Three Leaders Join the Mitchell Institute’s Board of Directors in 2024

PORTLAND, Maine — Maine’s premier scholarship organization has announced the election of three new members to its Board of Directors: (left to right) Mitchell Scholar Tony DiSotto ’99, Maine Market President of KeyBank; Kate Wilkinson, Senior Vice President and Senior Client Advisor with Spinnaker Trust; and Jonathan Moody, Superintendent of Schools in MSAD 54.

Each new member has been elected to serve a three-year term on the Mitchell Institute’s Board of Directors, which supports the nonprofit organization’s mission to provide $1.85 million in scholarships and programming to college-bound Maine high school seniors who are named Mitchell Scholars in 2024.

“Service on the Mitchell Institute’s Board of Directors continues to be a priority for leaders committed to ensuring that Maine students, regardless of their means, can keep higher education in their sights,” said Board Chair Sara Burns. “On behalf of the entire Board, I thank Tony, Kate, and Jonathan for joining us, and we look forward to working with them.”

About Tony DiSotto ’99

As Maine Market President, DiSotto oversees and coordinates KeyBank’s market strategy across its various lines of business and serves as the senior leader of KeyBank in Maine. He also leads KeyBank’s Private Bank division in Maine and Vermont, where he and his team work with individuals and institutions to develop and implement wealth management strategies that lead to long-term financial success. DiSotto joined KeyBank in 2006, starting as a branch manager in Portland. Prior to his current roles, he held progressive leadership positions within KeyBank’s retail division and also worked as a business banking relationship manager. DiSotto holds a bachelor’s from Colby College and an M.B.A. from Norwich University. His community involvement includes serving as president of the Frank J. Gaziano Lineman Scholarship and on the boards of the Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges and Junior Achievement of Maine, as well as volunteering with Scarborough Youth Football and Scarborough Little League. He currently resides in Scarborough with his wife and children and maintains an office at KeyBank’s Canal Plaza office in Portland.

“I am truly honored to be joining the board of the Mitchell Institute, an organization that made a transformative difference in my life,” said DiSotto, who is the 1999 Mitchell Scholar from Jay High School. “Thanks to the Mitchell Scholarship and encouragement from Coleen Quint, the Institute’s former executive director, I was able to find summer employment with a large financial institution in western Maine while attending college. This opportunity helped me secure a job in the financial sector after graduation, which was the first step on my path to leading KeyBank in Maine. I know firsthand how the Mitchell Institute levels the playing field for many Maine high school students by providing them with a broad range of support that makes it possible for them to unlock their full potential. I look forward to helping to ensure that the Mitchell Institute can continue to do for other Maine high school students what it did for me, for generations to come.”

About Kate Wilkinson

As Senior Vice President and Certified Wealth Strategist at Spinnaker Trust, Wilkinson is responsible for managing investment portfolios and delivering combined expertise in wealth planning, investments, insurance, charitable giving, estate planning, and taxation to families and charitable organizations. Her community involvement includes present and past service on the boards of the Maine Island Trail Association, Chewonki Foundation, the Maine Estate Planning Council, Morris Farm Trust, and YWCA. Wilkinson received her bachelor’s in Economics at Colby College. Away from work, she enjoys sailing the Maine coast with her husband, hiking, and gardening in her backyard.

“I am thrilled to join the board of the Mitchell Institute,” Wilkinson said. “I have long admired and supported Senator Mitchell’s vision to encourage more of Maine’s young people to pursue higher education. The vital investments the Mitchell Institute makes in college-going high school graduates each year brighten their futures and strengthen our communities statewide. I look forward to helping the Mitchell Institute achieve its goal of awarding even more Mitchell Scholarships in the next few years.”

About Jonathan Moody

Moody, who was named Maine Superintendent of the Year this fall, has been an educator and a leader in Maine public schools for the past 25 years. He began his classroom career at Dirigo High School in Dixfield, teaching social studies. He later taught social studies at Messalonskee High School before becoming Vice Principal of Messalonskee Middle School and eventually Principal of Messalonskee High School. In 2016, he accepted the position of Assistant Superintendent of Schools for MSAD 54, serving the towns of Canaan, Cornville, Mercer, Norridgewock, Skowhegan, and Smithfield. As Superintendent of Schools in MSAD 54, Moody led the design and development of a new $76 million school that will open in 2025 and serve children from age 6 weeks to grade 12. He also helped spearhead early childhood education and universal pre-K in the district and developed an inclusive district vision for the school community, modeled after the Maine Civil Rights Team Project charter, to ensure that all individuals in MSAD 54 schools feel safe, welcome, and respected for who they are. Moody earned his bachelor’s at the University of Maine at Farmington, where he was inducted into the UMF Athletics Hall of Fame for being the golf team’s all-time wins leader, and his master’s at the University of Maine. His volunteer board work includes service on UMF’s Board of Visitors. His wife, Shelly, also a career educator, is the 2011 Maine Teacher of the Year. Together they have three children.

“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to support the Mitchell Institute’s mission to increase the likelihood that young people from every community in Maine will aspire to, pursue, and achieve a college education,” Moody said. “The Mitchell Scholarship remains one of the most sought-after and impactful opportunities available to Maine high school students, and I look forward to helping the Institute expand its mission in the coming years.”

About the Mitchell Institute

Founded by Senator George J. Mitchell, the Mitchell Institute aims to improve the likelihood that young people from every community in Maine will aspire to, pursue, and achieve a college education. The organization annually provides more than $1.66 million in scholarships, additional fellowships, and leadership development programming to college-going students from public high schools statewide. This combination of personal, professional, and financial support makes college degrees more attainable for Mitchell Scholars, who graduate at a rate far exceeding the national average. The Mitchell Institute’s investment in students also strengthens Maine communities, as Mitchell Scholars are more likely than their peers to stay in Maine or return to the state after college.