The University of Maine at Farmington Board of Visitors advises the President on a wide range of issues regarding the University’s role and mission and its relationship to the people of Maine. It also serves as public advocates for UMF, assisting the University by promoting understanding by and support from the System Board of Trustees; the state legislature; state agencies; businesses, school systems, and social services providers; the media; and the general public.
Board of Visitors
Peter Osborne ‘09
Chair, UMF Board of Visitors
Director of Educational Services
Maine Municipal Association
Peter Osbourne leads a team providing education and training to Maine’s municipal employees and elected officials. He has 10+ years experience in higher education, adult education, and state government. He earned a B.S. in Secondary Education from the University of Maine at Farmington, a M.S. in Adult and Higher Education from the University of Southern Maine, and has taken doctoral coursework in diversity and equity in education at the University of Illinois. Osbourne is a past president of the UMF Alumni Council, serves on the board of the Maine Career Development Association, and is a proud first-generation college student who grew up in a paper-making community in the Katahdin Region. He resides in Jay, Maine with his partner, Dani.
Steve Hewins
Vice Chair, UMF Board of Visitors
Independent Hospitality and Tourism Consultant
Steve Hewins is a retired President and CEO of Hospitality Maine, a trade association that was formed in 2019 from the merger of the Maine Restaurant Association and the Maine Innkeepers Association. Prior to this, he was Executive Director of the Portland Downtown District and before that Vice President for Travel and Branch Operations at AAA Northern New England. Hewins began his career by founding Hewins Travel and operating it for 24 years, prior to selling the business to AAA. He currently sits on the Maine Economic Growth Council and is on the board of the University of Southern Maine Hospitality and Tourism Advisory Board (which he also founded), and the Husson University Business Advisory Board. He has previously served on the board of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and as Past President of the Portland Community Chamber.
Jennifer Bjorn
Chief Financial Officer
Kyes Insurance
Jennifer Bjorn is a local entrepreneur and also owns and operates the Bjorn Realty Corporation, which holds commercial and personal leases with many Farmington businesses and apartments. The Bjorn family has been strong supporters of UMF historically, both with financial donations and local advocacy.
Byron “Buzz” Davis
Owner and President
Riverbend Property
Byron “Buzz” Davis is a native of Auburn, Maine who moved to Farmington with his new wife, Taffy, in 1989. They have lived on Titcomb Hill Road for thirty years and have now moved to their home on Clearwater Lake. Davis has owned and operated Riverbend Property Management for 23 years and with his son, Ben, they own and operate 76 housing and 2 commercial rental units at Ten Properties in downtown Farmington. He has also been very active with the Farmington Ski Club, Rotary Club, and Lion’s Club. In his spare time he enjoys a variety of outdoor sports including skiing and biking.
Jennifer Dorman ’93
Teacher
Skowhegan Area Middle School
Jennifer Dorman received her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Maine at Farmington with dual certifications in Elementary and Special Education. In 2008, she completed her Master’s Degree in Special Education Consultation through Lesley University. She has 25 years of teaching experience in MSAD #54, and is currently a special educator and reading interventionist at Skowhegan Area Middle School. Dorman is the 2015 Maine Teacher of the Year. She serves on the Teach to Lead Maine Teacher Leadership Committee and is a past member of Educate Maine’s Board of Directors.
Thomas A. Dukes ’90 JD
Chief Executive Officer
Veritas Data Research
Retired Brigadier General, USAF
Tom Dukes, Jr., is General Counsel for SafeGuard Cyber (a Digital Risk Protection start-up based in Charlottesville, VA), and also serves as the Assistant Adjutant General-Air for the Virginia National Guard. Dukes graduated from UMF as an Honors Scholar, earning a B.A. in Political Science / Social Sciences and a minor in Philosophy before earning a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. During a 25-year public service career, he served as a U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate, as a U.S. Department of Justice Cybercrime Prosecutor, as a U.S. State Department Diplomat, and as an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia and the University of Tartu, Estonia. He lives in Virginia, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Mattie Jernigan ‘19
Supervising Teacher
Educare of Central Maine
Mattie (Lajoie) Jernigan ‘19 received her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Maine at Farmington with dual certifications in Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education. Upon graduation in 2019, Jernigan became a Lead Teacher at Educare of Central Maine in Waterville and is now a Supervising Teacher. She also serves as a mentor teacher for pre-service teachers for a variety of college and university programs.
Jason Judd ‘05
Executive Director, Educate Maine
Jason Judd led Educate Maine, a nonprofit focused on helping students and educators thrive in our schools through building strong partnerships with the business community. An experienced executive director with a demonstrated history of working in K-12 schools, nonprofits, and community organizations, he is skilled in change management, strategic planning, project management, workforce development, and tech policy. Judd comes from a strong business development background with a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) focused on organizational leadership from Northeastern University. He 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. Judd 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. Judd 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 Maine Space Grant Consortium, and the advisory board of Live and Work in Maine.
Jonathan Moody
Superintendent Schools
RSU / MSAD 54 in Somerset County
Jonathan Moody is the Superintendent of the Schools for RSU / MSAD 54 in Somerset County. This large rural district includes five elementary schools, the Skowhegan Area Middle School and Skowhegan Area High School, the Somerset Career and Technical Center, and the Marti Stevens Learning Center. John Moody also supports one of the community partners for Elevate Maine Skowhegan.
Theresa Overall
Retired Faculty, Educational Computing
University of Maine at Farmington
Dr. Overall came to University of Maine at Farmington in January 2007 as a visiting professor and was fortunate enough to be able to stay. Prior to earning degrees in the field of educational technology, she was teaching with computers in her mathematics classroom at The Lamplighter School in Dallas, Texas, the first elementary school in the world to have a computer in every classroom. She also served as technology coordinator, helping other teachers successfully utilize technology in their classroom. Overall has designed workshops and customized courses in technology integration and math education for schools in Maine and across the country. In the Secondary/Middle Education program, she taught the 200-level technology integration and classroom management courses and co-designed the 300-level mathematics methods course. She is also a part of UMF’s Master’s program in Educational Leadership and was co-principal investigator on a grant from the National Science Foundation for accessible makerspaces for rural students with and without disabilities.
Greg Patterson
Store Manager
Walmart #1866 Farmington
Originally from Rogers, Arkansas, Greg Patterson attended the University of Central Arkansas where he received his Bachelor of Science Degree. He has worked for the Walmart Corporation for 33 years and helped open the first Walmart Supercenter in New England. Patterson currently serves as the Store Manager at Walmart in Farmington. He lives in Wilton with his family and is an active bass fisherman and former basketball player. He is married with four children, one of whom is a student at the University of Maine at Farmington.
Monique Poulin
Assistant Superintendent
RSU 9
Monique Poulin has been working in education since her graduation from Boston College in 1989 with a B.A. in Economics. She began her career as a French teacher, earned her M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern Maine in 2000, and moved to Franklin County where she has made RSU #9 her professional home for more than 20 years. Monique has served as an assistant principal, principal, and interim superintendent and transitioned to the position of Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, Curriculum, and Grants in July 2023. She has partnered with UMF in various professional capacities as a Graduate Council and the Educational Advisory Committee member and as an instructor with the Graduate and Continuing Education Programs.
Shawn Roderick ‘06
Legislative Aide
Maine Senate Republicans Office
Shawn Roderick currently works as a Legislative Aide in the Maine State Senate Republican Office, assisting senators from different parts of the state with constituent services work, policy research and stakeholder outreach. Overall, he has 15 years of experience at the Maine State House in various roles. He was elected Assistant Clerk of the House in 2010 by the Maine House of Representatives and Assistant Secretary of the Senate in 2014 by the Maine State Senate. Roderick has also served on the RSU 38 School Board since 2014 and was recently appointed to the Readfield Connectivity Authority. Shawn earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Maine at Farmington in 2006. He is a proud graduate of UMF, proud to be a first-generation college graduate, and is a proud alumnus of the Jobs for Maine Graduates program for which he now volunteers. He resides in Readfield, Maine with his wife Emily, a 2008 graduate of UMF, and their children Annalise and Austin.
Barbara Sergio
Sr. Director of Quality and Patient Safety
Franklin Memorial Hospital
Barbara Sergio is the Sr. Director of Quality and Patient Safety at Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington. She is a Registered Nurse with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing, a Master’s in Healthcare Administration and is certified nationally as a healthcare quality professional. After receiving her RN in 2003 Sergio worked in a small rural facility in South Dakota where she practiced bedside nursing in a variety of inpatient/outpatient settings before becoming Director of Surgical Services for the same facility. While working in surgical services Sergio worked to obtain her Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration. Since receiving her Master’s degree in 2012, she has worked as a Director of Nursing for two different healthcare organizations before becoming a Director of Quality in 2015. As the Sr. Director of Quality at Franklin Memorial Hospital Sergio is a member of the senior leadership team and works closely with frontline staff on key issues or concerns regarding quality and patient safety. She and her husband Steve moved to Maine in 2019 and live in Wilton. They enjoy spending time with their kids, grandchildren and the many outdoor activities Maine has to offer.
John Slack
Ermeritis Scientist
U.S. Geological Survey
John Slack is a retired research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (Reston, VA). He grew up in Gorham and with his wife has a summer camp in Rangeley. They moved to Farmington in 2015. Slack holds a Ph.D. in Economic Geology from Stanford University (1976) and is an adjunct professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland; he also serves on the editorial board of the journal Economic Geology and is a book editor for the Society of Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits. His geological studies, spanning morre than 40 years, are on metallic mineral deposits in the U.S. and dozens of foreign countries; most of his research has been in Maine, Vermont, Alaska, Canada and Norway. His recent studies have focused on critical minerals, needed for a low-carbon future, principally in Maine.
Timothy Thompson
President / CEO
Franklin Savings Bank
Tim Thompson joined Franklin Savings Bank in 2000, and has been responsible for finance, operations and technology as well as other administrative duties. He was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in 2015. Thompson has been a partner in running the bank for many years. With his strong knowledge of operations and his continuous quest to change and evolve to meet customer needs, he has maintained Franklin Savings Bank’s continued success under his leadership. Thompson grew up in Kingfield, Maine and is a Mt. Abram High School graduate. He earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Maine and a Master of Business Administration from Thomas College. He is also a graduate of the National School of Banking.
Cathryn Wimett
Gold LEAF Institute
University of Maine at Farmington
Cathy Wimett retired from the University of Maine at Farmington in 2016 after 46 years of teaching. She began her career as a fourth grade teacher in the Boston Public Schools. These years were followed by positions as a middle school teacher of students with special needs, as an educational diagnostician with hospitalized adolescents, and with 27 years of college teaching. Wimett capped her career with 19 years as a faculty member in the Division of Early Childhood and Elementary Education at the University of Maine at Farmington. She earned a B.A. from Emmanuel College in Boston; an M.Ed. from Lesley College (now Lesley University) in Cambridge, MA; and a Ph.D. in Reading and Language from National-Louis University in Evanston, IL. She volunteered for many years with two major organizations: a community mental health agency in Massachusetts and the Holocaust and Human Rights Center in Maine.
Contact Info:
Office of the President
Brian Ellis
Administrative Support Supervisor
University of Maine at Farmington
Merrill Hall
224 Main Street
Farmington, Maine USA 04938
tel 207-778-7256
fax 207-778-8189
TYY (via Maine Relay Service) dial 711
brian.ellis1@maine.edu