Portland superintendent Xavier Botana is proud of his district’s diversity. Botana, who came to the United States as a Cuban refugee who didn’t speak English, notes that given an influx of immigrant families into Portland, his experiences are similar to those of many children in the
When Mary Allen Lindemann and Alan Spear opened their first Coffee By Design (CBD) location on Congress Street in Portland, the downtown was experiencing a 40-percent vacancy rate. Coffeehouses have a history as “community centers,” as Lindemann notes, which allowed the pair to pursue their love of
David A. Greene, who became Colby College’s twentieth president in 2014,has made the revitalization of downtown Waterville a priority for the college. Once located downtown, the college moved to its spot on Mayflower Hill thanks to Waterville residents who rallied to raise the funds needed to
As the owner of Wood Prairie Family Farm in Bridgewater for the past 40 years, Jim Gerritsen dedicated his life to organic farming and the politics that go along with it. His life’s work has been to realign our culture and the food it consumes by
David and Kaye Flanagan note that while civic engagement is declining around the country, Maine has maintained a strong sense of civic duty. Exemplifying the local work ethic, the Flanagans have made it their mission to contribute to the greater good. David has led several organizations that have
Over her lifetime, Ann Lee Hussey has immunized tens of thousands of children all over the world against the poliovirus. In 1955 at the age of 17 months, Hussey contracted the poliovirus while growing up in South Berwick. During her childhood, a woman who read about her
Jess Knox came up with the idea for Maine Startup and Create Week (MSCW) in 2012, two years before he would eventually kick off the organization and event series. “Maine is a world-class place with all the raw materials to drive a high-impact startup movement, but we need
As executive director of Mabel Wadsworth Center, a feminist healthcare provider in Bangor, Andrea Irwin works to normalize abortion within the context of reproductive healthcare. Irwin has driven the center toward more inclusive policies that meet community needs; for example, the healthcare provider now treats men as well
“Maine is a place where things get done,” says Edward Miller. During a work-study job at the Harvard School of Public Health, Miller, who served as CEO of the American Lung Association in Maine between 1986 and 2007,found a love for public health policy that would define
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