JAX Employees Appointed to Statewide Roles

JAX encourages and supports employee volunteerism, including participation on local and state non-profit boards and commissions, as a way to deepen and enrich connections in the Maine community. These appointments align well with the Laboratory’s organization-wide dedication to community engagement.

JAX employee Catherine "Katy" Longley being sworn in. Dedimus Justice duties were performed by Bill Weir, president and CEO, Bar Harbor Savings and Loan. (Photo credit Tiffany Laufer)

Catherine “Katy” Longley

Longley, JAX's executive vice president and chief operating officer, was appointed to a five-year term on the Maine Maritime Academy Board of Trustees. Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) in Castine, ME is one of six state maritime academies in the US, and emphasizes experiential learning, including training sails on the vesselState of Maine or the Schooner Bowdoin. MMA students learn the technology and practices of shipping aboard commercial vessels and extend their learning through internships and cooperative off campus study. MMA graduates enter careers in merchant shipping, including logistics and supply chain, as well as life sciences and other STEM professions.

JAX employee LuAnn Ballesteros being sworn in. Dedimus Justice duties were performed by Bill Weir, president and CEO, Bar Harbor Savings and Loan.

LuAnn Ballesteros

Ballesteros, JAX's vice president, external and government affairs, was re-appointed to a three-year term on the State Workforce Board. The Board is responsible for assisting the Governor in performing the duties and responsibilities required by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014. All members of the Board are appointed by the Governor and work together with Maine Department of Labor Commissioner, Laura Fortman, to provide policy, planning and oversight for workforce development programs, and to address workforce barriers identified by businesses and member of the community.

Jason Bubier

Bubier, senior research scientist at JAX, was appointed to a three-year term on the School Board of the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf in Falmouth, ME. The Board is the policy-making authority and independent governing body of the school and is responsible for a number of activities, including hiring staff and support positions at the school and creating and expanding programs to satisfy the individualized education program requirements of state and federal law. Jason is confirmed to a board position reserved for the parent of a student who is deaf or hard of hearing and who has received services from the school's program.