Senior Management Team

Suzanne V. Benoit, Interim Chief Executive Officer

Suzanne Benoit, LCSW, SPHR, is a nonprofit/small business operations consultant and author with extensive experience as an interim nonprofit CEO. She holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Southern Maine and a Masters in Social Work from the University of New England; she is also credentialed as a Senior Professional in Human Resource Management. Her senior leadership experience includes positions is in both the for-profit and nonprofit worlds.

Suzanne's business, Benoit Consulting, specializes in helping nonprofits and small businesses strategize to manage operational challanges. Her background in commercial business, human resources, and clinical social work allows her to craft solutions for the most complex nonprofit and small business challenges. She writes about management challenges and organizational culture at www.benoitcentral.com. 

Rory Robb, Director of Clinical Services

Rory joined the agency in 1979 as a Direct Support Professional (DSP) providing one to one supports for a woman who had recently moved out of Pineland Center, Maine’s former institution for adults with developmental disabilities. She accepted a management position in 1981, and worked as a Qualified Mental Retardation Professional for several years before becoming the Director of Clinical Services in 1990. She sat on the Consumer Advisory Board for ten years, and has joined the newly created Maine Developmental Services Oversight and Advisory Board. She brings the experience of growing up with a sister with disabilities, and acting as her co-guardian. Rory has a degree in Special Education and previously taught children with developmental disabilities.

Holly Ayoob, Director of Human Resources

Holly received her BA degree with honors from the University of Connecticut with a focus in Industrial Psychology. She has worked in human resources management for over 20 years, primarily in director level positions. Holly’s HR experience includes work in Connecticut and Maine, and in the health care field, higher education, fortune 500, and non-profit arenas. She has worked on the management side of companies with union representation, as well as those without bargaining units. Holly has served on the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross (Portland, Maine Chapter), the Board of Directors for the Friends of Casco Bay, and has been a member of the Society for Human Resource Management since 1990. She has been the Director of Human Resources for Community Partners since 2003. She resides in Biddeford with her husband and children, and enjoys volunteering as a foster family for puppies through a non-profit rescue organization. 

Amy Safford, Director of Development

Amy has both for-profit and nonprofit business experience writing marketing campaigns and promotional material, websites, grants, press releases and annual reports. She holds a BS in Public Relations from Boston University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Southern Maine. Past work experience includes managing a nonprofit as the Executive Director, teaching writing at the University of New England, and consulting in business marketing. She was the Chair of the Town of Kennebunk Festivals Committee 2011, and is a member of the Saco-Biddeford Rotary, the Maine Public Relations Council, and the Maine Association of Nonprofits.

Jean Palanza, Finance Department Manager

With over 30 years of managerial accounting experience, Jean took the position of Business Office Manager in 2008. She holds a BS in Accounting from Granite State College in New Hampshire, and has worked in many different fields from property management to retail and wholesale home goods. Jean is very familiar with accounting software, and is an H&R Block Tax Professional. She manages a six-person accounting department at CPI.