The PEAK Workshop Series
Running January through April 2027 at multiple locations across Maine, the PEAK Series is a co-created workshop series built around the real challenges facing professionals in every sector and industry.
Whether you want to upskill, sharpen your toolkit, learn from industry experts and peers, or build connections across sector lines, these hands-on sessions are designed to deliver practical takeaways you can put to work right away.
Explore the topics, pick the sessions that fit your goals, and take your next step up.
WORKSHOP DATES & DETAILS
MEET THE PRESENTER
Monique Roy, MA, CAS, is a Talent Learning and Development Strategist at InterMed and an adjunct faculty member at UNE and the University of Southern Maine.
She holds a master’s degree in Leadership Studies, a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Adult Learning, and is pursuing a PhD in Leadership Studies. Her work focuses on helping leaders build strong teams, communicate effectively, and develop employees for growth and advancement. As a facilitator, Monique connects leadership concepts to everyday workplace challenges, creating opportunities for participants to share experiences and leave with practical strategies they can use with their teams.
Building the Bench: Developing Employees for Leadership & Succession,
January 12th from 9 am-12 pm in Wiscasset
Your best salesperson or hospitality team member isn’t automatically your next great supervisor. When someone is promoted from within, the transition from peer to boss is one of the hardest in the workplace. This workshop directly addresses two requests we heard from Maine employers: help with succession planning and support for leadership development.
Participants will learn to:
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Recognize leadership potential beyond technical performance, and look past who’s best at the job to who’s best positioned to lead others
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Determine whether someone is ready, willing, and suited for leadership, so promotions set people up for success
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How to have development conversations with promising employees that will build trust and motivation
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Prepare employees for the transition from peer to supervisor, including shifting relationships, expectations, and accountability
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Create a simple succession and development map for critical positions, so you’re ready when a key role opens, whether the change is planned or sudden
Who Should Attend:
Owners, managers, supervisors, HR professionals, and anyone responsible for developing talent or planning for key roles, as well as emerging leaders transitioning from peer to supervisor. Organizations of all sizes and across all industries are welcome.
Creating & Engaging Culture-First Teams,
February 9th from 9 am-12 pm in Portland
PART I (Led Norman J. Hebert, Corporate Regional Director of Food & Beverage for GIRI Hotels) :
What is your role as a leader and supervisor in shaping team culture? How do you approach it with intentionality, practicality, and retention in mind? How much power do people have in changing patterns and unproductive cycles? These are some of the questions we will dive into, as we map out the foundations of healthy team-building, whether you’re starting from day one or working from pre-existing models.
Come ready to reflect, discuss, and walk away inspired.
PART II (Led by Austin French, Director of Career Pathways & Employer Engagement at the University of Maine at Farmington) :
Providing clear, objective feedback is one of the most impactful—and challenging—parts of supervising interns. This interactive workshop introduces the Situation–Behavior–Impact (SBI) model as a practical tool for delivering timely, professional, and development-focused feedback, especially in fast-paced, real-world settings. Participants will practice reframing common feedback challenges using SBI and leave with a simple, repeatable structure they can immediately apply with their team.
MEET THE PRESENTER
Norman J. Hebert, FMP is the Corporate Regional Director of Food & Beverage for GIRI Hotels, where he oversees seven properties across Maine, from the seacoast to the mountains. A seasoned Executive Chef and operations expert, he brings nearly three decades of hospitality experience, including leadership roles as General Manager of Operations for OGT Inns & Perkins Cove Kitchen, General Manager of Maple Suites Retirement Community, and Co-Owner & Executive Chef of Bintliff’s Restaurant in Ogunquit. He served as the Department Chair of Hospitality Management & Culinary Arts at York County Community College and was a chef instructor at Johnson & Wales. Across kitchens, classrooms, and leadership teams, he is known for setting the standard for excellence and operational efficiency.
MEET THE PRESENTER
Austin French is the Director of Career Pathways & Employer Engagement and a Lecturer in Outdoor Recreation Business Administration at the University of Maine at Farmington. A former member of the Education Staff for the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA), he has extensive experience giving real-time, high-stakes feedback to certification candidates. Austin helps supervisors turn vague or uncomfortable feedback into objective, constructive, development-focused conversations. In the classroom, on the job site, or on the mountain, his approach emphasizes clarity, accountability, and learning that sticks.
MEET THE PRESENTER
Dr. Bobbi L. Avery brings over 17 years of executive leadership experience in human resources, organizational development, and operations. She holds a Doctorate in Transformational Leadership and is the author of It’s Okay to Not Like Cauliflower: A Leadership Framework for Aligned Impact and creator of the Alignment Compass Framework™. Through her writing and workshops, she challenges individuals to examine the influences shaping their decisions, recognize patterns of misalignment, and establish the boundaries necessary to translate their values into intentional action and meaningful impact.
Setting Boundaries: Always Saying ‘Yes’ Can Lead to Burnout,
March 16th from 9 am-12 pm in Hallowell
What happens when the pressure to meet expectations starts changing how you work, respond, and decide? Over time, you can find yourself stretched thin, taking on more than you intended, and making choices shaped more by pressure than by clarity.
The Alignment Compass Framework™ helps individuals recognize where that disconnect is occurring through five interconnected dimensions: Identity, Values, Boundaries, Participation, and Impact.
This interactive workshop focuses on Boundaries and one critical question: What will I protect? Participants will examine where they may be saying yes by default, taking on what is not theirs to carry, or allowing unclear expectations to influence their choices. They will leave with greater clarity about what needs protection and how to communicate and uphold boundaries with confidence and consistency.
Who Should Attend:
This workshop is for professionals at any level who are carrying more than they planned to and want to make choices from clarity instead of pressure. Whether you’re an individual contributor, manager, owner, or emerging leader, you’ll leave with a clearer sense of what needs protecting and practical ways to communicate it with confidence and consistency. No prior experience with the Alignment Compass Framework™ is needed.
MEET THE PRESENTER
Sherry Locke serves as Chief Workforce & Strategy Officer at TEMPO Employment Services, where she leads workforce initiatives, employer partnerships, and strategic growth efforts. Working closely with businesses, job seekers, and community partners, she helps develop practical solutions to address immediate hiring challenges while supporting long-term workforce development.
Sherry brings a diverse background in leadership, workforce development, and community engagement, with experience spanning both the private and nonprofit sectors. Her work has included leading teams, guiding organizational strategy, and building meaningful partnerships that strengthen businesses and communities.
She holds a Master's degree in Organizational Leadership from the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Sherry resides in Presque Isle with her partner, Carey, and their two children, both of whom are currently attending college. She is passionate about connecting people with opportunity, supporting rural employers, and helping build a stronger, more sustainable workforce throughout Aroostook County.
Recruiting in Rural Maine: Strategies for Attracting & Keeping Talented Team Members
April 6th, 9 am-12 pm (Online)
Hiring in rural Maine comes with its own set of challenges: smaller applicant pools, seasonality, transportation barriers and geographic spread. It also comes with real opportunities for employers willing to think a little differently. In this workshop, Sherry will share practical strategies for finding great people and giving them reasons to stay.
What we’ll cover:
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Connecting employment opportunities to different demographics, from locals to Mainers and Out of Staters willing to relocate, to Seasonal Employees and Retirees. Explore new talent pools you can tap into.
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How to promote employment opportunities, starting with where to advertise and why it's important to develop job descriptions that set clear expectations from the start
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Thinking creatively about how to allocate the resources and capacity you already have: Could two part-time employees fill the role better than one full-time hire? Can you offer hours that work for parents? Are you holding out for a resume that checks every box, or are you open to transferable skills? Could you share an employee with a neighboring business?
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Rethinking pay and employee perks & benefits: what “competitive” really means in your market, and the opportunity cost of not increasing wages and incentives.