Meet Our Board Members
The SMCC Foundation Board of Directors is comprised of business and community leaders whose role is to foster broad community and business support and to provide oversight of the Foundation’s initiatives and financial assets.
Executive Committee
Jane Eberle, Executive Committee, Chair
Jane Eberle retired in 2020 as the Director of Community Partnerships for the South Portland School Department. She joined the Foundation Board in 2016 with an interest in helping promote SMCC to the region’s K-12 education community.
Her career has included raising three children, community volunteering and environmental activism. She served in the Maine House of Representatives from 2004-2012 and currently serves on the board of the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Community Chamber of Commerce.
Jane has worked with SMCC on various initiatives through the years that connected public school students to campus experiences and SMCC students with area schools to fulfill their program requirements or volunteer opportunities. She believes strongly that such reciprocal engagement strengthens SMCC and the entire community.
Judith Borelli, Executive Committee, Vice Chair
Judith Borelli is Director of Public Affairs and Corporate Citizenship at Texas Instruments, which has a longstanding relationship with SMCC and collaborates closely on its talent pipeline through the Advanced Technology Department. She has been a board member since April 2018 and Treasurer since January 2019.
A resident of South Portland, Judith is a board member of the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Community Chamber of Commerce. “I love the sense of community and the partnerships that I have developed volunteering for the Foundation board in our efforts to support the students and staff of the college.”
Marty Madden, Executive Committee, Treasurer
Marty Madden is a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch in Portland.
He grew up the youngest in a family of six boys in Chicago, and moved to Maine in 2007 after marrying his wife, a native Mainer. After his relocation, Marty taught English for three years at SMCC, but eventually returned to his career in finance.
In 2016, Marty was honored to rejoin the SMCC family as a member of the Foundation Board. He now lives in Falmouth with his wife and four children, and he still loves to bring his family to campus to explore the forts and enjoy the beach.
Michael F. Vaillancourt, Executive Committee, Secretary
Mike Vaillancourt is an attorney and partner with the South Portland firm of Ainsworth, Thelin & Raftice, P.A., and lives about a mile from SMCC’s South Portland Campus.
He grew up in the small Maine town of Otisfield and graduated from Oxford Hills High School before earning his undergraduate degree from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He then returned to Maine to attend law school at the University of Maine School of Law in Portland.
Mike views SMCC as a means to achieving a more productive and diverse workforce in Maine: “The SMCC team, composed of top-notch instructors, staff and administrators, present educational programs that offer great value in a beautiful, centrally located spot on Maine’s coast.”
Tiffanie Bentley, Ex-Officio Voting Member
Tiffanie Bentley (she/her) became interim president of Southern Maine Community College on August 1, 2023, and will serve until a new president is identified through a national search process.
Originally from South Portland, Bentley has worked at SMCC for seventeen years. Before being appointed interim president of SMCC, Bentley served as Dean of Administration, Dean of Students and Director of Student Life at SMCC. Prior to working at SMCC, Bentley worked at the University of Southern Maine, The University of Texas at Austin and Texas Woman’s University. Bentley earned a Master of Science in Counseling and Student Personnel Services and a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Oklahoma State University.
She and her husband, Jim, have twin sons, Steve and Andy.
Julie Chase, Ex-Officio Voting Member
Julie Chase is the Dean for the SMCC Foundation. She has been with SMCC since 2005 in roles supporting workforce and economic development, partnership and community engagement and executive management.
Before joining SMCC, she was a small business owner and was among the first employers that helped establish York County Community College. She serves on many boards and committees in southern Maine that help connect businesses and individuals to the higher education community and resources that can help them thrive.
She finds working for the SMCC Foundation particularly rewarding because of the meaningful connections with donors and students – hearing their stories is always inspiring. Julie lives in Cape Porpoise where she loves volunteering in her community as well.
Directors
Dan Coyne
At the United Way of Greater Portland, Dan oversees community impact efforts tied to the United Way’s goals around education, financial stability, and health – the building blocks of a good life.
An architect of the United Way’s Thrive2027 community movement, he aligns funding, volunteerism, public policy, advocacy, and other strategies to ensure impact is made throughout Cumberland County. Before United Way, Dan worked in the public and nonprofit sectors, including senior positions with former Congressman Tom Allen.
Dan also serves on the Board of Directors for the Mitchell Institute and the Great Schools Partnership, and is a member of the Maine Community Foundation’s Cumberland County Grants Committee. Dan grew up in South Portland and is a graduate of Bowdoin College and the University of Maine School of Law. He lives in Scarborough with his wife.
John Boyne
John Boyne is a retired financial advisor who spent nearly 40 years at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, rising to Senior Vice President.
A longtime supporter of SMCC, his family’s donations have helped the Foundation provide scholarships to deserving student in the Nursing program since 2010.
John earned a B.S. in Business Administration at the University of Maine and an M.B.A. in Finance at Eastern Michigan University.
He and his wife, Candy, live in Freeport and have two daughters and three grandchildren. He enjoys many of the great outdoor activities that Maine has to offer, and spending time with family members at their summer camp.
Josh Reny
Josh Reny is the South Portland Assistant City Manager, and he is passionate about economic and workforce development and improving the quality of life in southern Maine.
The city employs many former SMCC students and partners with the college on a variety of workforce training programs. Josh is a community college graduate and recognizes the important role the College plays throughout the region. He has served on the Foundation Board since 2016.
“SMCC’s ability to provide high-quality, relevant and affordable education and training is a tremendous value for students and is a launch pad for successful careers.”
Matt Richards
Matt Richards has served as SMCC’s Director of Athletics and head men’s basketball coach since 2003 and as Associate Dean of Student Life since 2016.
Under his watch, the SeaWolves athletics program has developed into one of the most competitive small college programs in New England. Matt was appointed to the SMCC Foundation Board in 2017, where he serves on the Board’s Development Committee and oversees the annual SMCC Athletics and Foundation Golf Tournament.
Mat and his family live in South Portland. “Being on the SMCC Foundation Board is an honor to continue the charitable work that is so valuable in assisting SMCC in meeting the vision of serving our students and the community needs of the state.”
Norma Willis
Norma Willis has worked in the healthcare field since 1985 and has been a professor in SMCC’s Health Science programs since 1997.
Norma has an A.S. degree in Nursing from SMCC and a B.S. degree in Health Sciences from the University of Southern Maine. She is licensed to practice as a Registered Nurse in Maine and is a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer.
Norma served as chair of SMCC’s Cardiovascular Technology program for 16 years, and has been chair of the Health Sciences program since 2019.
Norma, who grew up in Gray, knew she wanted to be a nurse as early as 7 years old. Currently, she is dedicated to educating future caregivers and assisting students to find the best career path.
Marie Herdan
Marie Herdan is a Community Living Coordinator with Living Innovations in Saco, Maine. Before working with Living Innovations, Marie had a career as a Montessori preschool teacher and worked in a variety of administrative support positions. She has previous fundraising experience from her volunteer experiences with the YMCA.
A graduate of Andover College and a current student at York County Community College, Marie lives in Old Orchard Beach.
Ed Gilman
Ed Gilman is the Associate Vice President of Communications, Marketing, and Government Affairs at Northern Light Mercy Hospital in Portland, Maine.
Ed grew up in Maine and relocated to Washington, DC to attend graduate school. It was on Capitol Hill where he launched a 16-year career in government, serving three members of Congress, two congressional committees, and the Obama Administration.
A resident of Cape Elizabeth, Ed is a board member of the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Community Chamber of Commerce and an active volunteer in the community.
Student Members
Hamza Zmou
Hamza Zmou is an SMCC student representative. A Pre-Engineering student, Hamza also works in the Information Technology department at SMCC.
Katie MacDonald
Katie MacDonald is an SMCC student representative. A Liberal Studies student, Katie is also employed as a work study student for the SMCC Foundation.