PRESQUE ISLE – Three new faces have joined the full-time faculty at Northern Maine Community College to fill vacant positions in the Trade and Technical Occupations, Nursing and Allied Health and Business Technology Departments.
Todd Maynard of Fort Fairfield has been selected to serve as the new electrical construction and maintenance instructor. Since 1998, Maynard had worked at Maine Public Service Co., most recently as a lead worker responsible for installation and troubleshooting of distribution and transmission circuits. During his tenure at MPS, Maynard successfully completed a lineman apprenticeship program.
He has previously served as the electrical and instrument technician in charge of electrical and instrumentation installation, maintenance, calibration and repair while on shift at Huber Engineered Woods in Easton; as an electrical foreman at Zern Nepco Cogeneration Plant in Ashland, and as an electrical technician for Cianbro at the Maine Yankee Nuclear Power Plant in Wiscasset.
Maynard, who is a State of Maine Master Electrician, is an alumnus of NMCC, graduating with an associate degree in electrical construction and maintenance in 1990. He also earned a bachelor of science degree in business and technology from Husson University in 2007.
“I feel education is essential for success in our society. A person should never stop improving themselves and should grasp every opportunity,” said Maynard. “My goal at NMCC is to strive to meet the goals of local industry for skilled technicians and to mentor individuals so that they can obtain the education and skills needed for a better job and a better life for them and their families.”
Joining the nursing and allied health faculty at NMCC is Sandy Pelletier of Fort Kent. Pelletier has been hired as a nursing instructor at the off-campus center in the St. John Valley.
Clinical courses for the associate degree nursing program, offered by NMCC, are being delivered via distance education technology and on-site locally in the northern region of Aroostook County for the first time this fall. In addition to the Valley, NMCC offers its nursing program at a distance in Houlton, and, until this past spring, for four years delivered the program to students in Calais at the Washington County Community College campus.
Pelletier has worked as a registered nurse at Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent since 1999. At the hospital she served in various capacities during her tenure including in the intensive care/medical surgical unit, in the child/adolescent psychiatric unit, as a patient/staff educator, as a cardiac rehabilitation nurse and most recently as a community educator.
She earned her bachelor of science degree in biology at the University of Maine at Fort Kent in 1994, and in 1998 earned her bachelor of science degree in nursing from Husson University.
Karl Jackson of Fort Fairfield, a familiar face on the NMCC campus, was hired to fill a vacant business instructor position. He will teach a wide range of introductory and advanced computer application and business courses.
Just prior to assuming the teaching position at the start of the new semester, Jackson served as business and industry coordinator in the continuing education division at NMCC. He has also been an adjunct instructor at the college since 1998.
Jackson previously served as operations manager at Graphic Utilities Inc. in Fort Fairfield and held several positions at McCain Foods, USA in Easton, including manufacturing shift manager, personnel manager, inventory accountant and packaging foreman.
He holds an associate degree in business administration from NMCC, which he earned in 1982. In 1995, he earned his bachelor of science degree in business administration from Husson University, and in 1997 obtained a master of science degree in business administration from Husson University.
“It is always exciting to add new faculty. They bring different perspectives, new ideas and energy, and, particularly with Todd, Sandy, and Karl, enormous and very impressive real-world experience in the fields for which they are preparing our students,” said Alan Punches, NMCC vice president and academic dean.
In addition to the three new faculty members, two new staff members have been hired to fill vacancies in facilities management.
Gail Clark of Washburn and Tessa Saucier of Mapleton have been hired to fill two custodial positions. Clark most recently worked in custodial services at MMG Insurance, and Saucier served as a firefighter and emergency medical technician for the Mapleton Fire Department.
Todd Maynard
Sandy Pelletier
Karl Jackson
