IGNITE PI

Chris Condon

Board Chair, Retired

Chris, a Presque Isle native, earned his bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Maine and his MBA from Bentley University. He is an insurance and risk management expert, retiring as President & CEO of United Insurance, one of New England's largest independent insurance agencies.

Throughout his career it has been important to Chris to give back to the community. He would share that it has been his privilege to be in leadership roles with the following organizations: United Way of Aroostook, Presque Isle Rotary Club, Presque Isle Snowmobile Club, AMHC, Maine Independent Insurance Agents Association, Yarmouth Colts Soccer Club and Fort Fairfield Girls Varsity soccer team.

In his free time he still enjoys racing bikes, hiking tall peaks and skiing black diamonds.

He resides in Presque Isle with his wife, Denise and has two grown daughters, Abby and Rachel.

Julie was born and raised in Presque Isle, Maine, and spent her professional career in New York City. She began her career in 1990 at Arthur Andersen LLC where she was a manager in the Capital Markets Group overseeing audits and consulting projects for broker-dealers, mutual funds, and commodity pools. Subsequently, in 1996 she joined Fred Alger Management, Inc., a boutique growth Institutional and mutual fund manager, where she became Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer with responsibility for sales , marketing, and operations. Most recently, Julie held two simultaneous positions at OppenheimerFunds, Inc., an asset manager with over $250 billion of assets under management. First as Senior Vice President, Head of Marketing Operations and Program Management as well as President and Chief Operating Officer of OFI Private Investments Inc., the high net worth subsidiary of OppenheimerFunds, Inc. which included separate accounts, the RIA channel, 529 College savings business and all packaged products, retiring in 2016.

Julie graduated in 1990 with high distinction from the University of Maine with a B.S. in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Accounting and is a certified public accountant. In addition to Ignite PI , she also serves as Board Member and Secretary of the Portage Lake Association.

Upon her retirement, Julie returned to Presque Isle where she currently divides her time between here and Florida.

Julie Libby

Vice Board Chair

James Nelson

Treasurer

James joined Katahdin Trust Company in September 2023 as a Vice President, Commercial Services Officer, where he serves the banking needs of various commercial clients across Northern Maine. James has extensive experience in the Agricultural, Forest Products, and Transportation industries. Prior to joining Katahdin Trust Company, James has worked as a Vice President, Commercial Relationship Manager at TD Bank and as a Relationship Manager at Farm Credit East.

James attended college at the University of Maine, where he graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Financial Economics and a minor in Business Administration. Subsequently, he received his Master of Business Administration Degree with a concentration in Finance from the University of Maine in 2021. In addition to Ignite Presque Isle, he is a member of the Caribou Development Committee, the Presque Isle Rotary Club. James currently resides in Caribou with his wife Sierra and their four children.

Kallie was born and raised in Madawaska, Maine. She is a graduate of the University of Maine at Presque Isle and holds a degree in Business Management. Kallie has been working at Thompson Financial Group for 6 years now and has her Life and Health License allowing her to help individuals and families protect and plan for their future. Kallie is on the Central Aroostook Chamber Board and loves being active in the community and helping in any way she can. Kallie resides in Caribou with her husband Joey, and their two children, Cullen and Teagan.

Kallie Bard

Secretary

Cathy Beaulieu

Board Member

Cathy was born and raised in Fort Kent and moved to Presque Isle in 1993. Cathy attended Northern Maine Community College, and later the University of Maine, Presque Isle. Cathy has degrees from the Gemological Institute of America.

A married mother of 3, Cathy bought the original Wilders Jewelry Store on Main Street in 1996 and has continued to build a thriving business in the heart of the City. She served as President of the Downtown Revitalization Committee, and on the Board of Northern Maine Development Committee.

Cathy feels that one of her biggest achievements was to help the Downtown survive the closure of the airbase at Loring, and to grow and thrive.

Patricia Sutherland is a retired educator and college administrator who now works part-time as a writer/copy editor for Sutherland Weston Marketing Communications, a full-service marketing firm in Bangor. Pat is a native of Chapman in Aroostook County where she is now serving her sixth term on the Chapman select board and has been the chair for a number of years. Previously, she was chair of the municipal planning board for a lengthy time.

Pat served two terms in the Maine Legislature and has been a very active member of several regional and state boards including the Maine Municipal Association Executive Committee, ACAP, and a long-time member of the executive board of the Northern Maine Development Commission, where she is on a number of committees. Pat also chairs the Aroostook County Tourism board.

Patricia Sutherland

Board Member

Bruce Sargent

Board Member

Bruce was born and raised along with his 10 siblings on the family farm in the nearby town of Bridgewater. When Bruce left High School he bought his first truck and started a career in long haul trucking. Bruce worked for a brokerage business in nearby Mars Hill, and then along with a partner, opened a trucking and brokerage business. Bruce has been in the trucking and brokerage business for over 40 years, and in 2015 opened Falcon Transportation located in Presque Isle.

Angie Helton founded Northeast Media Associates, a multimedia public relations firm, in 2006. Through the skillful use of diverse traditional and social media channels, she and her team have consistently met and exceeded the unique PR goals of their clients, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), WEX, The American Hot Rod Foundation, Whole Oceans, Maine State Lottery, Live + Work in Maine, Ramblers Way, FocusMaine and Institute for Family-Owned Business among others.

Before founding NEMA, Angie was COO for 480 Digital of Portland, during which time she earned a national Telly Award and two New England regional Emmy nominations. For more than a decade, she produced television news investigative reports in several major Northeast markets, for which she won two regional Emmys among six nominations. Angie, a South Portland resident, serves on the boards of directors for the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce, Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine, Maine Sports Hall of Fame and Ignite PI.

Angie Helton

Board Member

LeRae Kinney

CEO

LeRae was born and raised in Mapleton, Maine. She spent 24 years at SAD 1 as both a teacher and administrator before transitioning to the leadership role at Ignite PI in November 2022. She has extensive nonprofit and grant writing experience, securing more than $1 million for SAD 1 during her tenure. Her creativity and community connections will prove to be an asset for Ignite PI.

LeRae attended University of Maine at Farmington where she earned a BS in Secondary Education and earned her master's in educational leadership from University of Southern Maine. In addition, she has a certificate in Leadership from Harvard Business School. She was recognized as Adult Education Director of the Year in 2017 and was recently inducted into the Worldwide Women's Association. She resides in Mapleton with her husband Kevin and two daughters, Libby and Molly.

Steve grew up in Jay, a little town in western Maine. He went to a catholic school from K through grade 8. Then went on to a public high school and graduated in 1969. It was then he started my journey in Presque Isle. He enrolled in the University of Maine at Presque Isle where he graduated with a BS degree in Health,

Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. In 1972 he married his high school sweetheart, Lucy Curry. Lucy had just graduated from St. Mary’s School of Nursing. They took a job as live-in houseparents at the Aroostook Residential Center a facility for persons with IDD here in Presque Isle.

His journey kept me in the field working with people with IDD. First as the head teacher at the Opportunity Training Center then as the Executive Director for the Central Aroostook Association which he held for 48 years before retiring in 2024.

Steve Richard

Board Member

Chad M. Brewer

Board Member

Chad M. Brewer is a seasoned insurance professional currently serving as a Senior Account Executive at United Insurance. With a robust background in both the insurance and information systems sectors, Chad brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role, consistently delivering exceptional service and innovative solutions to his clients.



Previous work history includes being an Allstate Agency Owner, and several years at MMG Insurance performing in many roles from Programmer Analyst to Assistant Information Systems Manager.

Chad attended Husson University and received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He also has several designations from The Institutes, including the highly regarded CPCU designation.

Chad lives in Presque Isle with his wife and two children. He enjoys spending time with family and friends and participating in many outdoor activities, including hunting and fishing.