoter for the new outdoor music venue at Thompson’s Point. Starting as the company’s only employee in 2010, she has grown the company to include eight full-time staff and over 150 part-time employees, and she oversaw the largest music festival ever in Portland (with Mumford and Sons on the Eastern Prom in 2012). She is based in Portland. https://www.themainemag.com/radio/radio-guests/lauren-wayne/

Al Miller was born and raised in Battle Creek, Michigan. Twenty-one years later, he got his BA from Williams College and later his MA from the University of Michigan. He taught for eight years in Lebanon before he moved with his family to Maine, where he and his wife raised five children who are now trying to raise him. Since then he has been working with the Theater Project, which he founded a long time ago, and teaching workshops in various states, as well as in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. https://www.themainemag.com/radio/radio-guests/al-miller/

With more than 30 years of classroom and public speaking experience, Laura Gauld has earned a national reputation as a top motivational speaker on parenting, family dynamics, and character education. She has been featured on PBS, in her own parenting series on NBC in Portland, and in numerous television shows, radio programs, and publications throughout the country. After serving as head of school since 2006, she began her tenure as president of Hyde School in January of 2018. With her husband, Malcolm, she is the co-author of the groundbreaking book The Biggest Job We’ll Ever Have (Scribner). Unlike other education books that focus on the child, The Biggest Job We’ll Ever Have focuses on a child’s primary teacher—the parent. Laura previously directed the family education curriculum for Hyde School. In addition to Laura’s experience as a teacher, administrator, and parenting coach, she has created national programs for families, including Family Workshops in the Wilderness, a family renewal program at Hyde’s

Born and raised on a combination of big city attitude and Midwestern sensibility, Chicago native Shay Stewart-Bouley, also known as Black Girl in Maine (or BGIM), had to learn a bit of Yankee ingenuity when she relocated to Maine in 2002. After a brief foray into education, she brought her socially-minded work from Chicago, where she worked with the homeless, to Maine by working with low-income and at-risk youth in southern Maine. She is currently the executive director of Community Change Inc., a nearly 50-year-old anti-racism organization based in Boston that organizes and educates for racial equity with a specific focus on working with white people. Shay has been blogging since 2008, frequently on matters of social justice and systemic racism, through her Black Girl In Maine website and, in 2011, she won a New England Press Association Award for her writing on race and diversity for the Portland Phoenix. Her writing also has been featured in a variety of Maine and national publications as well as several a

Architect Rob Whitten founded Whitten Architects in 1986 and has specialized in New England residential design since 1990. Over the years, Whitten has deliberately kept the size of the firm small so that he can remain involved in every project the team takes on. He attended undergraduate school at Middlebury College in Vermont and graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. A member of the Portland Society for Architecture and the American Institute of Architects, he believes that a well-designed home should fit into its environment. He and his wife, Robin, enjoy walking tours in Italy; Rob illustrates and Robin writes a daily travel journal. Their son, Denney, is also an architect and works for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in New York City. https://www.themainemag.com/radio/radio-guests/rob-whitten-2/

Russ Doucette is the owner of Russ Doucette Custom Home Builders. He comes from a family of craftsmen and went to college at Northern Maine Vocational and Technical Institute in Presque Isle, Maine. After school, he worked for several construction companies in the Portland area. The owner of Midcoast Home Designs in Wiscasset, Teresa Simpson was born and raised on the coast of Maine and has been an architectural designer since 1988. Her design projects include residential homes and remodels, small commercial projects, construction project management, and 3D renderings for clients including home owners, contractors, and other architectural firms. She started Midcoast Home Designs as a teenager in high school when she was professionally designing spec homes for her building contractor family members. She has more than 26 years’ experience with commercial and residential drafting, design, and project management. https://www.themainemag.com/radio/radio-guests/russ-doucette-teresa-simpson/

Sisters Sarah Kelly and Leah Robert are the founders of SaltyGirl Boutique and a natural cosmetic line called SaltyGirl Beauty. At age 36 and 32 weeks pregnant, Sarah was diagnosed with stage three triple negative breast cancer, a cancer that is not hormone-driven or linked to her genetics. Following the diagnosis, Sarah and her sister Leah, an oncology nurse, started looking at the food they put into their mouths, as well as the products they put onto their skin. By opening a clean beauty boutique and launching their own cosmetic line, they are sharing clean beauty products, educating on the importance of clean beauty, and giving back to their communities. Through SaltyGirl, they also started a non-profit in which a percentage of everything purchased goes to Foundation4Love, which helps adults dealing with cancer. https://www.themainemag.com/radio/radio-guests/sarah-kelly-leah-robert-saltygirl-boutique/

Kevin Browne is an architect based in Falmouth. He is a member of the National Council of Registration Boards, American Institute of Architects (AIA), U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and Portland Society of Architecture. He lives in West Falmouth with his wife and two children. He also owns a home near Sugarloaf Mountain Resort in Carrabassett Valley, where he skis during the winter months and mountain bikes throughout the year. https://www.themainemag.com/radio/radio-guests/kevin-browne-kevin-browne-architecture/

Barrett Takesian spent his childhood in Southwest Harbor and his teenage years in Boston. When attending Bowdoin College, Barrett studied economics, captained the squash team, and served on the residential life staff. After graduating in 2012, Barrett moved to Portland, where he worked at Unum and volunteered at Big Brother Big Sister and YMCA. Through his volunteer work, Barrett created an urban squash and education model, and he left insurance to commute to an emerging program in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Over the next two years, he drove about 75,00 miles. He learned the inner workings of the urban squash and education model in Lawrence, and he built the framework to bring a program back to Portland. In 2016, he began working on the Portland Community Squash (PCS) program full time, intending to marry the urban squash model, local school programs, and broad community access under one roof. On January 10, 2017, PCS opened a community squash and education center at 66 Noyes Street in Portland, which was forme

Kate Punderson is the head of school at Carrabassett Valley Academy, a private middle/high school at Sugarloaf Mountain. Punderson is a Carrabassett Valley native and a Carrabassett Valley Academy (CVA) graduate.  As an athlete, her ski career took her to NCAA Division 1 racing, and she later held several coaching positions, including as assistant alpine ski team coach at Middlebury College, where she received her undergraduate degree in environmental studies, and as head women’s alpine coach at Killington Mountain School. After completing her undergraduate degree and a master’s in education from the University of Vermont, she returned to her hometown and alma mater, where she founded and coached the CVA backcountry program and held several positions within the school’s administration team in finance and development. She ultimately became head of school in 2011. Currently she lives in Carrabassett Valley with her husband, Sam, and son, Calvin. https://www.themainemag.com/radio/radio-guests/kate-punderson-ca

Karl Strand became Sugarloaf Mountain Resort’s general manager in April 2015. He previously helped manage key segments of Sugarloaf's operations, as well as those of its sister resort, Sunday River. A Sugarloafer since 1987, he first realized his love for skiing while visiting Sugarloaf and other ski areas throughout Maine and Vermont. After graduating from Bryant University, he entered the lodging industry and discovered his passion for food and beverage operations. He worked in fine dining venues around the country and eventually completed his studies at the Culinary Institute of America. He began his career at Sugarloaf and Sunday River in 2004 when he was hired as vice president of lodging and property management for both resorts. He has also served as the vice president of mountain operations at Sunday River. In addition to his duties at Sugarloaf, Karl also serves on the board of trustees of Carrabassett Valley Academy. https://www.themainemag.com/radio/radio-guests/karl-strand-sugarloaf-mountain/

Sal Scaglione and Dana Heacock are the owners of Abacus Gallery, which was started in 1971 as a small shop and has now grown to several locations around Maine. Both former students at Rhode Island School of Design, Scaglione and Heacock have curated a series of stores that highlights unique American craftsmanship. https://www.themainemag.com/radio/radio-guests/sal-scaglione-dana-heacock-abacus-gallery/

Leigh Kellis is the owner of Holy Donut. This past year, she was selected as U.S. Small Business Administration’s Maine Small Business Person of the Year. Leigh started the Holy Donut in 2011 from a deep craving for donuts. Maine, as the land of potatoes, seemed to be perfect for launching a potato donut business. In about six years, the business has evolved into three stores and now employs 80 people. Leigh is mom to a ninth grader and spends most of her time now doing the social media and public relations aspects of the business, and she’s always thinking about the next steps for Holy Donut. https://www.themainemag.com/radio/radio-guests/leigh-kellis-holy-donut/

Shane Diamond is the executive director of Speak About It, a Portland–based performance nonprofit promoting consent education and sexual assault awareness at high schools and universities around the world. He has overseen the performance and cast since graduating from Bowdoin College in 2010, where he spent four years playing varsity ice hockey and talking about sex. Under his leadership, Speak About It has performed for over 175,000 students at more than high schools and universities across the country and around the world, sparking dialogues about consent education and sexual assault prevention. Diamond lives in Portland, ME with his wife and their pup, Harvey, and can be found drinking fancy coffee, modeling bowties, and writing bad jokes. https://www.themainemag.com/radio/radio-guests/shane-diamond-speak/

Alison Beyea is the executive director at the ACLU of Maine, where she oversees the organization’s legal, legislative, public education, and development activities. With over 10,000 members, the ACLU of Maine is the state’s oldest and largest civil liberties organization. Before joining the ACLU of Maine in 2014, Beyea held a variety of positions in not-for-profit and educational institutions. https://www.themainemag.com/radio/radio-guests/alison-beyea-aclu-maine/

Jud Knox has served as the president and CEO of York Hospital since 1982. He graduated with a master of arts in Healthcare Administration in 1972 from George Washington University and worked as an administrator at several hospitals including Naval Regional Medical Center in Newport, Rhode Island; Camden Community Hospital and Health Care Center in Camden; and Mid-Maine Medical Center in Waterville, which has since merged with Kennebec Valley Medical Center in Augusta. https://www.themainemag.com/radio/radio-guests/jud-knox-ceo-york-hospital/

Betsy Johnson is president and CEO of MaineHealth Accountable Care Organization. With over 17 years of experience in healthcare leadership and 20 years of clinical practice experience in internal medicine, Dr. Johnson brings to the MaineHealth Accountable Care Organization (ACO) her passion for building and supporting a community model of health care that is value-based, integrated, and patient-centered. Through teamwork and partnership across the health system, she has helped facilitate the transition of the MMC Physician-Hospital Organization (PHO), Community Physicians of Maine (CPM) into an integrated ACO advocating for a culture of accountable care, provider engagement, transparency, and achievement of the Quadruple Aim for over 1400 providers and 10 acute care hospitals. Before coming to the ACO, she served as chief medical officer at Martin’s Point Health Care where in addition to leading the Quality Division for both the health plans and delivery system, she led the integration of three medical groups

Beth Weisberger and Wade Kavanaugh are the owners of the Gem Theater in Bethel, which offers accessible and diverse arts programming. Ten percent of the Gem’s yearly profits support local arts initiatives. After ten years of teaching in New York public schools, Weisberger launched Gneiss Spice, a company that sells hexagonal jars for organizing spices. Kavanaugh is also an artist who creates large installations that have been featured in multiple national art publications. https://www.themainemag.com/radio/radio-guests/beth-weisberger-wade-kavanaugh/

Amanda Huotari is the executive artistic director of Celebration Barn Theater in South Paris, where she annually produces 30 performances on-site and at community events. The venue also hosts 150 international artists who come to train in physical theater workshops, create projects in residencies, and perform in the Barn’s show series. Amanda’s own solo show, The Soiree, is directed by Broadway's Avner the Eccentric and has received accolades at festivals in the United States and internationally. A 7th generation Mainer who spent seven years outside the state, she’s now raising her family in her hometown community and is dedicated to supporting the development of a local culture of curiosity and creativity. Fritz Grobe is board president of Celebration Barn Theater. He is also co-founder of EepyBird Studios, best known for viral videos featuring the explosive combination of Coke and Mentos that have been viewed over 100 million times. He has appeared on Late Show with David Letterman, the Today Show, the Ell