PROPEL

08/31/2026

Up next for our Board member spotlights is Jake Vanidestine!

Jake is a Portland metro banker, management faculty member at Thomas College, and community leader with a passion for building stronger organizations and developing future leaders. He believes the best ideas come from curiosity, thoughtful questions, and a willingness to challenge the status quo. Whether in banking, higher education, or the community, Jake enjoys bringing people together to solve problems and move ideas forward.

When he isn’t working, teaching, or volunteering, you’ll usually find him training for CrossFit or HYROX, or exploring Portland with his husband and Labrador, Nixon.

Thank you for all you contribute to PROPEL, Jake!

08/24/2026

Up next for our Board member spotlights is Danielle Violette!

Danielle is a Treasury Management professional with a decade of experience in banking, specializing in cash management, treasury services, and relationship management. She earned her MBA from Husson University and has built her career by combining financial expertise with a passion for helping businesses streamline operations and achieve goals.

Outside of work Danielle is passionate about professional development, community involvement, and networking. She sits as the Treasurer on the PROPEL Board and is also a member of the CFTEA Board.

Thank you for all you’ve done for us and continue to do, Danielle!

Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce

08/17/2026

Next up for our Board member spotlights is Maria Juliette Maffucci!

Maria has proudly served on the PROPEL Board for the past six years and is honored to continue supporting an organization dedicated to developing and connecting Greater Portland’s emerging leaders. She is the past Vice President and the incoming Secretary and has been managing PROPEL’s public relations efforts through social media management and communications, helping to share the organization’s impact with the community.

Professionally, Maria serves as the Traffic Manager & Workflow Coordinator at Daigle Commercial Group, a boutique hospitality brokerage agency, where she manages project workflows and helps keep client deliverables on track. In addition to her work with PROPEL, she serves on several other local boards and committees including the Junior League of Portland, ME and the Maine Women’s Conference. Maria is also a current candidate for Portland City Council At-Large - a decision largely driven by her longtime passion for community engagement and public service.

Maria is incredibly grateful for the relationships, leadership opportunities, and professional growth PROPEL has provided her over the years, and she is excited to help the organization continue to thrive in the years ahead!

Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce
The Junior League of Portland, ME
The Maine Women's Conference

08/10/2026

Up next for our PROPEL Board member spotlights is our Vice President, Ethan Shrestha!

Ethan is a Portland native and property manager who oversees housing for a diverse community of residents, including those in market-rate, workforce, and international student housing. He is passionate about strengthening community integration and enhancing the resident experience through meaningful engagement.

Outside of his work in property management and PROPEL, Ethan serves as President of the West End Neighborhood Association, where he is committed to building community through active participation, neighborhood meetings, and inclusive events that reflect the vibrancy of Portland’s West End.

We are so happy to have you on our Board, Ethan!

08/03/2026

Next up for our Board member spotlights is Madison Spencer!

Madison is the newly elected President of Propel, having previously served as Secretary. She works with the Portland Sea Dogs, where she oversees Ticketing and Special Events. You may also spot her on the field as an in-game host, bringing energy and excitement to fans during between-inning entertainment.

Passionate about creating memorable experiences, Madison believes Portland has the best fan base around and loves finding new ways to connect the community through sports. As President of Propel, she is excited to build on the organization’s mission, expand its impact, and create even more opportunities to give back to the community she is proud to call home.

We are so excited to see how you further develop and strengthen our Board, Madison!

Portland Sea Dogs
Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce

07/30/2026

Our Board made the best of a rainy summer day by coming together for a round of mini golf at minibar ! We were joined by 3 of our new Board members and this was a fantastic way for us all to get to know each other even better.

One of PROPEL’s goals aside from nonprofit support and mentoring young professionals is to form lasting friendships, which in turn creates a stronger sense of community.

We are eager to begin our 2026-2027 event season and have so much to share with you! Stay tuned and enjoy the summer ☀️

07/27/2026

Happy summer, all! We want to take this time to highlight our current Board members so you can put faces to the names.

Starting off we have Nate Henry, our outgoing Board President and one of our longest sitting Board members:

Nate is a passionate Mainer who specializes in commercial lending, helping businesses, real estate investors, and real estate developers secure the financing they need to grow, invest, and succeed. He works closely with business owners across a variety of industries to deliver tailored lending solutions and provide trusted financial guidance that support long-term success.

Nate volunteers as a Board Member for the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, is the Past President for PROPEL, is on the Portland Development Corporation board, is a committee member for MEREDA, and is a Board Member and Emerging Leaders Chair for the RMA-Prosight Maine Chapter. He has been recognized by Mainebiz as one of their 40 Under 40, and from the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce as their Volunteer of the Year.

Thank you for your leadership on our Board, Nate! We are absolutely proud and grateful to have you

06/17/2026

Thank you to all who came out last night to Portland Beer Hub for our final Practice Makes Perfect public speaking workshop of the 2025-2026 event season!!

What a great way to wrap things up, we at PROPEL thank each and every one of you who supported us and our mission at every event we held this season, and because of your support, we had our highest attendee numbers yet for nearly all!

Stay tuned for PROPEL updates both here and on our Facebook and LinkedIn! Have a great summer 😁🎉☀️

06/15/2026

TOMORROW!

Please join us for the final Public Speaking Workshop/networking night of our 2025-2026 event season!

Space is limited so grab your ticket while supplies last!

Register: https://web.portlandregion.com/atlas/events-v4/register/9111

Portland Beer Hub
Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce

Join PROPEL for our FINAL Practice Makes Perfect public speaking workshop on Tuesday, June 16th at Portland Beer Hub !

This is a night of close-knit networking and public speaking practice. Enjoy casual networking with other young professionals in the Portland area and participate in “PowerPoint Karaoke” to brush up on those public speaking chops and share tips, tricks, and advice!

Space is limited, so please register today!

Link: https://web.portlandregion.com/atlas/events-v4/register/9111

06/11/2026

We had a great turnout from our Board at Portland Regional Chamber 🤝 Imagine Portland 2026!

It was an inspirational and fantastic event through and through, and seeing the vast turnout from the community to honor and support this year’s award winners was incredible. We also were able to become acquainted with Live at Madrid’s , one of Portland’s newest event venues!

A handful of our Board was also involved in the ex*****on of the night as event ambassadors with the Chamber, it was definitely an all hands on deck situation and it went off without a hitch!

We hope to see you next week for our final PROPEL event of the season, Practice Makes Perfect: a public speaking workshop

Photo credits to Will Wohler | Wohler & Co. - Maine Headshot and Portrait Studio