Carolyn Nishon serves as the Executive Director of the Portland Symphony Orchestra. She joined the PSO in 2008, and has served as its orchestra manager, director of artistic operations, and general manager.
In 2008, she completed the League of American Orchestra’s Orchestra Management Fellowship program, during which she worked at the Aspen Music Festival, the North Carolina Symphony, the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. She was also one of forty-eight non-profit leaders selected for the American Express Nonprofit Leadership Academy, which helps to develop the personal, business and leadership skills necessary to run a nonprofit. Nishon is a member of the Tau class of the Institute for Civic Leadership. She has served on the board of directors of the Institute for Civic Leadership, and on the steering committee for Creative Portland’s 2 Degrees Portland initiative, which connects new Maine residents to the creative community.
Bits and Pieces | by Ben Lowry
President Ellen Niewoehner called our Zoom meeting to order, with 41 Rotarians attending, and with one guest, Michael Harper, who will be inducted as our newest Portland Rotarian this coming Friday.
With just the one guest in attendance and with zero visiting Rotarians, Mike Fortunato reminded us that we should ALL consider ourselves as ongoing advocates in seeking new members. With an upcoming slate of really remarkable speakers and programs, including this coming Friday’s chance to relax with some classical selections from the PSO, we should all make an effort to invite a friend to attend via Zoom. It couldn’t be much easier and, we were reminded, you don’t have to pay for a lunch!
Rusty Atwood mentioned the March 5th meeting, which will feature a group out of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, who will discuss “Vertical Harvesting.” So, please, invite a friend or colleague to one of our Friday meetings.
Paul Tully offered up a moving invocation, reflecting on the world events of the past few weeks as well as the past year, as we now enter our second round of seasons with Covid in our midst. Paul acknowledged that so many people now identify themselves with a cause or a symbol, but in Rotary International, with its 1.2 million members within 35,000 clubs in 200 countries, we tend to identify ourselves with the Rotary Wheel, with its suggestion of forward movement and forward thinking, with members tolerant of all views and all lifestyles. Our motto, “Service Above Self” has never been more relevant as our nation battles divisiveness and the ongoing health and fiscal crises that have caused such deep concern for us all over these past many long months. Paul cited our Governor, Janet Mills, in her recent posting of “News from Augusta,” wherein she asked us all to not see ourselves as Republicans or Democrats but rather as Americans, first and foremost, as we as Mainers join the challenge to maintain our resiliency and close the divide. She feels we have a need to put our differences aside and seek a harmony that can sustain us through this difficult and unprecedented period in our history. With over 100 years behind us as a footing, Rotary can and should be a leader in this push toward peace and understanding.
Speaking of peace and understanding, Ellen asked that we all consider attending the upcoming annual District-wide Peace and Understanding program, which will be via Zoom on February 27th.
John Curran spoke on the progress of our New Member Task Force which, after a short hiatus, has been back to work with some wonderfully inventive ways to provide mentorship and aid to some of the many immigrants in Portland who find themselves in need of guidance. Many of these folks have arrived here with solid credentials and even advanced degrees only to find that they can’t quite get their feet in the door. Two initiatives have been enacted by the Task Force, the first of which, Portland Professional Connections, pairs business leaders with new Mainers who, after an initial meeting, are introduced to three other locals who can help continue the process of gaining access to whatever needs may be required. It was mentioned that our own club has become heavily involved, with Bob Martin, Mark Foster and others becoming active mentors in this process. The second area of recent focus of the Task Force revolves around a partnership with the Immigrant Welcome Center, led by Reza Jalali, who has built his vision into a business hub to provide resources of all types to the immigrant community. With volunteers providing marketing, bookkeeping, legal, real estate, technology and other types of guidance, the Center is able to work hand-in-hand as a catch-all resource provider. With that in mind, John encouraged all of us to think about our professions and see if we may have a certain type of expertise that may be valuable to the Immigrant Welcome Center or Portland Professional Connections.
Dick Hall, our district’s incoming Governor, is knee-deep into his training, Zooming in from day five of the eleven-day training session. Dick was able to share with us the new motto for Rotary International for 2021-2022, “Serve to Change Lives”. We’ll certainly hear much more from Dick as he begins a journey that he richly deserves.
February Birthdays: Charlie Frair, Feb 14; Erik Greven, Feb 19; Greg Hansel, Feb 21; Doreen Rockstrom, Feb 21; Rich Campbell, Feb 23; Eric Lusk, Feb 24; and, Olivier Ndayirukiye, Feb 28
Membership Anniversaries:
Paul Gore
35 years
Paul Tully
33 years
David Clough
28 years
Ron Bennett
20 years
Nan Heald
6 years
Xavier Botana
3 years
Nannette Duncanson
1 year
Moment of Reflection
North Brooklin, Maine
30 March 1973
Dear Mr. Nadeau:
As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness.
Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society—things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly. It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man's curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to claw his way out.
Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.
Sincerely,
[Signed, 'E. B. White']
Speaker Schedule
February 12| Carolyn Nishon, Portland Symphony Orchestra
February 19 | Karen Nason, Ghost Karen’s Kitchen
February 26 | Peter Vigue, Cianbro
March 5 | Caroline Croft Estay & Nona Yehia, Vertical Harvest
March 12 | Brian Corcoran, Shamrock Sports
March 19 | Stefanie Trice Gill, IntWork LLC
March 26 | Hannah Pingree, Maine Climate Plan
April 2 | Brit Vitalius, Southern Maine Landlord Association
April 9 | Mark Burnett, Cannabis Industry / Higher Grounds
