Cynthia M. Lear, corporate manager for the Renys Department Store chain, has been elected to the board of directors for the Maine Merchants Association.

Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker has announced that Francis J. O’Shea joined its tax services group as a principal. O’Shea has 27 years of experience in public tax practice, most recently as a partner in Runyon, Kersteen, Ouellette.

AARP Maine, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to making life better for people 50 and over, has named Les LaFond volunteer state president. A resident of Ogunquit, LaFond spent 38 years as a higher education administrator all over the Northeast.

Catholic Charities of Maine in Caribou has named Kathleen Poitras of Presque Isle volunteer coordinator for home and family services. Poitras is a licensed social worker and holds a degree in psychology from St. Joseph’s College in Standish.

Eaton Peabody, a law firm with six offices in Maine, has named Matthew S. Raynes a shareholder. A native of Pittsfield and a graduate of Bates College, Raynes has a focus in labor and employment law.

Old Town resident and Husson College graduate Brian Stanley has been named assistant vice president at Peoples Heritage Bank. Stanley has been with Peoples since 1997 and was previously a customer sales and service manager at the Brewer location.

Pride Sports Group in Guilford, a premier golf accessories company, has promoted Dan Tilton to director of sales. Tilton has been with Pride Sports for 10 years.

Houlton native Dana Graham has been named new president of the Maine State Employees Association, Local 1989 of the Service Employees International Union. Graham has been an active member of the association for 25 years.

Norman Sykes has joined the staffs at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth and MDI Hospital in Bar Harbor, giving the Down East community much-needed dermatological services.

Longtime Maine radio and television personality Jim Crocker has been named the new director of public information for the Maine Department of Conservation, Commissioner Patrick McGowan announced Dec. 3. Crocker, a 17-year broadcast veteran, most recently hosted “The Maine Dish,” a cooking show on WPXT-TV, WB51 in Westbrook.

The Nature Conservancy, Maine’s leading land conservation organization, has hired Roderick S. Vogel as director of philanthropy. He previously served for 16 years as senior manager with Fleet Bank’s investment division in Portland.

The Maine Center for Integrated Rehabilitation has announced the addition of Meredith Allbright to its outpatient rehab team. She brings more than 30 years of clinical experience, most recently with Healthsource, formerly Bangor Physical Therapy.

Personnel

Dennis Kinghorn has joined the cornerstone investment services division of Union Trust Co. as a financial consultant. Kinghorn is a native of Milbridge and holds a degree in accounting from the University of Maine at Machias.

UnitedKingfield Bank has named Timothy P. Nightingale senior vice president and senior loan officer. A resident of Brewer, Nightingale has more than 20 years of experience in banking and joined UnitedKingfield in 2000.