Staff
(click on names to e-mail directly)Mark Eyerman
PDI President Mark Eyerman is well known throughout New England for his work with municipalities, private and nonprofit groups and state governments. He has an extensive background in community planning, demographic analysis, school enrollment forecasting, market research, focus groups and consumer research. He is a former President of the Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning Association and of the Maine Association of Planners and has received numerous professional awards.
Frank O'Hara
PDI Vice President Frank O'Hara specializes in strategic planning, community and economic development, labor policy, and public communication. Frank has worked as a planner and policy advisor at the local, regional and state levels. He was a speechwriter and special assistant for the Governor of Maine and has written an award-winning biweekly column for the Maine Times. Frank is a faculty member at the Muskie School of Public Policy at the University of Southern Maine and has published dozens of handbooks, studies, pamphlets, and strategic plans.
Chuck Lawton
Chuck is chief economist at PDI. He specializes in economic policy, fiscal impact studies, smart growth and economic development studies. He has worked in private business, in state government and was a professor at the University of Maine at Farmington. He holds a Ph.D. degree from The Fletcher School at Tufts University and writes a weekly column on the Maine economy for the Maine Sunday Telegram.
Rebecca Wandell
Rebecca Wandell specializes in school enrollment forecasting, demographic analysis, and public policy research and analysis. Prior to coming to PDI, she worked as a collections representative/specialist with Atlantic Bank and with Konica Quality Photo. She earned her Master's degree in Public Policy and Management with a concentration in statistical analysis and financial management from the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine. In addition, she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Geology and Geography from the University of Maine at Farmington, and has a Certificate in Human Resource Management from the University of Southern Maine’s Center for Continuing Education.
Sarah Curran
Sarah Curran holds a Master's Degree in Community Planning and Development from the Muskie School for Public Service in Portland, Maine. Prior to joining PDI, she worked on Peaks Island, Maine as a Community Development Fellow for the Island Institute, where her projects with the Peaks Island Land Preserve and other island organizations emphasized community participation and collaboration.
David Versel
David Versel has worked all over the United States as a professional planner in the areas of economic development, real estate consulting, growth management, policy analysis, and tourism development. David formerly worked as a project manager with consulting firms Economics Research Associates and Economic Stewardship, Inc., and served as Senior Planner with the Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission. He holds a Master's degree in City Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a B.A. in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis. David is a contributing author to the Urban Land Institute's Mixed-Use Development Handbook and has written several magazine articles on planning issues.