Board of Visitors

The University of Maine at Machias Board of Visitors was created by the University of Maine System Board of Trustees to advocate for the University, advise the President on community and regional needs, review new academic programs and tuition waivers, and submit an annual report of its activities to the Board of Trustees.

Members are recommended by the President and are drawn from the local community external to the University. The regular term of appointment is three years with a maximum of two terms.

Current Membership

Kyle Pepperman, Chair

Kyle Pepperman graduated from the University of Maine at Machias in May 2009 with a B.S. in Marine Biology and a minor in Chemistry. Originally from Montoursville, Pennsylvania, Kyle currently lives in Marshfield, Maine with his wife Mandie and two children, Ryder and Anson.  Kyle currently serves as the President of the UMaine Machias Alumni Association.

Kyle is the Associate Director of Technology transfer at the Downeast Institute on Beals Island Maine, which serves as the marine field station for the University of Maine at Machias.  Kyle is responsible for helping municipalities and individuals interested in public stock enhancement and sustainable shellfish aquaculture.  He also manages a small demonstration oyster farm in a vacant lobster pound on Beals Island that produces premium “Three Islands” oysters for the commercial market.  Kyle is also the project coordinator of a restorative aquaculture project funded by the Builder’s Initiative with a goal of creating a sustainable soft-shell clam resource for the town of Beals.

Nicole Case
Superintendent, AOS 96

Since graduating from UMaine Machias in 1992, Nicole has spent her entire career in education, specifically in the Machias Public Schools.  She taught at Rose M. Gaffney for five years and at Machias Memorial High School for twenty-two years. The beginning of the pandemic seemed like a good time to jump into administration, and Nicole has served in that capacity since 2020.

Nicole resides in Whiting with her husband and their youngest son.  She enjoys reading, gardening, seasonal paddling or walking on and around Indian Lake, and spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Nakia Dana
Educational Resource Coordinator, Passamaquoddy Tribe

Nakia Dana is a member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe. She earned her degree in Business Administration  from UMaine Machias in 2008 and a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration from the University of Maine  in 2020. She has 15 years of experience in human services programming coordination and health care  administration serving as the Tribal Health Director for the Passamaquoddy Tribe from 2010 – 2014. Her  current work involves coordinating adult and post-secondary education as well as youth workforce  development programs for the Tribe as their Education Resource Coordinator.

Susan Mingo
President, Washington County Community College

Over her more than fifteen-year career in higher education, Mingo has devoted herself to providing  opportunities for degree attainment that advance the lives of individuals within Washington County and  the State of Maine. Susan has served as the President of WCCC since August 2018 and prior to that as  the Dean of Students for seven years. Susan supports under-resourced students and works to improve  opportunities at the College to close achievement gaps and improve retention and persistence rates for  the students they serve. She is an advocate for decreasing barriers that impede student success,  creating supports, and leveraging resources to assist students with navigating their external barriers.

Prior to working in higher education, she worked for twenty years in local businesses as well as two  years in municipal government. Susan graduated from the University of Maine at Machias with a  bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and from Husson University with a master’s in Human  Relations.

Susan has spent her life in beautiful Downeast Maine. She and her husband are owners and operators  of two small businesses in the Calais area. Susan was born and raised in Washington County, and has  chosen to reside here while raising her family. She has two adult children, who both live and work  within education in Boston, Massachusetts. She treasures time spent with family at their camp on  Nash’s Lake where she enjoys relaxing with friends and family, boating, and the peace and tranquility of  her natural surroundings.

Juana Rodriguez Vazquez
Interim Executive Director/Rayitos del Sol
Bilingual Childcare Care Director
Mano en Mano/Hand in Hand

Juana first came to Maine 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 activities such as creating short  non-fiction informational videos for other parents, helping to coordinate bi-lingual learning  activities for families, and co-presenting about her experiences at national and regional events.  Juana was hired as a full-time member of the 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 2015, Juana received national recognition as migrant parent of the year from the National  Association of State Directors of Migrant Education. Juana is a member of the Boards of  Directors of the Women’s Health Resource Library and the Friends of the Milbridge Public  Library.

Betty Mason

Betty resides in East Machias with her 2 children and husband. She began her college journey in 2016 in the first cohort of Family Futures Downeast. She graduated from UMM with a certificate in Family Studies in 2017 and with my bachelor’s degree in psychology and community studies in 2022. Betty is currently employed at Downeast Community Hospital’s Family Practice as a certified scribe for Dr. Rioux.

Jordan Porter
Nurse Practitioner, Downeast Community Hospital

Jordan is a highly trained nursing professional who is happy to be back in Washington County where he intends to do his best to improve the health outcomes for his family, friends, and the community. Jordan is passionate about the people of Washington County. He grew up on Gardner’s Lake and has many family members who live and work in the Down East area. He loves the ocean and the rugged coast of Maine. Jordan is a doctor of nursing practice (DNP) and board certified family nurse practitioner (FNP-BC). He received his bachelor’s of science in nursing from the University of New England in Portland, Maine, and worked as a nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center while obtaining his DNP degree at neighboring Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Jacqueline O’Clair

Jacqueline is the President of Sunrise Senior College, Board Chair of Downeast Community Hospital, and the Director of the Board of St. Aidan’s Church of Machias.

Dean Preston

Steve Lail

 

Documents

Board of Visitors Bylaws – Revised 9/04/2018