Dr. Richard Currie, Assistant Professor of Leadership and Workplace Psychology, School of Hospitality Administration at Boston University
"What do employees really want? Identifying which factors turn hospitality and tourism jobs into careers."
Dr. Currie will unveil his insightful research into the factors that influence workers' choices between long-term careers and temporary positions. His findings shed light on how businesses can enhance workforce retention by considering factors beyond compensation. During this informative presentation, Dr. Currie will share these valuable insights and provide practical suggestions for hospitality operators that have the potential to help organizations shift from short-term employment models to environments where employees can build meaningful, lasting careers. Join us for this opportunity to learn and adapt for a more stable workforce!
Morning Kickoff Presenter
Mark McInerney, Director, State of Maine's Center for Workforce Research and Information
An Analysis of Maine's Hospitality Labor Market
Mark will present information about Maine's labor market, an assessment of the current state of the hospitality workforce from a statistical perspective, and finally answer the question everyone wants to know: "Where did everybody go?"
Panel: How To Create a High School or College Internship Program
Don Golini is the Director of Student Employment Programs at The Nonantum Resort in Kennebunkport, Maine. In that role Don manages the Resort's internship, apprentice, and workforce development programs for secondary and post-secondary students. Prior to joining The Nonantum, Don had a long and successful career in academic publishing. Don is very pleased that his work for the Nonantum closely aligns with his career-long passion for enabling student success.
Kay Kerina is the Career Exploration Program Manager at the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, a program created for 16–24-year-olds to explore careers through paid work experiences. Her past work experiences as an employment counselor, student development coordinator, and JMG Specialist have given her the tools to help young people throughout Maine.
Chris Cameron is a veteran of 27 seasons with the Portland Sea Dogs. Among his duties, he oversees the hiring and training of the fan experience staff and coordinates the team’s internship program. In 2005, the Maine native was named the Public Relations Director of the Year for all Minor League Sports by MinorLeagueNews.com. Cameron earned a degree in Sport Management from Southern New Hampshire University where he was the recipient of the university's "Sport Management" award. Outside of the Sea Dogs, he volunteers for STRIVE, where he serves on the "Steering Committee”.
Becky is a co-owner and operator of the schooner Lewis R. French, a historic tall ship built in 1871 and based in Camden, taking guests on 3-6 night cruises around the Maine coast. She fell in love with tall ships at a young age and started working at Maine Windjammer Cruises at 17 as a volunteer apprentice. Over the next twelve years, she has worked as a deckhand, a cook, a first mate, and finally a captain. She is passionate about the industry and helping the next generation get involved.
Maureen LaSalle is the chair of Culinary Arts & Hospitality at Southern Maine Community College. Maureen holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Maine; a Master’s degree from Saint Joseph’s College and has been awarded the designation of Certified Hospitality Educator by the American Hotel & Lodging Education Institute. She has over 25 years of hospitality experience that includes working for Starwood Hotels, The award winning White Barn Inn and Johnson & Wales University.
Panel: Maximizing Your Employee Training
Rachel Wardwell is the Human Resources Manager for the Press Hotel in Portland. She is passionate about personal and professional growth and development. She has two associate degrees, one in Business Administration and the other in Hospitality Management from Southern Maine Community College.
Charlie Collins is currently Deputy Executive for Workforce Training at Maine Community College System. Previously, he was Interim Associate Dean of Academics and Director of Workforce Development at Southern Maine Community College for three years.
Dr. Lee Speronis is Associate Professor and Director of the School of Hospitality, Sports & Tourism & Assistant Dean of College of Business at Husson University. Dr. Speronis received his law degree from Stetson University and worked as an attorney in Florida in various capacities for over ten years. He was an area director for a major restaurant company in metropolitan New York before moving to Bangor with his family where he became an award-winning managing/partner at one of the area's premier restaurants. He is the current Board Chair for the Maine Tourism Association.
Pam Laskey is the owner of Maine Day Ventures, a company that offers culinary, history, architecture, and gardening walks and tours around the coast of Maine in 5 locations. She has a Masters degree in Communication and Public Relations from the University of Maine and worked in Marketing and Public Relations before founding Maine Day Ventures in 2009.
Hillary Martin is Personnel Operations Manager of Dirigo Safety, LLC, which specializes in providing affordable, high-quality law enforcement training and consultation. She has been with the company since its founding in 2017. In her role, she runs the day-to-day business, human resources, payroll management, QuickBooks, and finances. She also has received her Certification in General Human Resources and is currently working on getting her SHRM-CP along with Certification in QuickBooks online.
Panel: Recruiting From Diverse Populations
Tabin Tangila Mesu Kamba is the Program Developer for Workforce Solutions at Coastal Enterprises Inc. (CEI). Tabin has more than a decade of professional work experience providing leadership, programmatic, communication, and human resources services. Prior to joining CEI, Tabin served as a Human Resources Leader for Talent and Culture at Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation and was a Program Associate with Portland Public Schools working on New Mainers Resource Center. While living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tabin held leadership nonprofit and corporate jobs and attended many professional developments training internationally. Tabin holds a bachelor degree of Science in Business Administration, Finance major, from the University of Southern Maine.
Tony DeLois is Co-Principal and Chief Operating Officer of Uncommon Hospitality, which he has run since it was founded in 2015; he oversees all hotel operations and works daily with on-property general managers to guide revenue management strategies and guest relations policies. A disciple of Danny Meyer at Union Square Hospitality Group, Tony has a long history in the hospitality industry—including as chef at San Francisco’s Delfina and New York City’s il Buco. Tony graduated from Colorado College in 2004 and earned certifications from Cornell School of Hotel Management. He lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, with his wife, Liz; the couple has a son, Asher, and a daughter, June.
Liz Nitzel, DVR Regional Manager, CRC is an experienced Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor/ Windmills Facilitator with a demonstrated history of engaging businesses with local resources and assisting career seekers with developing their skills and access to local opportunities. She specializes in increasing employment disability etiquette and awareness of accommodations to assist in workforce development which advances employment for individuals with disabilities.
Shay Bell is the Assistant General Manager of Point Sebago Resort. Prior to joining Point Sebago, she worked at Saint Joseph's College as Director of Events and Food Operations. In addition to other General Manager positions at beach clubs and restaurants, Shay also founded 1NDOTO Inc., a US-based non-profit organization supporting educational opportunities to street connected youth in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.
Panel: Retaining Seasonal Staff From Year to Year
Carly Eglin is the Co-Founder/COO of Seasonal Connect, a staffing and operational solution for seasonal organizations across the U.S., and the COO of Pabian Law, a national immigration law firm. Carly speaks often at conferences and on webinars about issues specific to seasonal employment. As a native of Cape Cod, Carly has also worked in the hospitality industry as a seasonal worker herself, which provides her with a dual perspective into the challenges of the hospitality and seasonal world. Carly has been working in the seasonal employment space for over fifteen years and the immigration law space for over seven years. She lives with her wife and three dogs in central Massachusetts.
Jenny Wiltse-McClure is the Human Resources Training and Recruiting Manager at Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett Valley, Maine. Jenny began her Human Resources career at the mountain in 2019 and has been a Sugarloafer all her life. Her history as a teacher and counselor provides an excellent foundation for the job placement, team engagement, and training roles she now holds at the resort. Sugarloaf is part of the Boyne Resorts family and has one of the highest team member retention rates in the corporation.
Annie Mahle was the co-owner/co-captain of the J&E Riggin, a Windjammer out of Rockland ME, for 23 years, and is the author of several cookbooks, most recently The Tiny Kitchen Cookbook: Strategies and Recipes for Creating Amazing Meals in Small Spaces. She currently owns and operates Georges River Canvas in Rockland.
Cait Morris is the Regional Executive Pastry Chef for Migis Hotel Group and manages the pastry programs for three of its properties. She also manages the hotel group recruitment committee. Cait is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University in Denver Colorado. Before coming to Migis, she spent 8 years at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver, working her way up to Executive Pastry Chef.
Panel: H2B/J1 Visa Program Updates
Keith Pabian is the Founding Partner of Pabian Law, a national hospitality immigration firm that specializes in H-2B visas and year-round immigration options. Keith is also the Co-Founder/CEO of Seasonal Connect, a staffing and operational solution for seasonal organizations across the country. Keith has a unique specialization in working with hospitality organizations from coast to coast with H-2B visa petitions. Keith regularly presents at conferences on immigration topics affecting hospitality organizations and has received numerous awards for his success in providing solutions for employers’ most pressing staffing issues.
Brian Langley spent 27 years in CTE teaching culinary arts and is in his 35th year of owning and operating the Union River Lobster Pot. He is passionate about legislative affairs, having spent 10 years served as a Maine State Senator and now serving as the Executive Director of Bridge Academy Maine. He is a member of the Maine Tourism Association's Board of Directors.
Halsey Frank has been working for Senator Susan Collins as State Office Representative and Senior Legal Counsel in her Portland Office since September 2022. Prior to that, in 2017, Halsey was nominated by the President, and unanimously confirmed by the Senate, to be the United States Attorney for the District of Maine. In 2021, Halsey retired from the Department of Justice. Thereafter, Halsey taught at the University of Maine at Augusta and wrote a column for The Maine Wire. He is a graduate of the Boston University School of Law, and worked as a trial attorney in the Civil Division of the Department of Justice defending the United States in large toxic tort cases, and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia prosecuting criminal cases and defending the United States in civil cases.
Panel: Employee Benefits, Traditional and Non-Traditional
Colby Marvin Bracy is the Human Resources Director at The Nonantum Resort and the owner of Hello Humans HR Consulting. Colby cares deeply for others, and strives to live by The Nonantum's mission, Raising People Up, every day. She has helped The Nonantum - an independently-owned, seasonal business - think outside the box and develop a robust selection of non-traditional employee benefits. She currently serves as the Vice-Chair and DEI Committee Chair of the Kennebunk-Kennebunkport-Arundel Chamber of Commerce and sits on the Board of Directors for Recovery Friendly Workplace Maine.
Daryle Degen is the CEO & Founder at 86&co, a firm specializing in recruiting for the hospitality industry, providing temporary placements for back-of-house positions, headhunting, job advertising, & more. He founded the company in 2017.
Beth Bordowitz is the inaugural Executive Director of MERIT - the Maine Retirement Investment Trust. She is responsible for implementing Maine’s Auto-IRA Program which will launch in January 2024. She is the former CEO of the Finance Authority of Maine and a member of the Board of Directors of the Maine Health Access Foundation.
Paige Galkowski has been with Kittery Trading Post since 2018 as their Human Resources Manager. She’s worked for water parks, destination ski resorts, and retailers giving her a diverse portfolio when it comes to all aspects of the employee cycle. Paige also serves on the Maine Business Education Partnership board tying her background and passion directly into their mission “Connecting people, training, and employment”.
