Board of Trustees

The administration of Maine Veterans’ Homes is vested in the Board of Trustees of the Maine Veterans’ Homes. The Board of Trustees is formally appointed by the Governor and is comprised of honorably discharged veterans who broadly represent the various veteran organizations, interests, and geographic regions of the state.

Joseph “Ernie” Lebel served for more than three years in the U.S. Army with the 82nd Airborne. Mr. Lebel has previously served on the Board of Directors for Catholic Charities Maine, Distributors and Suppliers Group Trust, and Cheverus High School. Mr. Lebel serves as the Chairman of the MVH Board of Trustees.

Jim Settele graduated from the Naval Academy in 1982, and served 27 years as a Naval Flight Officer, retiring as a Captain with more than 3,000 flight hours and more than 600 carrier-arrested landings. He commanded a carrier based E-2C squadron, VAW-126, and served as Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, before finishing his career leading the Naval ROTC Unit at Maine Maritime Academy and the University of Maine. After his retirement in 2009, he became the Executive Director of UMaine’s Graduate School of Policy and International Affairs.  He has also served as Chief of Staff to the UMaine President and Interim Athletic Director.  He currently serves as Vice Chairman of the MVH Board of Trustees.

Richard K. Parent served 32 years combined in the Army and Maine Army National Guard, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 1994. He was a fixed wing pilot and served one tour in Vietnam. Parent’s awards and decorations include the Master Aviation Badge, Bronze Star Medal and multiple Air Medals. He currently serves as Treasurer of the MVH Board of Trustees.

Robert E Whelan served 20 years in the U.S. Army retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1982. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam, one with the 5th Special Forces Group and one with MACV and subsequently held positions in a number of roles including United States Military Academy faculty, Deputy Director of Plans, Training and Security at Fort Devens, Mass., and Chief of an Inspector General Inspection Team in Germany. Whelan began teaching English at the University of Maine in 1983 and also served as the Executive Assistant to the President of the University. He semi-retired from the University in 2009, but continues to teach when asked. Mr. Whelan is immediate past Chair of the MVH Board of Trustees.

Linda Laweryson served one year in the U.S. Marine Corps as a PFC in Telecommunications Repair. Mrs. Laweryson has served on the MVH Board of Trustees since 2002. She also serves as the Secretary of the Maine Veterans Coordinating Committee, a board member of the Hospice for Veterans Affairs, and an original member of the Maine’s Commission on Women’s Veterans.

LTCOL Adria O. Horn graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in June 2001, and served more than ten years on active duty in the Army. A veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, LTCOL Horn joined the United States Army Reserves and moved to Maine in 2011. She is past Director of the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services  and is currently employed by Tilson Technologies as its Vice President of Workforce Development.

Steve SanPedro served more than 20 years in the US Army, and is a veteran of both Operation Desert Shield/Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is a past Commander of the Department of Maine Veterans of Foreign Wars, and is the current Senior Vice Chairman for the Eastern States Conference and a Silver Legacy Member of the VFW.

John G. Kezal served from 1951 to 1954 in the U.S. Coast Guard as a Fireman/Damage Control. In addition to being a life member of the American Legion Post 24 in Rumford for 59 years, he is also affiliated with the Western Maine Veterans’ Advisory Committee, the Elks, the Eagles, and the Coast Guard Cuttermans Club. Mr. Kezal is a 2012 inductee into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.

James A. Franklin served a total of over 24 years in the military, starting in the U. S. Air Force and retiring from the U.S. Navy as a Lieutenant. As an enlisted Sailor, he had attained the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer as an aviation electronics technician. He also served as a Department of Defense Civil Servant and Defense contractor in the Navy from 1984 until his retirement in 2006. He is a member of the American Legion, Vietnam Veterans of America, and Kiwanis Club.

David Richmond is the Director of the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services.  He was commissioned in 1993 through Army Reserve Officer Training Course and served as an armory officer, including assignments as a tank platoon leader, heavy mortar platoon leader, and battalion adjutant. After leaving active service 1997, he served in the Maine National Guard in various positions until 2004, when he completed his final assignment as the Commander of Company B, 3rd of the 172nd Infantry (Mountain) in Brewer, Maine. He began working for the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services in 1998 and served as the project officer in charge of the design and construction of the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Augusta, Caribou, and Springvale. In 2002, he was hired as the Superintendent of the Maine Veterans Cemetery System, and in 2016, became the Deputy Director of Maine Bureau of Veterans Services.