Kara Hay

As president and CEO of Penquis, Kara leads Maine’s largest community action agency, a $60 million organization dedicated to helping individuals and families become safe, stable, connected and financially secure. She serves as president of Penquis subsidiaries MaineStream Finance, Rape Response Services, Inc., Penquis Development, Inc. and Penquis Housing, Inc. Kara is a board member of Community Housing Capital, corporator of Northern Light Health, vice chair and governance committee member of Northern Light Acadia Hospital Board of Trustees, member of the Bangor-area Community Health Leadership Board, member of the Alliance for Addiction and Mental Health Services, advisory board member of The Schmidt Institute, and past president of the Maine Community Action Association. She is a recognized leader in the field of community development, receiving an Emerging Leader Award and a Practitioner of the Year Award from the National Neighborworks® Association. Kara is a Maine native and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre from the University of Maine, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Hawaii at Hilo, and a Master of Arts degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Argosy University, Hawaii.