Board Member Listing and Affiliation
Hearty Roots
Reven Oliver joined the Chamber Board in 2023 and serves as the Associate
Director of Hearty Roots. Originally from Wellfleet, Cape Cod, Reven moved
to Maine in 2016. She has held Development positions with the American
Cancer Society of Maine and MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital as well as special
event positions at Maine Magazine and L.L.Bean. Earlier in her career, she
spent five years in a public relations role with the WTA Tour (women’s
professional tennis), which required extensive international travel. She
lived in Australia for a year while working on the Sydney Olympic Games, and
also worked on the Salt Lake City and Athens Olympic Games. Reven moved to
Lincoln County in 2023 and now lives in New Harbor with her partner, five
dogs and two cats. Reven is actively involved with the community and is a
member of the Rotary Club of Damariscotta-Newcastle. In her free time Reven
enjoys gardening, photography and exploring the coast with her dogs.
Edward Jones
Matt is a Maine native who attended the University of Maine and is married to Mary Sheridan, a veterinarian in Winthrop, and they have a Son, Finn, who is in college studying mechanical engineering. They have always been drawn to the coast and look forward to moving to Boothbay soon. Matt is a Financial Advisor for Edward Jones, a leading firm in North America with offices in small communities around the country. While his office is currently in Bath, he will be migrating down east to Damariscotta and will serve folks throughout Lincoln County. He spent the first part of his career in the education and non-profit world working with young people and fundraising. For most of that time he was with Kents Hill School, his alma mater and where his parents worked for forty years. He spent three years at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in their Philanthropy Office. Matt enjoys time outdoors playing golf, skiing, biking, and traveling. He is on the Board at Kents Hill and is involved with w other non-profits in the area.
North Country Wind Bells/Maine Buoy Bells
He runs the day-to-day operations for the company that makes Maine-inspired steel bell ornaments and more, As well as moving the company from its original Round Pond location to a new facility in Waldoboro, the company also has opened a seasonal retail store on Route 1, all with the goal of creating manufacturing jobs for the local community.
Lincoln Academy
Heather joined the Community Engagement and Development Office at Lincoln Academy in January 2020 and became Director of the office in June of 2022. She has spent her career in education, and is particularly passionate about connecting young people to real world learning experiences. A born and raised Mainer, Heather feels very fortunate to call the midcoast home. She lives in Bremen with her husband and her daughter.
Gallagher, Villeneuve & DeGreer PLLC
Jim Gallagher is a board member having been president of the Damariscotta Region Information Bureau for over twenty years prior to its merger with the Chamber in 2020. Jim is a native of Damariscotta and a semi-retired attorney now working part time for his daughter’s firm Gallagher, Villeneuve and Degeer, PLLP. He served for 20 years as Lincoln County Commissioner and Maine County Commissioner’s Association President for six years. Jim graduated from Castner Grammar School in Damariscotta, Lincoln Academy and MacMurray College (BA, 1972) and holds a Juris Doctor Degree from Washburn University School of Law. Jim continues live in the old family home in Damariscotta with his wife of 52 years Barbara. They have four grown children and eight grandchildren.
Hammond Lumber
Gunnar Gundersen, a Maine native through and through, joined the Chamber Board in 2024, bringing with him over 12 years of experience—and a few good lumber puns—from his work with Hammond Lumber. Born and raised in Walpole and a proud Lincoln Academy graduate, Gunnar has deep roots in the community and a strong commitment to supporting local businesses. He’s eager to lend his industry knowledge and sense of humor to the Chamber, working alongside fellow board members to help the Damariscotta Region grow (like a sturdy pine!). When he’s not at work, you’ll find Gunnar playing pool, cruising on his motorcycle, or volunteering with the Sons of the American Legion. He and his wife share their home with two cats, who may or may not run the place.
Camden National Bank
Britt Hatch is a Community Banker with Camden National Bank. She has 40 years of banking experience with over 30 of them in mortgages and home equity lending. She feels it’s truly rewarding to help people obtain their dreams of home ownership. While her office is in Damariscotta, she also covers the offices in Boothbay Harbor, Wiscasset and Richmond.
Britt grew up in Nobleboro where she still resides with her husband Josh and they enjoy spending time with their 3 grown children and new grandson.
Britt serves on the board of the Nobleboro Historical Society and the Lincoln Academy Alumni Council and volunteers in the community when and where she can.
First National Bank of Damariscotta
Nicci Kimball joined the board in October of 2024. She is the Senior Vice President at the Damariscotta Office of First National Bank where she specializes in business financing. She started her career at First National Bank as a high school intern and was given the opportunity to work in a variety of departments over the years. She is currently attending Barret School of Banking, a three-year graduate program at the University of Memphis and is on target to graduate in 2026. Nicci and her husband reside in Boothbay Harbor and enjoy spending time with their children and grandchildren. She also enjoys running and has finished several half marathons throughout Maine over the past couple of years.
Renys
Melissa is a native Mainer and has lived on the midcoast since the late 80’s. She has a degree in Elementary Education and Psychology but believes that personal relationships are the key to success. Melissa has worked professionally for over 30 years, beginning her career at Knox County Head Start as a Family Service Advocate and later transitioned to MBNA. During her twelve years at MBNA she worked in Customer Service, Business Development, Marketing and Event Planning. She has worked with over 60 college and university alumni programs along with other professional groups including some of the following organizations: L.L.Bean, Boston University, Boston College, University of Maine, University of New Hampshire, UConn, and the Boston Red Sox, etc. Currently she works for Renys and has been there for sixteen years. Melissa is responsible for buying the following items that you see on the Renys shelves: cleaning supplies, health and beauty items, seasonal items, and everything for the holidays. You might also recognize her from the Renys Maine Adventure commercials! She enjoys anything that involves being outside hiking, gardening, and traveling. Melissa is proud to call Maine home and is looking forward to becoming more involved in the community and knows that the Chamber is a great place to have an impact on the people and businesses that are in the Damariscotta Region.
Dead River Company
Leah, a native of Newcastle, graduated from Lincoln Academy and attended University of Maine at Augusta for Business Administration. She joined the family business after high school, the John A. Puckey Oil Co. in Newcastle becoming chief operating officer. In 2007, her family business merged with Dead River Co. where she proudly works today. Leah has been an EMT with Central Lincoln County Ambulance service for the past 35 years where she was on the board of directors and held other management positions, and she has also been a member of the Bristol Fire & Rescue team for 30 years as an EMT and secretary. Leah also serves as the secretary for the Lincoln County Fire Chiefs Association and is a member of the Alna Snowmobile Club. Leah has two grown sons Brett & Chad and currently lives in Damariscotta. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, kayaking in the Damariscotta River and snowmobiling at her camps in the mountains of Maine & Montana.
Lincoln County Television
Larry is a lifelong native, born and raised in Damariscotta. He recently retired after 30 years in the long haul trucking business. Larry is currently serving as president and executive director of Lincoln County Television, a business serving Lincoln County residents with public access TV. Larry and his bride Sue have five children between them and six grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys playing music and boating.
Steve Viega Woodworks
In addition to serving on the Chamber Board, she volunteers with the Community Housing Improvement Project (CHIP) and is currently serving on their board. Before retiring, Sarah worked as a school counselor for 25 years.
She spent the last 17 years of her career working as the Guidance Director at Lincoln Academy. Prior to moving to Maine, she worked for over 10 years in Boston and spent several of those years working as a community liaison for the Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel Project, more commonly known as the “Big Dig.”
Sarah and Steve live in Walpole, where they have been since 1998. In her downtime, Sarah likes to ski, paddle board, garden and spend time with family and friends at her family’s cottage on Westport Island.
Maine's First Ship
A Maine native, Witham was born and raised in Portland, Maine, and joined the staff of the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School in Rockland, where she alternated between there and the school’s winter quarters in the Florida Keys for 13 years. She holds a U.S. Coast Guard 50-ton master’s license and a diploma from the Landing School in Arundel, Maine, where she spent a year participating in construction of a 26-foot cold-molded sloop.
After more than a dozen years working in the East, Witham moved to California, where she spent several years as an instructor and general manager at the Olympic Circle Sailing Club in Berkeley and later served as chief of operations at the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, Wash., before rejoining Outward Bound as an associate program director in Florida and the Bahamas in 2017.
She returned to Maine in 2019 to serve as director of adult programs and charters for SailMaine in Portland.
Christa Thorpe
Executive Director
Christa Thorpe brings a unique blend of local roots and global experience to her work in coastal Maine. Born in the Midcoast, where her family has been making a living on the water for over seven generations, Christa spent her early childhood in Bangladesh with her two brothers and parents who worked on education-focused projects. This bicultural upbringing shaped her worldview, and after earning degrees in Anthropology, music, and Intercultural Studies at Wheaton College in Illinois, she returned to Bangladesh to teach English and direct curriculum at the Asian University for Women. She moved back to Maine permanently in 2013, where she taught at her alma mater, Lincoln Academy until 2016, then worked alongside her husband Bennett Collins on their Waldoboro-based farm-to-table business, Harvest Moon. Christa most recently served as a Senior Community Development Officer at Island Institute, where she worked for seven years supporting community and economic development for a resilient Maine coast. She homesteads in Bremen where she serves on the Great Salt Bay school board, and enjoys playing flute in the Seacoast Community Orchestra, growing heirloom crops in her garden, and adventuring in the woods and waters of Maine with her husband and two sons.
