Penquis is pleased to announce the hiring of Mark Glovin as regional programs director for Knox County. Glovin assumes the role following the retirement of Rebecca “Becky” Dinces earlier this month.
Dinces served as the director of the regional program for the past eight years. Before that, she served eight years as a division manager for Penquis Child Development, where she worked with children and families in the Head Start, Early Head Start, and childcare programs in Rockland.
Of her time at Penquis, Dinces said, “Working in Knox County for Penquis for the past 16 years has been a privilege and an honor. I have met and worked with so many wonderful people and in this time have grown to feel a deeper understanding and love for this beautiful place we call home. Thanks to everyone who has helped me learn and grow – my life is much richer for all these connections. What an amazing community we are!”
As one of the members of the hiring team that selected Glovin, Dinces knows she leaves the position in good hands. Serving the community is something Glovin knows well. For fourteen years he was the minister of The First Universalist Church, where he worked with the congregation to make Maine’s mid-coast a kinder, safer, and more inclusive community. As regional programs director, Glovin is responsible for making, maintaining, and deepening connections to ensure that resources meet the needs of Knox County.
Comparing his previous experience with his new position, Glovin says, “Though the setting may be different, the roles have substantial similarities. Fundamentally, the role of religious leadership is to make connections, build relationships that make a difference, to deepen trust over time by showing up and serving the community. One of the things I valued most in my time serving in Rockland was the opportunity to show up for people, families, and the community at large.”
Glovin says he’s excited to once again have the opportunity to collaborate with organizations that are making lives better in Knox County and to help other people and organizations make vital connections with each other. “I aspire to help create and live in a just, sustainable community, where it’s easier to thrive.”
“I am grateful to be part of an agency that understands the ways all our lives are bound together and takes action, rooted in the ideals and practice of community,” said Glovin. “By grounding our service in an ethic which honors everyone’s inherent worth and dignity; we and our partners can build trusting relationships with individuals, families, and the communities whom we serve.”