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AUBURN – Jennifer Marchigiani of Maine State Rehabbing will be the guest speaker of the Lewiston-Rotary Lunch Club from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15, and Chip Morrison, retired Androscoggin Chamber of Commerce president and former Auburn city manager, will be the featured speaker Thursday, Aug. 22, at The Village Inn, 165 High St.
According to Marchigiani, animals have always been her passion from a very early age. She spent her childhood rescuing local wildlife — anything from bees drowning in pools to snakes frightening the neighbors. Marchigiani was able to turn this dedication into a career when she was trained in birds at The Ruth Melichar Bird Center in Idaho. While in Idaho, she worked at Zoo Boise from 1996 to 1999, where her knowledge expanded to world wildlife and native wildlife rehabilitation, including the importance of proper nutrition and animal enrichment for all animals, no matter how long they are in captivity.
Marchigiani has since moved back to her hometown of Auburn, acquiring her Maine State wildlife rehabilitation license in 2002 and became an official 501(c)3 non-profit in 2018. She has recently taken on insectivorous bats as her main focus of rehab and specializes in taking in all of Maine wildlife, including triaging birds for Avian Haven.
She says being able to rehab and release animals is an indescribable joy, and she looks forward to many more years caring for the local wildlife in the North East.
Morrison joined the Business and Government Services team at Androscoggin Bank in August 2015. He also currently serves on the board of directors for six local community organizations. Prior to joining the bank, he was the interim executive director for Maine Make-A-Wish Foundation.
In June 2015, Morrison retired as president of the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce, a position he held since the fall of 1995. Before joining the chamber, he was city manager of Auburn and commissioner of the state departments of Administration and Labor. He has a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Michigan.
Over the course of his career, Morrison has won several honors including the State of Maine Public Administrator of the Year, the Ken Curtis Leadership Award from the Maine Development Foundation, the Auburn Citizen of the Year, the Maine Chamber Executive of the Year, the 2008 Mainebiz nonprofit CEO of the year, the chamber’s Ray Geiger Award, and the YPLAA Forever Young Award.
Morrison is a resident of Auburn where he lives with his wife Jane. They have two grown children, Beth and Brett, who graduated from Edward Little High School, went on to college and graduate school, and who are now in successful careers in the arts and medicine.
The L-A Rotary Lunch Club meets every Thursday; a meal is available for $14. Guests and visiting Rotarians are always welcomed. For more information, visit www.lewistonauburnrotary.org and www.facebook.com/lewistonmainerotary/ or contact Club President Celeste Yakawonis, 207-713-7111.
