Employer Advisory Panel members selected for MainePERS New Pension Administration System Project

June 16, 2025

Greetings:

In March we advised our employer partners that MainePERS would be undertaking a multi-year project to implement a new Pension Administration System (PAS). As part of this process, we expressed our commitment to obtaining feedback from employers on the new Employer Portal that will be part of the new PAS. At that time, we advised an Employee Advisory Panel would be established to help guide and assist with this effort and we invited anyone interested in participating in the Employer Advisory Panel to contact us.

We are now pleased to announce the members of the Employer Advisory Panel as follows:

Portland Public Schools / School Support	Lesa Beck	Payroll Manager
So. Portland Public Schools / School Support	Sarah Pinault	Payroll Specialist
Biddeford School Department / School Support	Richard Kimball	Payroll Specialist
Lewiston Schools / School Support	Karen Robichaud	Payroll Administrator
RSU #23 Old Orchard Beach	Cynthia Potenza	HR Manager
RSU #39 - Eastern Aroostook	Shelby Landeen	Payroll & HR
Town of Damariscotta	Cheryl Pinkham	Treasurer & HR Officer
Presque Isle Industrial Council	Ruth Doherty	Associate Director
AOS #47	Rebecca Enman	Business Manager
MainePERS	Robin Saindon	Sr. Financial Analyst
MainePERS	Renee Sherman	HR Administrative Asst.
Maine Community College	Sam Ellis	Dir. of Financial Operations
City of Augusta	John Hubert	Payroll Specialist
City of Augusta	Tina Cagle	Human Resources Asst.
City of Augusta	Mary Hunt	Human Resources Specialist
Hanock County	Mary Jordan	PR & Finance Asst.
RSU #24 Sullivan	Christine Alvarado	Human Resources
Wells - Ogunquit School District	Heather Reale	Director of Finance
City of Calais	Crystal Gallina	Finance Director
Bangor Housing Authority	Carrie Smart	HR & Payroll Specialist
MSAD #61	Sherrie Proctor	Finance Coordinator
RSU #21	Gwen R. Bedell Gadbois	Project Mgr., Fin., HR & Payroll
Hermon School Department	Jamie Youngblood	Director of Finance
State of Maine	Aimee Norko	Human Resources
State of Maine	Shonna Poulin-Gutierrez	Employee Health
State of Maine	Soumia Tber	Director of Statewide Payroll

Those selected for the Employer Advisory Panel represent a diverse mix of employers. We sought to include input from employers with varying sized employee bases, government organizations, geographic locations, plans offered, and payroll systems. This will provide opportunities for robust discussions and feedback.

Please be assured that we will continue to provide updates to all our employer partners throughout the course of this project, including any information developed through the Employer Advisory Panel.

Our goals as we undertake this initiative are to make it easier for employers of all sizes to engage with minimal disruption, improve the accuracy and efficiency of data and processing, and effectively communicate with employers throughout the project.

We look forward to working with you as we implement a new PAS that will provide improved efficiencies and a higher level of customer service.

Sincerely,

Sherry Tripp Vandrell

Chief Financial Officer