Two prominent eastern Maine women were among those honored last week with the 2010 Deborah Morton Awards at the University of New England in Biddeford.
The awards were presented to Ruth Foster, a former state legislator and mayor of Ellsworth, and Deborah Carey Johnson, president and chief executive officer of Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
Other recipients this year were Dr. Katherine Pope, an anesthesiologist practicing primarily at Maine Medical Center in Portland and champion of hospice care; and Jean Wilkinson, a retired finance industry executive who in 1989 became the first woman to chair UNE’s board of trustees.
The Deborah Morton Awards recognize women who have achieved high distinction in their careers and public service or whose leadership in civic, cultural or social causes has been exceptional. Since 1961 more than 150 women have received the award, among them, the late U.S. Sen. Margaret Chase Smith and current Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.
The award recognized Foster’s devotion to family, public service, philanthropy and volunteerism. She served as mayor of Ellsworth before being elected to the state House of Representatives and Maine Senate.
During her years in the Legislature she was recognized for her efforts on behalf of families by the Family Planning Association of Maine and the Adolescent Pregnancy Coalition; and for her contribution to the founding and success of mediation in the courts by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. She was named Legislator of the Year in 1988 by the Maine State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Conference.
As president of Ruth Foster Corp., she operates a children’s shop on Main Street in Ellsworth where she is active in community and downtown activities. Foster is a past recipient of the Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce Top Drawer award in recognition of her contribution to the growth, development and improvement of her city, county and state.
Deborah Carey Johnson is president and chief executive officer of EMMC and also serves as senior vice president of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, the hospital’s parent organization.
As president of the hospital, Johnson has overseen the transformation of care at EMMC with the widespread implementation of information technology and the development of centers of excellence for several specialty clinical services. She has spent more than 30 years in hospital administration, but began her career in health care as a staff nurse in critical care. She went on to assume progressive administrative roles, becoming EMMC president in 2004.
Johnson graduated from Mercy Hospital School of Nursing, received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of the State of New York, a master’s degree in business from Husson College, and an honorary doctorate from Husson University.
Johnson also has served on the Public Health Advisory Board for the Greater Bangor Area, and boards of the Maine Network for Health, Maine Hospital Association, American Heart Association Penobscot Division, Bangor Rotary Club and the United Way of Eastern Maine.