PORTLAND, MAINE – Educate Maine honored Cianbro with the 2019 Weston L. Bonney Education Leadership Award at Educate Maine’s annual education symposium on Friday in Portland. Since 1998, the award has honored an individual, group, organization, or Maine business that demonstrates leadership, commitment, and vision in ensuring that all Maine students have the opportunity to succeed. Richard Brescia, Vice President of The Cianbro Companies, accepted the award on behalf of Cianbro.
“Cianbro is a true champion for education and a leader among Maine’s employer community in helping Maine people gain the skills they need to succeed,” said Educate Maine Executive Director Jason Judd, Ed.D. “Cianbro’s vision and commitment to learners of all ages in Maine is exemplary and we are proud to name them the recipient of the 2019 Weston L. Bonney Education Leadership Award.”
“We want to thank Educate Maine for this recognition,” said The Cianbro Companies Vice President Richard Brescia. “Regardless of what generation you are in, what we all have in common is potential. To leverage the talent that exists here in Maine, we need to believe in the individuals, develop that potential and provide them opportunities to apply the learning.”
Educate Maine’s Leadership Award is named for Weston L. Bonney, who retired as President and CEO of Peoples Heritage Financial Group (now TD Bank). Since retiring, Bonney has served as a volunteer consultant for several banks in Bulgaria, Romania, Mongolia, and Macedonia. Bonney has a long history of public service to education including serving on the Maine State Board of Education, Muskie School of Public Service, Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education, Maine Development Foundation and John T. Gorman Foundation. At the core of his work is an unyielding demand for equity in education, and that all students deserve the resources needed to allow them to succeed in school and in life.
Founded in 1949, Cianbro is one of the United States’ largest, most diverse, successful, open shop, 100% employee-owned construction and construction services companies with headquarters in Pittsfield, Maine. A longstanding supporter of career and technical education, Cianbro models the power of partnership with K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and other organizations to engage students in a variety of construction careers. The Cianbro Institute has been nationally recognized for its efforts to develop hundreds of youth and adults through in-house educational efforts, high school and college internships, apprenticeships, and safety, professional and leadership development.
