Young Professionals: Leadership Luncheon Series (07/29/25)

We're excited to host our next Leadership Luncheon Series for the Young Professionals community!

In this series, you'll get tips and tricks (from local leaders) for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own business as well as young leaders looking to grow within their organizations.

Please join us on Tuesday, July 29th from 12-1PM at Duffy's Tavern & Grill! Tickets are $25 and covers the workshop, networking, a lunch buffet and soft drinks. Pre-registration is required.

This event will be non-profit themed. Our guest speakers for this event will be Nicole Avery, the Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine and Alana Shapiro, Program Manager of Habitat for Humanity of York County.

Speaker Bios:

Nicole Avery - Nicole is a native Mainer who grew up in Bridgton, ME and graduated from University of Southern Maine. She worked for 21 years in the United Way system, working with United Ways in Portland ME, Lexington KY and Baltimore MD, where she led their $40 million annual campaign. After serving on the board of the Cancer Community Center in South Portland for 6 years, Nicole took over as their Executive Director in 2015. She led that organization through a merger with the Dempsey Center in 2018. When the executive director position opened at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine in Fall of 2018, Nicole was a natural fit. She had been a Big Sister during her time in Lexington, KY and believes strongly in the power of mentors. She became a Big Sister to Aliyah (then 7) in 2019. Although her
family moved to South Carolina 3 years ago, their relationship continues to this day, with regular calls and frequent homework sessions over Zoom. In her spare time, Nicole is active in several sports including golf, snowshoeing and she has recently begun horseback riding again, a renewed passion from her youth. She has traveled extensively, including a successful trek to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa.

Alana Shapiro - Alana Shapiro is a nonprofit professional with eight years of experience in program and volunteer management. She currently works as the Program Manager at Habitat for Humanity York County, where she oversees Habitat’s homeowner selection process, aging-in-place program and volunteer coordination. She originally started at Habitat for Humanity York County as an AmeriCorps VISTA. She currently serves on the board of the Kennebunk-Kennebunkport-Arundel Chamber of Commerce. She has a master's in policy, Planning, and Management from the University of Southern Maine and a B.A. in Psychology from Clark University. Originally from Vermont, she now lives in Westbrook, Maine with her fiancée Emilee and their dog Razzle.

Please reach out to Kristin at members@gokennebunks.com with any questions. We look forward to seeing you there!