CATHOLIC CHARITIES MAINE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Administrative Officer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Member of All Saints Parish
Amy Ford is a member of All Saints Parish and serves as the Children's Faith Formation Director. Amy holds a bachelor's degree in fine arts from St. Michael's College and a master's degree in pastoral theology from St. Joseph's College. She is the keeper of a sweet cat who came to her from the local animal shelter, and she enjoys learning about organic gardening.
The center employs highly qualified teachers and assistant teachers. Lead Teachers typically have a Bachelor's Degree and experience working with young children. Assistant teachers have an Associates Degree or a CDA equivalent. Staff qualifications are a key indicator of quality, which is important to the center. St. Louis is a Step 4 on Maine's Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), the highest possible ranking. QRIS Step 4 signifies that St. Louis meets standards aligned with national accreditation plus specific training requirements unique to Maine's Early Learning and Development Standards and/or Infant Toddler Learning Guidelines. This is a rigorous standard: of 1955 Licensed Child Care Centers in Maine, 56% participate in QRIS and of these only 17% have achieved Step 4 certification. The center is accredited by the Council on Accreditation, recognized by the Sate of Maine as being equal to NAEYC.
"We love all our teachers, past and present, and the top-notch staff." - Jeff and Kate
Ardo Maalim has been with the program since 2015. She currently serves as our CACFP Coordinator/interpreter for the Somali Community. Prior, she was a home day care provider for 3 years. Click to email Ardo
Job Titles:
- Refugee Mental Health Care Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Bill Flagg has directed marketing and public relations at Cary Medical Center over the past 35 years. He has served on various local and state boards. Bill is a graduate of the University of Maine at Presque Isle. With his wife Stephanie, a registered nurse, he has four children and three grandchildren. Bill currently resides in Stockholm and is a member of Holy Rosary parish.
Job Titles:
- Bishop
- Member of the Board of Directors
- President
Bishop Deeley is the 12th Bishop of Portland after serving as Auxiliary Bishop of Boston since January 2013 at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. He has served as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia of the Archdiocese of Boston since September 2011. Bishop Deeley studied at Cardinal O'Connell Minor Seminary in Jamaica Plain and graduated from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 1968. In 1972, he earned a degree in Theology (S.T.B.) from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Following a year of continuing studies in theology, he returned to Boston and was ordained to the priesthood on July 14, 1973, at his home parish, Sacred Heart in Watertown. In 1978, with his appointment as Secretary to the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Boston, Bishop Deeley began a ministry in the Tribunal which would last for over twenty years, the last ten of which he served as Judicial Vicar (1989-1999). Throughout that period, apart from his years of graduate study in Rome in Canon Law, he lived at Mary Immaculate of Lourdes Parish in Newton and St. Brigid Parish in Lexington where he was able to provide priestly presence and assistance. He was named a Prelate of Honor (Monsignor) on December 13, 1995. Bishop Deeley was named pastor of St. Ann Parish in the Wollaston section of Quincy in 1999. He assumed the presidency of the Canon Law Society of America in 2000. He went to Rome in September 2004 to assist as an Official at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Then, he served at the Congregation until being named Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia of the Archdiocese of Boston in the summer of 2011.
Chris Wood has been with the program since 2003. She currently serves as our CACFP Coordinator in Central Maine. Prior, she worked as a teacher in the Head Start Program. Click to email Chris.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Board President for Maria Mater Dei Missions, Inc
Cindy currently serves as board president for Maria Mater Dei Missions, Inc., a non-profit which has launched the FAITH CONQUERS FEAR™ initiative. She serves as a board member for the GIVEN Institute and the Finance Council for St. John Paull II Parish in Scarborough. She was the founder and executive director of The Presence Radio Network. Prior to her involvement with Catholic radio, her career was in the technology industry. She has served as a board member for the Catholic Foundation of Maine, the Diocese of Portland Finance Council, Positive Radio Network (89.3FM), Chairperson of the Catholic Radio Association, EWTN Affiliate Advisory Team, and Public Policy Committee for the Diocese of Portland. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from the University of Southern Maine.
Job Titles:
- Deacon
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Vice President
Deacon Bob Cleveland is Vice President, Sr. Network Engineer at Camden National Bank. Ordained in 2004, he currently serves as Deacon at St. Brendan the Navigator parish where he is active in many areas of parish life and has served as Parish Council President and Director of R.C.I.A. Cleveland graduated from Bates College in Lewiston, ME with a Bachelor of Arts in American Cultural Studies and received his Masters in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University in New Orleans. He resides with his wife, Anne, in Hope, Maine.
Job Titles:
- Deacon
- Member of the Board of Directors
Deacon Darrell lives in Wells with his wife Marla. He was ordained in Trenton, NJ, in 1996. He retired from active ministry at Holy Spirit Parish in Wells/Kennebunk in May 2021 but continues to exercise his diaconal ministry within the parish. Deacon Darrell is a Fourth Degree Knight and the Spiritual Advisor for his council. He also is a board member of the Beacon Charitable Corporation.
Job Titles:
- Director of Hunger and Relief Services
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Fr. Francis (Frank) P. Morin, while retired from active ministry, now lives in Corpus Christi Parish in Waterville where he serves part-time celebrating Sunday Mass for Spanish communities. Fr. Morin spent his seminary years at St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore, Md where he earned his M.Div. and was ordained at St. John the Baptist church in Winslow. He has served at Holy Cross, St. Charles, Holy Rosary and St. Joseph parishes and was also the Chaplain part time at Bates College. In addition, he volunteered for service in Bolivia with the St. James Missionary Society out of Boston until returning to serve in Lewiston again as Pastor of St. Joseph Church, followed by five years as pastor of the parishes of Sacred Heart- St. Dominic. Fr. Morin spent 11 years of ministry among the two Passmaquoddy Parishes of St. Anne in Washington County which included service at St. James in Baileyville. Eventually this position included the Catholic parishes in Calais, Eastport and Pembroke which were all eventually merged under the title of St. Kateri Tekawitha Parish. Before retiring in 2018, he most recently was Administrator of the cluster parish of St. Michael's in the Augusta region.
Job Titles:
- Director of Human Resources
Job Titles:
- State Refugee Health Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Janet Brackett retired after 24 years as a librarian at the University of Maine at Farmington. She holds a BA in English (UMF), an MA in American Studies (USM), and an MLIS in Library Science (University of South Carolina). She serves on the board of the Farmington Area Ecumenical Ministry and recently retired from the board of the local food pantry. She is a parishioner of St. Joseph's in Farmington. As coordinator of the St. Joseph's/St. Rose of Lima Haiti Ministry, she travels to Haiti annually to visit their sister parish in the Diocese of Les Cayes. Janet and her husband Jeff live in New Sharon.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of the Board of Directors
Jared des Rosiers is a partner in Pierce Atwood LLP and has practiced with the Portland firm since 1992. His legal practice focuses on complex energy regulatory, infrastructure development, and siting, and litigation matters. He is a member of the firm's management committee and chairs its energy practice group. Jared holds a juris doctorate degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Notre Dame. He actively provides pro bono legal services as the former pro bono partner for his firm and current director of VLP Inc., the non-profit responsible for the Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project. Jared also enjoys volunteering at the Preble Street Resource Center. He is a member of the Parish of Holy Eucharist, where he previously served on the Parish Finance Council. Jared and his wife Jennifer live in Falmouth and have six children.
Jennifer Cole has been with our program since May 2019 and serves as our CACFP Coordinator in Southern Maine. Click to email Jennifer.
Job Titles:
- Chief Strategy, Program and Business Development Officer
Job Titles:
- OMRS Compliance Specialist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Retired
Retired from Catholic Charities USA, Kathy Brown has served in multiple leadership positions in the Catholic Church over the past 40 years. She has a Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureatus (STB) and a Master of Arts in Theology from St. Paul University and the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. Kathy and her husband, Scott, recently moved from Baltimore MD to Gardiner ME. She is a member of St. Michael's Parish, attending St. Joseph Church in Gardiner.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Kathy Dyer is a retiree with more than three decades of volunteer and professional work in the field of Faith Formation on both the parish and diocesan levels. Dyer holds a BA in English from the University of Maine in Orono and an MA in Religious Education from Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island. Since retiring, she and her husband Roger have been avid travelers and the very busy managers of Mildred's Pantry, the ecumenical food pantry based at St. Mary of the Visitation in Houlton. In addition to her role at the food pantry, Dyer is a Minister of the Eucharist, a lector (and lector trainer), a member of the Parish Council, and she also meets with families for Baptism preparation and conducts interviews for marriage annulments.
Job Titles:
- Director of Development & Communications
Kimberly Dumond currently serves as our Program Director and was a field monitor for Catholic Charities Maine CACFP 1997-2003 before moving to Michigan with her family where she worked as a Quality Improvement Specialist supporting childcare providers participating in the Quality Rating & Improvement System and as a Field Monitor under a newly formed CACFP sponsorship. Kim has served as the CACFP Director since May 2019. Click to email Kimberly.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Kimberly Suttie is the Pastoral Life Coordinator for Corpus Christi Parish in Waterville, overseeing the liturgical and catechetical ministries of the parish as well as parish communications. She holds a bachelor's degree from College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA and has taken graduate level courses at Boston College. Suttie has worked in Parish Ministry for over 23 years serving in many different roles. She is a member of Corpus Christi Parish, Waterville.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Directors
Lauren Moody is a parishioner of Prince of Peace in Lewiston. She serves as an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. She is a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and volunteers for St. Martin de Porres residence. She previously worked in the field of surgical technology in both New Jersey and Maine. Lauren resides in Auburn with her husband Wayne.
Job Titles:
- CRC, LCPC, Clinical Team Leader for Fairfield & Auburn BHH
Luc received his bachelor's degree from the University of Maine and has a master's degree in rehab counseling from the University of Southern Maine. He is a certified rehabilitation counselor and is a licensed clinical professional counselor. He has been a clinical supervisor for the past five years for the Catholic Charities Targeted Case Management program. Luc worked in the Catholic Charities Adult Case Management program as a community support worker for seven years and in the Catholic Charities Outpatient Mental Health Program as a counselor for two and a half years. He has worked in the mental health field for almost 20 years.
Melissa Gagne has been with the program since 2008. She currently serves as our CACFP Coordinator in Central Maine. Prior, she was a home day care provider for over 20 years. Click to email Melissa.
Job Titles:
- GEAR Project Specialist - Biddeford Office
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Secretary of the Board of Directors
- Superintendent of the Wells Sanitary District
Nick Rico is Superintendent of the Wells Sanitary District. He is a graduate of Tufts University with a bachelor's of science degree in chemical engineering and a master's degree in civil engineering. He is a member of St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Scarborough where he also resides.
Job Titles:
- GEAR Project Specialist - Biddeford Office
Rachel Lessard has been with the program since 2000. She currently serves as our CACFP Operations Coordinator. She is in charge of processing claims and maintaining our data systems. Prior, she worked in the CACFP office. Click to email Rachel.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Monsignor Marc Caron is vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Diocese of Portland. As vicar general and moderator, Monsignor Caron assists the bishop in the administration and pastoral care of the diocese, overseeing those who hold offices and minister in diocesan administration. Currently, Monsignor Caron is a professor of theology and a member of the priestly formation faculty at Saint John's Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, where he has served since July of 2016. A native of Lewiston, Monsignor Caron attended St. Dominic's Regional High School before majoring in French and philosophy at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, where he graduated summa cum laude. He completed his clerical studies at Theological College of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., earning a bachelor's degree in sacred theology. On May 20, 1989, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Amédée W. Proulx at Holy Cross Church in Lewiston. In August of 1989, he was named parochial vicar of St. Louis Parish in Fort Kent, where he also served as chaplain at the University of Maine-Fort Kent. In 1990, in addition to his duties at St. Louis, then-Fr. Caron was named temporary administrator of St. Joseph Parish in Wallagrass and Holy Family Parish in Daigle, where he remained until August of 1992 when he was appointed parochial vicar of St. Joseph Parish in Biddeford. While serving in Biddeford, he was also chaplain at the University of New England. From July of 1995 to July of 1997, he completed an advanced degree in sacred theology at The Catholic University of America, specializing in liturgical studies. Upon returning from Washington, D.C., he was appointed chancellor of the Diocese of Portland and served as director of the department of ministerial services. Monsignor Caron was named a Chaplain of His Holiness (Monsignor) by the Vatican in December 2000. During his time at the Chancery (1997-2008), Monsignor Caron also served as the interim co-director of vocations for a short period. In September of 2008, Monsignor Caron was named administrator of the five Catholic parishes in Lewiston, and on January 1, 2009, he was appointed the founding pastor of Prince of Peace Parish in Lewiston (Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul Parish, Holy Cross Parish, and Holy Family Parish), where he served before his current assignment. In addition to his parish duties, Monsignor Caron has served as a member of the Presbyteral Council, the College of Consultors, and the Priests' Personnel Board.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer of the Board of Directors
Robert (Bob) Ayotte is retired from Textron Inc. where he served as vice president of audit services and corporate officer. He holds a bachelor's of science degree in accounting from Boston College, a master's in business administration from Babson College and is a Certified Financial Accountant under the commonwealth of Massachusetts. A member of Cathedral Parish in Portland, Bob resides in Cape Elizabeth.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Romeo Parent is retired from the Maine Veterans' Home where he was Administrator in Caribou and Machias. He was previously the Assistant Executive Director of Cary Medical Center. Romeo holds a Certificate of Advanced Study in health administration from the University of Minnesota, a master's degree in public administration from the University of Maine in Orono, and a bachelor's degree from Husson College. He is a member of the Caribou and Van Buren parishes.
Job Titles:
- State Refugee Data Analyst
Job Titles:
- State Refugee Data Specialist
Job Titles:
- GEAR Project Specialist - Augusta Offic
Job Titles:
- Grants and Contracts Administrator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Board of Directors
Steve has served as Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Charities Maine since February of 2007 and has served in multiple leadership roles within the agency for the past 16 years. Steve holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Maine at Farmington and has taken graduate level business courses at Thomas College in Waterville. Steve is a member of Corpus Christi Parish in Waterville, Maine.
Job Titles:
- State Refugee Coordinator