Jake Miller, of First National Bank in Rockland, has been elected as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce for 2023. Miller replaces Sheila Lowe, of Wayne Ladner Insurance in Gardiner, as the Chamber’s Board Chair. Lowe had served as chair for the past year and did not seek a second term on the Board.

Miller is a Vice President and Senior Business Development Officer for First National Bank. He was elected to the Chamber board in the fall of 2021 and began his initial three-year term in January 2022. Miller served as Vice Chair of the Chamber board in 2022.

Other officers elected to one-year terms for 2023 by the Chamber board include Vice Chair, David Gogel, of Rockland Main Street; Secretary, Joan LeMole, of New Hope Midcoast; and Treasurer, Steve Matteo, of Camden National Bank. Jeffrey Hamilton, of JA Hamilton Consulting, will also serve on the Executive Committee as a Past Chair.

The Chamber board also welcomed four new board members to their first meeting, after having been elected to the board last fall. New board members include Pam Barker of RE/MAX Jaret & Cohn, Becky Lowe of PBNJ Self Storage, Gerald Weinand of Gerald Weinand Architect, and Greg Soutiea of Craignair Inn and Causeway Restaurant. These new board members replaced four board members who concluded their terms in 2022, including Sheila Lowe of Wayne Ladner Insurance, Sandy Cox of The New England Real Estate Company, Jodie Heal of Heal Accounting, and Garry Schwall (retired).

These additional board members continue their terms on the Chamber board in 2023, including:

Chris Austin, Ardiah; Martha Kempe, Wayfinder Schools; Diane Lebson, Evergreen Philanthropic Solutions; Richard Lyon, Retiree; Rick Manning, LCI; Michelle Peacock, Blue Harbor House Inn; Dan Pease, Rock Harbor Brewing Co.; and Laura Tracy, Samoset Resort.

The Board of Directors of the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce is comprised of up to 18 business and community leaders, each elected to three-year terms by the Chamber’s membership and board. The board sets the strategic vision and provides governance to the Chamber’s activities.

The Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce serves as a primary business conduit for the Camden-Rockland Region, which encompasses 27 municipalities within and surrounding Knox County. The Chamber provides a variety of platforms and opportunities for close to 750 business and non-profit members to promote themselves to residents and visitors to the region. To learn more, visit https://camdenrockland.com/, https://penbaychamber.com/, or call 207-596-0376.