LEWISTON – Deanna L. Nyberg-Labbe of Auburn and Kim Kneeland of Gray have been named to positions at the Lewiston officer of the USDA Rural Development office.

Michael W. Aube, state director of USDA Rural Development, made the announcement.

Nyberg-Labbe is the new area specialist and Kneeland is an area assistant.

Nyberg-Labbe’s duties will include assisting individuals, including developers, owners, managers, management agents, tenants, applicants and borrowers, as well as federal, state, and local agency officials with Rural Development’s programs. Duties will also include providing assistance at meetings and training sessions, as well as analyzing, processing, and servicing loans and grants in the Multi-Family Housing programs.

She has served as a single family housing specialist with the agency since 1998. She holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Southern Maine and an associate’s degree from Central Maine Technical College. She resides in Auburn with son Lucas.

Kneeland’s responsibilities include providing technical and general information concerning all of Rural Development’s programs, as well as outreach and public information, loan servicing and processing activities, and general administrative activities.

Before joining the staff of USDA Rural Development, she worked as a defense contractor and was a documentation specialist at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Keyport, Wash., for nearly 14 years. She resides in Gray with her daughter Tonja.