The May Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce Breakfast program will feature a panel of local coalition partners who will address the new Downtown Education Collaborative.

The DEC is a community education partnership that includes four local colleges (Andover College, Bates College, Central Maine Community College, and the University of Southern Maine, Lewiston-Auburn), as well as Lewiston Adult Education, Lewiston Public Library and Empower Lewiston. Funded by a grant to Bates College, DEC is leasing a storefront education center this fall and has recently hired a director.

Panel members include David Scobey of Bates College, Michelle Vasquez Jacobus of USM-L/A, Alyson Stone of Empower Lewiston and Sherry Russell, the new director of DEC.

Chamber members in the "Spotlight" this month are Bank of America, The Basket Case, Keller Williams Realty, Maine Staffing Group, Relay for Life, and PRC Technologies. Each "Spotlighter" will showcase its business to attendees before and after the breakfast.

The April chamber breakfast is sponsored by Northeast Bank and will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Riverwatch in Auburn at 7:15 a.m. on Thursday, May 8. Call 783-2249 to reserve a spot. There is a nominal fee for attendance.

To learn more about the chamber and membership benefits, contact Alice Chamberlin Mogensen at 783-2249 or at alice @androscoggincounty.com.