The Iris Network Board is committed to helping people with vision impairment and blindness
Jane Eberle, Chair
Jane Eberle, retired, is a 40-year resident of South Portland. She served in the Maine Legislature, was Director of Community Partnerships for the South Portland School Department for 19 years, and has been involved in the lake association and land trust in Belgrade where she owns a camp. Jane remains active in the community, serving on Boards for Southern Maine Community College and Maine Behavioral Healthcare.
Jane’s husband Brett Eberle, who passed away in 2021, had RP, and Jane is interested in continuing to support causes and organizations with a focus on RP in specific and IRD’s in general.
Pauline Lamontagne, Vice Chair
Pauline, a retired public service attorney, is The Iris Network Board Vice Chair and serves as a member of our Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Governance Committee and Program Services Committee. She graduated from the University of Maine at Farmington where she majored in rehabilitation work and graduated magna cum laude. She was the first legally blind student to graduate from the University of Maine’s School of Law in 1984. She became a licensed Maine attorney in 1985. Now retired from the State of Maine, she is an active volunteer. She isn’t new to The Iris Network as she previously served on its board from 1985-1994. At present, she is a member of the Guide Dog Users Inc.’s (GDUI’s) Advocacy and Legislative subcommittee, as well as Vice President of Pine Tree Guide Dog Users (PTGDU). She is a community member of the Maine’s Assistive Technology Advisory Committee, and a community member of Maine’s Information Technology Accessibility Committee. She also serves on the Our Lady of Hope’s Social Justice and Peace Committee. Pauline was born legally blind due to ROP (Retinopathy of prematurity), and in her mid-sixties lost the remainder of her eyesight. She joined The Iris Network because she wanted to voice the needs of people of all ages with vision impairment or blindness and have services provided not only in their homes but also in the community so that they have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of life.
Andrew B. MacLean, Secretary
Andy was born in Portland, raised in Bridgton, and has been a resident of the state’s capital district since 1998. He serves as CEO of the Maine Medical Association, a professional organization of physicians where he has worked since 1999. He has been involved in health care law and policy for most of his career.
Andy has cone-rod dystrophy, a hereditary retinal disease, and began experiencing vision loss in his late 40’s. He has received services at the Low Vision Clinic of The Iris Network and wanted to join the board to give back to the organization and contribute to others in our community with vision loss. Andy is a graduate of Duke University and the University of Maine School of Law. He went to Duke on a Navy ROTC scholarship and served four years on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps before law school. Andy served six years as Mayor of the City of Gardiner. He is a director of MaineGeneral Community Care and has been a volunteer with the American Cancer Society for many years. Among his leisure activities are cooking, walking/hiking, golf, and snowboarding.
Merrill E. Barter, CPA, Treasurer
Merrill Barter, CPA is a Managing Director in the state and local tax (SALT) practice at Baker Newman & Noyes in Portland, ME. With more than 25 years of experience in the tax field, Merrill has worked with a broad spectrum of clients, including large corporations and mid-tier/privately-owned business entities and their owners. He has experience working in multiple areas of state and local taxation and leverages his experience to provide a high level of service and creative solutions to address his client’s needs. In addition, he is a frequent speaker and author on a variety of SALT topics. Merrill is the past Chair of the Baker Tilly SALT Committee, has served on numerous nonprofit boards including serving as a past Chair and Treasurer at The Iris Network, and is on the Board of the Greater Portland METRO.
Todd McKee
Todd McKee worked as an Associate Director at Good Morning America and a variety of other shows at ABC News for nearly 20 years. He is a four time Emmy award winner, three time winner of the Edward R. Murrow award and is a FAA Part 107 certified drone pilot. After multiple visits to friends and family in Maine, Todd fell in love with the Maine lifestyle and left the fast paced world of New York City. He has started his own video production company, Bulldog Media, LLC, and currently resides in Falmouth, ME with his wife and two daughters.
Terri Grijalva
Terri, a retired executive from a global insurance company, graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara, majoring in Law & Society with a concentration in criminal Justice; and the Southern New Hampshire University, with a masters degree in business management and a concentration in marketing. In her prior role, she gained experience leading multiple business and technology programs, ranging in size and complexity. She currently serves on the SNHU Alumni Board of Directors; the Seacoast Science Center (Rye, NH) Board of Directors; and is an elected Trustee for the Stratham (NH) Wiggin Memorial Library. She has lived on the seacoast of New Hampshire for over 27 years and; and after leaving her corporate role, has decided to focus on local, New England-based, non-profit organizations. She joined The Iris Network’s board of directors because she wants to make a difference in the community, help people live their best lives, and support the organization’s vision to “build a world where no person is limited by vision impairment or blindness and everyone is an advocate for eye health and the needs of people with vision impairment or blindness.”
Bob Wakefield
“Bob” Wakefield has served on the Make-A-Wish of Maine Board. Bob joined The Iris Network Board of Directors because he believes he can make a difference in the lives of those who are visually impaired.