PORTLAND — Hundreds of Norway Savings Bank team members gathered together at the Italian Heritage Center in Portland on Feb. 26 for a lūʻau-themed afternoon of camaraderie, community, and celebration at the 2025 Employee Appreciation Day Celebration, an annual tradition that recognizes individuals and teams from across NSB for their outstanding work and contributions.
President’s Award
This year’s President’s Award winner is Dana Myles, Commercial Loan Officer team leader and regional vice president, who personifies that strong initiative, high level of motivation and commitment, and exceptional leadership honored by the prestigious award. The Scarborough resident worked on the retail team for over a decade before joining NSB’s commercial team as a vice president and commercial lender where she has flourished.
“Dana has earned the respect and admiration of everyone she has worked with,” said Dan Walsh, president and CEO of NSB. “Just recently, she was acknowledged by a customer at their project groundbreaking ceremony as being integral to not only the project, but for that customer being in business in the first place. In fact, countless business owners owe their start to Dana and her enthusiastic, can-do approach to commercial lending.”
Employee of the Year Award
The 2025 Employee of the Year Award was given to Kristen Charette, mortgage loan officer and vice president in Fryeburg as well as in North Conway where NSB will open its 25th branch in the spring. During the celebration, Charette, a Fryeburg resident, was lauded for not only her high achievement professionally, but for her consistent support of NSB’s culture of inclusivity and support.
“At a recent real estate development meeting with a group of realtors and NSB employees, the person leading the project started the meeting by saying ‘the major reason we are working with Norway is because ‘Kristen is the most determined and persistent lender that I’ve ever met,’” said Darci Hamm, chief operating officer and executive vice president at NSB. “She embraces collaboration and inspires trust when working with clients to find the best option for a mortgage and consistently receives positive customer feedback from mortgage surveys. She is widely known as persistent, determined, and a high achiever who has a strong belief in Norway’s culture.”
Culture Champion Award
The winner of this year’s Culture Champion Award is Jessica Dow, an Oxford resident and NSB’s Human Resources Information System administrator, for her consistent demonstration of leadership, encouragement of individual and team member excellence, and support of the bank’s various DEI initiatives.
“She not only exhibits these behaviors every day, she also helps us celebrate them,” said Jackie Curtis, senior human relations officer and senior vice president. “She has been instrumental in revitalizing our monthly culture recognition program, implementing our Culture Partner program, leading our Culture Day celebration for the last two years, regularly participating in Culture Crew work, and so much more.”
Best Supporting Role Award
Jennifer Piper, compliance & risk officer VP, was the recipient of the 2025 Best Supporting Role Award. The Peru resident is a “go to” source for many team members across the bank on the topics of compliance and risk and is highly regarded for her professionalism, positive attitude, and willingness to help.
“She played a part in a number of critical and visible projects during 2024,” said Carolyn Thomas, chief risk officer SVP. “While they are easy to overlook due to her modesty and demeanor, Jennifer’s contributions to the bank’s success are nothing short of vital.”
Culture Awards
The NSB Culture Awards are presented to team members who exhibit elements of the Bank’s culture through their daily responsibilities and high quality of work:
Communication Awards: Katherine Deshaies (Portland), Dave Guthro (Portland), Anita Hamilton (Norway), and Liz Sturtevant (Remote).
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Awards: Holly Backus (Portland), Amy Lehigh (Gorham), Mary Martell (Naples), and Danielle Williams (Yarmouth).
Hunger for Excellence Awards: Olivia Alterio (Freeport), Amy Fox (Norway), Jillian McTiernan (Portland), and Jake Ouellette (Portland).
Leadership Awards: Maria Edwards (Yarmouth), Courtney French (Norway), Ashley Morrill (Brunswick), and Ashley Tufano (Norway).
Team Member Experience: Jessica Bailey (Norway), Dan Bernard (Norway), Kaela Delan (Norway), and Bryant Whitley (Portland).
Length of Service Awards
Employees celebrating a milestone anniversary at NSB were also recognized leading up to the event, with team members with milestone anniversaries of 20 years or more honored during the event:
40 Years of Service: Shelly Stevens (deposit operations representative II, Norway)
35 Years of Service: Talley Estes (Commercial Loan Administrator Team lead AVP, Norway)
30 Years of Service: Jack Day (Commercial Loan Officer team leader RVP, Auburn)
25 Years of Service: Brian Bernier (investment officer VP, Portland), Bobbie-Jo Chase (deposit operations manager VP, Norway), Liz Dickerson (Customer Care Center specialist support, Norway), Darci Hamm (chief operating officer EVP, Portland), Cheryl Shellenbarger (credit administrator, Portland), and Carolyn Thomas (chief risk officer SVP, Portland).
20 Years of Service: Kurt Garascia (senior investment officer VP, Portland) and Liz Sturtevant (remote).
