Diane Sturgeon – Deputy District Director for the US SBA’s Maine District Office

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Diane joined the Small Business Administration in April of 2012 as a Lender Relations Specialist and has more than 10 years of banking experience working in a variety of roles for MBNA, Bank of America and Camden National Bank. Diane graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in Secondary Education and has completed the National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders Fundamentals Diploma Program and the Northern New England School of Banking. In her spare time, Diane volunteers with PAWS Animal Adoption Center in Camden, ME.

 

 

Dr. Michele Walsh – Maine State Veterinarian

 

A New England native with an undergraduate degree in Irish Literature, she graduated from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2001, focusing on animal disease ecology and conservation medicine. She has worked with a wide variety of species, from beef cattle and grizzly bears in Montana and Wyoming to cougar in western Canada to lobsters, salmon, shellfish, goats, horses and pets in mixed animal and aquatic animal practices throughout Maine. Her current job affords the opportunity to draw often from these diverse experiences.

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Argy Nestor – Director of Arts Education at the Maine Arts Commission

 

Argy has served as the Visual and Performing Arts Specialist at the Maine Department of Education and spent 30 fun-filled years in the classroom teaching visual arts. She has been recognized for her accomplishments in teaching and has published many articles and presented on many teaching and learning topics. She is most proud of the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative (formerly the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative) and the work that all arts educators do in classrooms across the state. Argy has a popular blog at https://meartsed.wordpress.com/ called ME ARTS ED where she posts a plethora of information, plus shares the stories of educators, students, and arts organizations.

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Moderator Bio:Dr. Lisa Westkaemper – Rockland City Council member

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Lisa lived in Austin, Texas for much of her adult life. She worked for the City of Austin, for the State of Texas, at the University of Texas. She worked as an arts administrator, a manager, a chief financial officer of a small nonprofit, and as the executive director of a large nonprofit. She co-owned two successful small businesses. When she lived in north Texas, she served as a member of the Denton County Historic Commission. She Served on the Executive Committee of the Commission, as well as the events development committee.  She also served a full term on City Council in the town where she lived in north Texas. Since moving to Rockland, hsheas played a major role in establishing Millay House in Rockland.