Maine Senate Confirms New Members to Maine's State Workforce Board

May 27, 2025

For Immediate Release: May 27, 2025

Maine Senate Confirms New Members to Maine's State Workforce Board

AUGUSTA - The Maine Senate unanimously confirmed six new nominees to the State Workforce Board (SWB), in a vote held May 22, 2025. The six new SWB members, nominated by Governor Janet Mills, are Christian Bartholomew of Augusta, Janet Kelle of Newport, Catharine MacLaren of Portland, Peter Parizo of Bangor, Michelle Anderson Westbrook, and Jason Judd of Lewiston.

"The core work of the State Workforce Board - aligning our economic and workforce development goals - is critically important to Maine people and businesses. With the confirmation vote by the Maine Senate, the State Workforce Board has gained six new exceptional leaders. They will work to address the pressing needs of both Maine employers and workers by connecting employers with a skilled workforce and helping workers fill high demand jobs," said State Workforce Board Chair Vaughan Woodruff. "These Board members are qualified and well respected in their fields and represent a number of Maine industries. Their expertise will be beneficial to the State Workforce Board as it tackles the important work ahead."

The State Workforce Board (SWB) - https://www.maine.gov/swb/ is an employer-led board whose purpose is to ensure that Maine's workforce development system helps Maine people and businesses compete successfully in the global economy. The SWB advises the Governor on workforce policy and the development and evaluation of the Workforce Development System (WDS) - https://www.maine.gov/swb/stateplan/index.shtml , which includes other state agencies such as Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services along with the Community College System, University of Maine System, and Maine employers.

New Members

Christian Bartholomew serves as the Chief Human Resources Officer for Andwell Health Partners, which is a Lewiston-based health care provider. Prior to Andwell, Bartholomew worked for Tenet Health in Massachusetts. He received a bachelor's degree in human resources and an MBA with a concentration in human resource management from Thomas College. This will be Christian's first term on the State Workforce Board.

Janet Kelle is the Chief Human Resources Officer for Husson University in Bangor, Maine and has been with the University for nearly 10 years. Kelle worked in Human Resources for several organizations after graduating from Husson and prior to her return, she worked as the Director of Human Resources for Penobscot Community Health Care in Bangor. Kelle has also spent several years on the Bangor Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors. This will be Janet's first term on the State Workforce Board.

Catharine MacLaren, Ph.D., LCSW, CEAP has been a licensed counselor for many years and serves as Vice President of Talent & Diversity in Human Resources for Northern Light Health. She is also an adjunct instructor for Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies. Catharine is a Past President of the Board of Directors of the Human Resources Association of Southern Maine (HRASM). Catharine currently serves on the Board of Directors of Maine Recovery Residences as well. This will be Catharine's first term on the State Workforce Board.

Peter Parizo serves as the Workforce Development Manager for Sargent Construction and has been a dedicated Employee-Owner since 2002. Parizo helps current and future employees build a career with Sargent through their training and development initiatives. He also helps run the college internship program and Sargent Construction Academy, which is a paid apprenticeship program designed to build future leaders of the earthwork industry. This will be Peter's first term on the State Workforce Board.

Michelle Anderson oversees all Junior Achievement of Maine operations, including strategic vision, fundraising, partnership development, and mission expansion. Michelle has been with the organization for over 10 years, starting her career as an intern upon college graduation and being immediately inspired by JA's mission. Michelle is passionate about helping young people make smart education and career decisions through project-based learning and mentorship. She believes stimulating economic growth throughout the state of Maine starts with inspiring and preparing our young people. She holds an undergraduate degree in Child Development & Family Relations and Communication from the University of Maine and is a long-time dance instructor in Scarborough. This will be Michelle's first term on the State Workforce Board.

Jason Judd joined Educate Maine in 2016 as the Project>Login Program Director and took on a variety of roles until he was named Executive Director in 2019. Jason worked as a teacher, college and career counselor, director of studies, and academic dean at Maine Central Institute (MCI) prior to joining Educate Maine. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Maine at Farmington in secondary education English, a master's degree from the University of Southern Maine in educational leadership, and a doctorate in organizational leadership studies from Northeastern University. His dissertation focused on how leaders foster and support innovation at their schools. Jason is the past chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Maine School of Science and Mathematics. He currently serves as a board member for the Maine 4-H Foundation, the advisory board of Live and Work in Maine, and the education advisory board of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. This will be Jason's first term on the State Workforce Board.