ROCKLAND — At its recent meeting, the Maine Lobster Festival Board of Directors announced that the officers for 2019 will be Celia Knight, president, Peter Beal, vice president, Barbara Toler, secretary, and Laurie Smith, treasurer.

Outgoing president Cynthia Powell and Vice President Michelle Hannan chose not to seek re-election but will continue to volunteer as members on the board of Directors, according to a news release from the Maine Lobster Festival.

Coronation committee chair Sharon Lombardo, who had announced her retirement earlier this year, will step down from her role with the coronation committee. Lombardo will continue to volunteer on the board of directors.

President Celia Knight issued the following statement:

“We have listened to our community and new leadership just one of many changes that will come to the 2019 Festival,” she stated in a news release. “These changes come in part as a result of the 2018 Sea Goddess coronation. We ask everyone to understand that as a group of volunteers we worked as fast as we could to gather information and follow the policies and protocol that we have in place. As a board we are continuing to work together to improve. We would also like to offer our sincere apology to Taylor Hamlin and her family, as well as the community for the events that occurred at the 2018 Festival. It is my hope that the new leadership team will have the support of the community to make the 2019 Maine Lobster Festival a success.” 

Taylor Hamlin’s family issued a statement on the leadership change that was included in the news release. 

“We appreciate that the new leadership of the Festival is taking steps to make this situation right,” they stated. “Our family has always supported the Maine Lobster Festival, its volunteers, and everything they do to give back to the community. We look forward to the 2019 Festival.”