Board of Directors
Retired
he/him
Arthur Blank joined Healthy Acadia’s Board of Directors in May 2021.
Arthur Blank served as President/CEO of Mount Desert Island (MDI) Hospital from 1999 until his retirement at the end of 2020. Prior to accepting his role, he served for nearly two years as president of the MDI Community Health Plan, and director of Physician Practices for the Mount Desert Island Regional Health Care Corporation.
MDI Hospital is a Critical Access Hospital with eight associated outpatient health centers. During Blank’s tenure, the organization developed a comprehensive outpatient behavioral health center, care management program, an innovative rural medical education program, and an affiliated retirement community.
From 1994 until 1997, Mr. Blank worked as a senior consultant for Northland Health Group, and as executive director of Northeast MSO in Bangor, ME. From 1983 to 1994, he served as vice president of finance and chief financial officer for St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation in Bangor, ME. Prior to joining St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation, Blank spent five years in public accounting with Ernst and Whinney, and Berry, Dunn, McNeil.
Mr. Blank is a past Chair of the Board of the Maine Hospital Association and currently serves as Secretary of the Board of Good Will-Hinckley Home Association, Vice Chair of the MDI YMCA Board, and a member of the Boards of Directors of Healthy Acadia, the Mount Desert Island Rotary Club, and the Rural Health Action Network. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Boston University in Boston, MA.
SVP, Community Impact Manager,
Machias Savings Bank
she/her
Melissa Moffett Denbow joined Healthy Acadia’s Board of Directors in April 2021. Melissa currently serves as SVP, Community Impact Manager with Machias Savings Bank. She began her career with Machias Savings in October 1995 as a teller shortly after earning her Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Over her 25 years at Machias Savings, she has also served as Commercial Banker, Branch Manager, Contact Center Manager, VP, Community Experience Manager, and VP of Corporate Giving and Community Relations.
While her background is in financial banking and management, Melissa feels that her greatest strength is relationship-building and making a difference in the community. She currently serves on the following boards: Mano en Mano, Junior Achievement, Maine Jump$tart Coalition, and the Machias Food Pantry.
Melissa’s work has always been inspired by the strong sense of community in Downeast Maine, and she looks for ways to foster prosperity across the region. “Having access to health care, healthy nutrition, and mental health programming is key for a foundation for success. Healthy Acadia strives to make this access possible, and I wanted to partner with a nonprofit that is making a difference in these areas.”
On a personal level, she really enjoys seeing the youth in our communities become successful while wanting to live and work in Maine, and watching her twin daughters flourish as they expand their knowledge at the university level. “I am inspired by their desire to be active members in the healthcare field!”
Melissa currently resides in Jonesport with her husband, twin daughters, and their springer spaniels. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, canning, breeding springer spaniels, and spending time at their family camp.
Program Director of Behavioral Services, Aroostook Mental Health Center (AMHC)
he/him
Clem Deveau joined Healthy Acadia’s Board of Directors in 2017, and serves as Aroostook Mental Health Center’s (AMHC) Program Director of Behavioral Health Services in Washington and Hancock counties. Clem joined AMHC in the late 1980s at the Helpline and Skyhaven, and has maintained his career with AMHC, with the exception of 10-year hiatus during which he and his wife Brenda served in Africa as PeaceCorps volunteers. He spent seven of those years working in technical program development and implementation reducing HIV among high-risk substance-using populations.
Clem has been instrumental in the development and expansion of new substance treatment programs such as Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and Medicated Assisted Treatment (MAT) in Hancock and Washington counties. He has also been highly involved in the redesign of children’s services, particularly in Washington County children’s residential services. Clem enjoys his role in partnering and collaborating with other organizations focused on behavioral health, primary health, and prevention.
Clem and Brenda reside in Washington County.
Executive Director, Healthy Acadia
she/her
Elsie joined the Healthy Acadia team in 2009 as Community Health Organizer. She served as Development and Community Relations Director for three years before being named Executive Director in March 2014. Elsie also served as State Representative for Maine District 35 in Hancock County for two terms (2008-2012) representing the Mount Desert Island region. Elsie is a graduate of College of the Atlantic and previously served as the Coordinator of the Union River Watershed Coalition in Hancock County, Maine, and as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees and as Governance Committee Chair with Mount Desert Island Hospital, and is an active Board member with Friends of Acadia.
Elsie, her husband Richard Cleary, and their daughters Fiona and Sylvia, split their time between residences in Bar Harbor and Machias, and thoroughly enjoy all their communities have to offer.
Rector, St. Anne's Church, Calais
she/her
Sara Gavit joined Healthy Acadia’s Board of Directors in December 2020. Originally from Wayne, Nebraska, Sara was drawn to the strong sense of community in Downeast Maine. She currently serves as Rector with St. Anne's Church in Calais.
Sara’s decision to serve as a Board member is inspired by the sheer scope of Healthy Acadia’s work, and the dedication of staff and volunteers who make it happen. She feels that the mission and values of the organization match her own.
“Healthy Acadia promotes and supports the kind of community engagement and service that I strive to do in my professional and personal life. I'm inspired by the creativity, hospitality, good humor, and passion that drives all the programs Healthy Acadia offers. Starting with a vision, then making it a reality, is a gift. I am honored to be part of this group, all of us working toward the common goal of community wellness.”
The St. Croix River Valley is home and Sara’s favorite place to be. She enjoys walking and hiking the trails throughout the Downeast area, as well as visiting and exploring other areas of this beautiful state.
Home Visitor, Maine Families
Jody Jones joined Healthy Acadia’s Board of Directors in 2015. She brings to the Board her experience in education and her passion to ensure that quality education begins in early childhood. Jody spent the first 34 years of her professional life teaching grades K and 1, finishing her career in public school education as Principal in a Downeast school district. After retiring in 2007, she worked part-time with the Maine Seacoast Mission's after-school program in Washington County, helping to coordinate their program offerings with the school curriculum. She currently works as a home visitor with Maine Families.
Jody lives in Surry, and when not visiting families, she loves activities that take her outdoors.
Associate, Eaton Peabody Attorneys at Law
he/him
Patrick Lyons joined Healthy Acadia’s Board of Directors in 2017; he is also active in our Development Committee. As an Associate with Eaton Peabody, Patrick’s practice focuses on environmental and land use law and permitting, in addition to municipal law and civil litigation. He works with a number of clients in Maine’s aquaculture industry and advises municipalities on Maine’s adult use and medical marijuana laws.
Prior to joining Eaton Peabody, Patrick was a Term Law Clerk for the Hon. John A. Woodcock, Jr., United States District Court, District of Maine. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Maine School of Law, where he was the President of the Environmental Law Society, an Articles Editor for the Ocean and Coastal Law Journal, and was awarded the Faculty Significant Achievement Award and the Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Award in Environmental Law. While in law school, Patrick was also a Charles A. Harvey, Jr. Trial Practice Immersion Fellow.
Patrick’s wife, Kourtney Collum, is a professor at the College of the Atlantic where she holds the Partridge Chair in Food and Sustainable Agriculture Systems. They live in Ellsworth with their son and many animals. Patrick enjoys hiking, hunting, fishing, disc golf, spending time at his family’s camp, and reading science fiction and fantasy novels.
Principal Consultant, Coastal Education and Training
Vince Messer joined Healthy Acadia’s Board of Directors in 2017, and is active in our Development Committee. Throughout his career, Vince Messer has been involved in maximizing learning opportunities and supporting organizational development for non-profits and service organizations, helping them to become stronger and more effective. He has served as a board member with Camp Beech Cliff and as Board Chair of Mount Desert Island Hospital. He enjoys applying his skills in service to Healthy Acadia and helping it become an even stronger organization.
After teaching for several years, Vince left public education to work with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in training and development, eventually directing the organization’s entire training function.
Vince also led the development of a nationwide resource for learning, staff development, and organizational development for American Red Cross staff and volunteers. In 2002, he established an independent consulting practice which he operated for ten years.
Vince was born in Baltimore, and lived in Maryland all his life until moving to Maine in 2008. When he’s not in committee- or board meetings, he likes to spend as much time as he can outdoors - biking, hiking, fly fishing, or cross-country skiing.
Lynn Mitchell joined Healthy Acadia’s Board of Directors in May 2024, photo and bio coming soon!
Doctor of Family Medicine, Northern Light Primary Care - Blue Hill
Michael Murnik, MD, joined Healthy Acadia’s Board of Directors in April 2021. Dr. Murnik, is a Family Medicine Specialist in Blue Hill, affiliated with Northern Light Blue Hill Hospital with over 32 years of experience in the medical field.
Dr. Murnik grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, spending his childhood summers on the coast of Maine near the mouth of the Kennebec River. After 18 years living out West in New Mexico and Montana, he and his wife returned to New England and Maine 15 years ago to raise their three daughters and to be near the ocean. They have resided in Blue Hill since then and have no intentions of leaving.
Dr. Murnik is inspired by Healthy Acadia’s broad efforts that address elemental community health needs. “I was trained in Family and Community Medicine. Modern medical practice is unfortunately increasingly divorced from holistic and community work. Collaborations with Healthy Acadia on a number of efforts have been nourishing on many levels, so the chance to support Healthy Acadia’s mission was very welcome.”
In his spare time, Dr. Murnik enjoys activities on, in, or near the water.
Executive Director, Migrant Education Director, and Rayitos de Sol Childcare Director, Mano en Mano|Hand in Hand
Juana Rodriguez-Vazquez joined Healthy Acadia’s Board of Directors in May 2021.
Juana is the Executive Director at Mano en Mano, and the Director of Rayitos de Sol Childcare.
Juana arrived in Maine more than 20 years ago to participate in Maine’s wild blueberry harvest. Her active participation over the years and her commitment to sharing her knowledge and experience with other parents led her to become an AmeriCorps Member with Mano en Mano in 2014.
Through this position, Juana was involved in a range of outreach activities, including creating informational video shorts for other parents, helping to coordinate bi-lingual learning activities for families, and sharing her experiences through presentations at national and regional events. In 2015, Juana received national recognition as migrant parent of the year from the National Association of State Directors of Migrant Education.
Juana was hired as a full-time member of the Mano en Mano team in 2016, and promoted to Program Director in 2019. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in education from the University of Maine at Machias and General Elementary (K-8) Teacher Certification from the Maine Department of Education.
In addition to serving with Healthy Acadia’s Board of Directors, Juana is also a member of the Boards of Directors of the Women’s Health Resource Library and the Friends of the Milbridge Public Library.
Founder of The Exercise Design Lab in Bar Harbor and Developer of Neuro-Logic Training
Jacques H. Newell Taylor joined Healthy Acadia’s Board of Directors in September 2022.
Hailing from Pittsburgh, PA, Jacques is the founder of The Exercise Design Lab in Bar Harbor and developer of Neuro-Logic Training (N-LT). He has over 25 years of experience and education in the fields of applied neuroscience and exercise science. From Oberlin College through multiple advanced certifications, Jacques’ studies have focused on elucidating and exploiting the relationships between physical performance, mental performance, and personal transformation. His strong reputation for excellent results and thoughtful service have earned the respect of medical and exercise professionals, professional athletes, and celebrities across North America and Europe.
Jacques is an avid mountaineer who enjoys music of all kinds, camping, mountain running, orienteering, weightlifting, and the opportunity to be mindful while participating in any activity. He enjoys helping his clients, students, and colleagues develop the skills to do the same.
Jacques resides in Southwest Harbor, with his wife, daughter, and dog. They also enjoy spending time at their camp on Pemadumcook Lake, where there is no electricity or internet connection, just the peace of being surrounded by nature, with a stunning full view of Mt Katahdin.
Hospitality and Restaurant Business Owner/Operator, Bar Harbor
Diwas Thapa joined Healthy Acadia’s Board of Directors in November 2023.
Originally from Nepal, Diwas moved to Virginia where he earned a B.S. in Aerospace and Ocean Engineering through Virginia Tech. He had been working in the engineering field for five years when he took a trip to Acadia National Park. He relocated to Bar Harbor, Maine soon after. Diwas currently owns and operates several businesses on Mount Desert Island.
In his spare time, Diwas enjoys taking in the sunset and harbor views in Agamont Park in Bar Harbor.
Psychologist
she/her
Martha Thompson Wagner served as Healthy Acadia’s Board Chair from 2016 to 2023, and currently serves on the Development and Governance Committees. Martha’s career as a psychologist spans three decades and includes 20 years of service in the healthcare field, assisting cancer patients & families navigating the challenging aspects of cancer treatment, and providing emotional and psychological support to hospice patients and families as they live fully during the last months of life. Her decade working in the education realm included development of K-12 health and wellness curriculum for The Westminster Schools. Martha’s work strengthened her sense of empathy and a desire to help others in a manner that enables them to successfully deal with challenges in life, while at all times respecting an individual’s sense of autonomy and self-worth.
Martha’s commitment to Healthy Acadia’s mission stems from a shared vision of creating life changing and lasting improvements in the health and wellbeing of our community by focusing on individuals of all ages and walks of life. She has experienced the devastation of addiction within her own family and recognizes the importance of accessible treatment programs and support during recovery, as well the significant additional health and wellness needs within our community. She firmly believes that Healthy Acadia has the ability to address these needs in effective and meaningful ways.
Martha is a resident of both Maine and Georgia, spending seven months per year on Mount Desert Island and five at her home in Marietta. She serves on numerous boards, and in various roles, in both states, including Mount Desert Island Hospital, Cobb County Family Family Resources, Church Council, First United Methodist Church, and Kennestone/ Wellstar Regional Healthcare System Kennestone/ Wellstar Regional Hospice.