VINALHAVEN — Following the expansion of its Board of Directors, the Star of Hope Foundation has taken a step and recently hired its long-time consultant Carole Martin to manage the day-to-day operations for the Foundation.

As the managing director, Martin will be the liaison with the Town of Vinalhaven as it pursues its downtown renovation plan, and which the Star of Hope must understand fully before it moves ahead with any more significant plans for its real estate assets, according to the Foundation, in a news release. Martin will be the contact person for all inquiries, business dealings and Foundation activities as the organization continues its work. She will also meet regularly with the expanded Board of Directors and help them finish their work developing a viable strategic plan.

As an independent consultant, Carole Martin has mastered the skills needed to analyze work environments through data review, discussion and observation and using the results to create strategies to propel organizations, collaborations, and communities forward.

“She has time and time again successfully overseen the forming, revitalizing, and ending of complex collaborations and partnerships, including mergers and acquisitions, with special emphasis on strengthening connections while accomplishing important outcomes,” said Star of Hope.

Her work experience includes serving as director of labor relations and human resources for a large corporation, as well as holding senior leadership positions in a variety of for-profit and nonprofit settings. Her formal education includes a B.S., M.B.A., and advanced studies in the fields of negotiation and contract administration.

Earlier this year, Larry Sterrs, the Executive Chairman of the Foundation announced that the Board had been expanded to include several subject matter experts who could help direct the artist endowed foundation. Joining Sterrs on the board are:

Mark Bessire – Judy and Leonard Lauder Director, Portland Museum of Art;

Paul Bird – a Maine native and senior partner with the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton in NYC;

Sharon Corwin – President and CEO, Terra Foundation for American Art in Chicago;

Kris Davidson – owner, Davidson Realty and Skål restaurant in Vinalhaven;

Séan Alonzo Harris – artist and professional commercial and fine art photographer and resident of Waterville, Maine; 

Emily Lane – owner, Blue Lobster Consulting in Vinalhaven;

Julia Trujillo Luengo – Director of Economic Development Coordination, State of Maine;

Adam D. Weinberg – Alice Pratt Brown Director, Whitney Museum of American Art and summer resident of Vinalhaven.

For more information visit: www. starofhopefoundation.org

The Star of Hope Foundation’s mission is to promote education of the visual arts in Maine.