Our Board: Guiding Our Work

Our Board of Directors includes both our founders and an incredible collection of community leaders who elevate the mission of the Worthington Scholarship Foundation. Their vision of a new generation of Maine scholars has defined our work and continues to guide our team, grow our partnerships, and help us achieve our goals.

Board of Directors

David Worthington
Founder & Board Chair

​David was born in Worcester, MA. in 1941. An Eagle Scout, he attended Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, where he earned his B.S. in Geology following a 3-year interruption with the U.S. Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps. He continued his education under a Texaco Fellowship at the University of Utah and Virginia Tech, receiving an M.S. in Geophysics in 1969. David’s oil industry career began in Houston with Shell Oil Company, with a subsequent transfer to New Orleans where he became Exploration Manager for the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic in 1980. Following a brief attempt at setting up an exploration company to explore the Gulf of Mexico, David took over an associated geophysical company and assumed a majority ownership position (TGS Geophysical Company). TGS rapidly became the largest provider of modern non-exclusive seismic data in the Gulf of Mexico, and following a merger with a Norwegian company (NOPEC), became TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company and the fourth largest such company in the world. David retired from active management in 1996 and relinquished his board responsibilities in 2007. David has served as a Trustee of Marietta College and a “Patient Pal” at Texas Children’s Hospital. He was founder and incorporator of The Worthington Foundation and Worthington Scholarship Foundation. David has been a Trustee of American Association of Petroleum Geologists Foundation and was the 2016 recipient of the Austin L. Weeks Medal presented at the annual meeting of AAPG. He serves as The Worthington Foundation Chairperson. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of Southern Maine, and was presented a Paul Harris Fellow award by the West Bay Rotary Club.

Beverly Worthington
Founder & Board Secretary

​Beverly was a commercial pilot who owned and operated an aerial application company in Texas for many years. Her roles in agriculture and international trade included serving as a liaison between the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas State Legislature on agriculture issues, serving as an Executive Board member of the Gulf Coast Agribusiness Council, and participating in the Uruguay Round (the eighth round of multilateral, international trade negotiations conducted within the framework of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, GATT). As a graduate of Lee College in Texas, and holding a Legal Assistant degree, Beverly has served on many advisory committees that oversee Lee College’s Business, Career Pilot, Legal Assistant, and Technology programs. She has served on the Board of Advisors to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to revise degree requirements, the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Speakers Committee as Executive Committee and Captain, President of the Pilot Club of Liberty-Dayton, and as Executive Committee Vice-Chair of the Houston Symphony League. Locally, Beverly was a board member of the General Henry Knox Museum and the Finance Committee of Bay Chamber Concerts. She was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of Southern Maine, and was presented a Paul Harris Fellow award by the West Bay Rotary Club.

Rick Bedigian
Fmr. Worthington Scholarship Foundation Executive Director

Rick received his doctorate in microbiology and virology from the University of Massachusetts. Upon graduation, he accepted a position as postdoctoral fellow and later a faculty position at The Jackson Laboratory for 22 years. In 1998, Rick took a position with Science Applications International Corp., where he was vice president of program management and head of research support programs for the National Cancer Institute. During his scientific career, he mentored a number of high school, college and graduate students. In 2017 he joined the Board of WSF and in 2018 became both the Executive Director and a director of the Foundation. He served as Executive Director through 2021. Rick has always had an interest in supporting students to achieve their potential both academically and in life. Joining WSF has given him the opportunity to fulfill his goal. Rick resides in Spruce Head with his wife, Gayle and their rescue poodle Oso.

Don Pietroski
Retired High School Teacher

Don Pietroski was born in Rockland, Maine, and attended local schools including Rockland District High School, now known as Oceanside High School. He graduated from the University of Maine at Orono with a degree in Biology and holds a Master’s Degree in School Administration from the University of Southern Maine. He is a strong believer in the value of public education. Don had a long career in public education and retired after 41 years of teaching high school in the state of Maine. His career was more than a job; it was a passion. He taught a wide range of subjects in both math and science. His teaching career included coaching a variety of sports, advising several academic activities, and working as a basketball official and baseball umpire. These extracurricular activities helped Don develop relationships with students in and out of the classroom. While teaching at Oceanside High School, two of his favorite activities were National Honor Society Advisor and Scholarship Committee Chairman. These positions gave Don the opportunity to help students achieve their academic aspirations and to develop working relationships with community members and parents. A highlight of Don’s career occurred in 2014 when he was nominated by a former student and received the Phebe and Zephaniah Swift Moore Teaching Award during Amherst College’s 193rd Commencement.

Meg Baxter
President, Mitchell Institute

Meg Baxter, a graduate of Regis College in Weston, MA, has a nonprofit career that has spanned four decades – with the majority of her work conducted in Maine. She is a passionate advocate for the nonprofit sector and the people and communities served by it. In 2011, she was named President and CEO of the Mitchell Institute. Prior to that, she served as President of the United Way of Greater Portland for twenty years. As a first-generation college graduate, Meg relishes her role in supporting Maine’s scholars and alumni at both the Mitchell Institute and the Worthington Scholarship Foundation, where she serves on the Board of Directors. She acknowledges that her success is due to many of the same supports Mitchell and Worthington Scholars enjoy. From scholarships to loans, to mentors, friends and most especially family, Meg knows how lucky she was to have had the support needed to succeed. She lives in Cape Elizabeth with her dog, Meadow, and is an avid cribbage player.

Laurie Lachance
President, Thomas College

In July 2012, Laurie Lachance became Thomas College’s 5th President and the first female and alumna to lead the College in its 128-year history. From 2004-2012, Laurie served as President and CEO of the Maine Development Foundation. Prior to MDF, Laurie served three governors as the Maine State Economist, and before joining state government, she served as the Corporate Economist at Central Maine Power Company. A frequent author and speaker on leadership, education, and the economy of Maine, she holds an undergraduate degree from Bowdoin College, an MBA from Thomas College, and Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Maine at Presque Isle and Bowdoin College. Laurie was inducted into the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame in 2014, and has been the recipient of several awards including making the Mainebiz NEXT list as a trailblazer in her industry in 2015, and being recognized in 2016 by Maine Magazine as one of the 50 Mainers Charting the State’s Future. In November 2018, Laurie was inducted into the Junior Achievement Maine Business Hall of Fame. In 2022, she received the American Heart Association’s Crystal Heart Award and the Mainebiz Women to Watch. Laurie serves on the Boards of the Worthington Scholarship Foundation and the Maine State Chamber, and was elected to the Boards of Maine Employers Mutual Insurance Company (MEMIC) in June 2018, and Bangor Savings Bank in June 2021. In May 2020, Governor Mills appointed Laurie as the Co-chair of Maine’s Economic Recovery Committee, charged with advising the Governor on how to most effectively guide Maine’s economy from surviving the pandemic to thriving.

Tony McKim
President & CEO, First National Bank

Tony McKim is President & Chief Executive Officer at First National Bank, the fourth largest Maine-based financial institution. A banking professional for over three decades, McKim is also a longtime community volunteer, currently serving as the Chair of the Maine Bankers Association and as an Executive Committee member of Friends of Traditional Banking, a nationwide grass roots organization. He is also a board member of the Ellsworth Business Development Corporation as well as President of the Board of Directors of Harbor House, a community service organization located in Southwest Harbor. In addition to board involvement, McKim is passionate about youth sports and has coached basketball and baseball at a variety of levels. He co-founded Acadian Youth Sports to promote youth sports in the Mount Desert Island and Trenton communities. McKim is honored to serve on the board of the Worthington Scholarship Foundation. “I know first-hand how a college education can help our Maine youth achieve their dreams. With scholarships and guidance, the Foundation can have a great impact on Maine’s future.” THE FIRST has partnered with WSF to support their scholarship expansion. A native of Eastport, and a graduate of the University of Maine, McKim lives in Trenton with his wife Wendy. They have four grown sons.

Jennifer Edwards, Psy.D.
Therapist and Doctor of Psychology

Dr. Jennifer Edwards is a psychologist who has experience practicing psychotherapy and conducting psychology testing with children, adolescents, and adults.  Dr. Edwards received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Baylor University in 1991 and went on to attend Stephen F. Austin State University, where she received her M.A. in Psychology in 1994.  Dr. Edwards spent several years providing therapy for children in the foster system before working as a therapist for individuals and groups in community, clinical and inpatient settings.  She went on to earn her Doctorate in Psychology from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology in 2005 before stepping away from the field following the birth of her first child. Dr. Edwards lives in Norfolk, MA with her husband Mark and three children.

Advisory Board

Larry Barker
CEO, Machias Savings Bank

Advisory Board member Larry Barker grew up in Down East Maine.  His connection to Machias Savings Bank, the fifth largest bank in Maine with a footprint spanning Portland to Caribou, goes back to his early days of raking blueberries for the Bank’s former CEO. He began his official career at the Bank in 1991, moving through various roles and promotions until he became CEO in 2012. Personifying the legacy and spirit of Machias Savings Bank, Larry has a passion for community impact. He has served on Boards for organizations including the Sunrise County Economic Council, The Washington Hancock Community Agency and Washington Academy. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Maine Machias and proudly resides with his family in Washington County.