MSSM Foundation welcomes four new directors

    LIMESTONE — The Maine School of Science and Mathematics (MSSM) Foundation, and organization formed to support the school, has appointed four new members to its board of directors: Erich Hunter of Bangor, Jerry Pieh of Arrowsic, Steve Symonds of Belgrade, and Art Thompson of Limestone.     Erich Hunter of Bangor is a 1996 graduate of MSSM and the current vice-president of the MSSM Alumni Association. Mr. Hunter works for the United Way of Eastern Maine, where he manages the Combined Federal Campaign, a statewide annual capital campaign raising half a million dollars for charities worldwide. Mr. Hunter studied biology at Rutgers University and new media at the University of California San Diego and the University of Maine. He served for five years in the US Army, providing political analysis, training, and security evaluation to assignments in Arizona and California.
    Jerry Pieh of Arrowsic is a member of the MSSM Board of Trustees. He works for Isaacson, Miller, a search firm headquartered in Boston. Dr. Pieh served for 18 years as the headmaster of Milton Academy, a leading northeastern private day and boarding school. Prior to that, he co-founded Minnesota Outward Bound and served as its first program director. Dr. Pieh is associated as a director/advisor with Expeditionary Learning, Project Adventure, hm Study Skills, and several other educational ventures. Jerry earned his BA degree from Duke University, and his master’s and EdD from Harvard Graduate School of Education.
    Steve Symonds of Belgrade is the parent of a 2009 MSSM graduate and served as president of the MSSM Parents Association for two years. He has been the Information Systems Manager for Hammond Lumber Company in Belgrade for the last 19 years. He received a BS degree from the University of Maine and has been involved in computer programming, analysis, design, and IS project management since the early 1980s. Mr. Symonds is active in his community and has held several positions in Belgrade Cub Scouts, Belgrade Boy Scouts, and Kennebec Valley Scouting.
    Art Thompson is a resident of Limestone, a former potato farmer, and a long-standing MSSM supporter. He is an equity partner at Thompson-Hamel, LLC, a financial services firm in Presque Isle with over 5,000 customers. Mr. Thompson is passionate about making a difference in his community. The following are just some of the organizations on whose boards he has served, often in a leadership position: Loring Development Authority, Limestone Development Foundation, Limestone Rotary Club, United Way of Aroostook, Limestone Chamber of Commerce, Board of Visitors of the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Maine Potato Council, National Potato Council, Maine Jaycees, Limestone United Methodist Church, University of Maine Foundation, and Maine Community Foundation. Mr. Thompson will serve as interim chair of the MSSM Foundation.
    The MSSM Foundation’s mission is to support the Maine School of Science and Mathematics. It raises funds for student scholarships, technology, student activities, and staff professional development.