Nancy Pond and Story Landis to be inducted into the Deborah Morton Society on Oct. 23

The University of New England has announced that Story Landis, Ph.D., and Nancy Pond have been selected to receive the 2026 Deborah Morton Award, one of the University's highest honors recognizing outstanding leadership, service, and commitment to advancing the common good.

Pond and Landis will be formally inducted into the Deborah Morton Society during a Convocation and Awards Ceremony on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. The event will be held at 11:30 a.m. in the Campus Center on UNE’s Biddeford Campus.

Named for Deborah Morton of Round Pond, Maine, the award honors individuals whose lives and work exemplify enduring values of leadership, service, compassion, and dedication to improving the lives of others. Deborah Morton, valedictorian of Westbrook Seminary's Class of 1879, devoted her life to education, leadership, and public service. A teacher, dean, linguist, historian, and respected civic leader, she remained deeply connected to Westbrook College, the predecessor institution that became part of UNE in 1996, serving and supporting the institution for more than six decades.

The Deborah Morton Society carries forward Deborah Morton's vision by supporting women who demonstrate exceptional leadership, scholarship, and service. Through scholarships awarded to students in the Westbrook College of Health Professions, the Society helps cultivate future leaders whose values reflect Morton's enduring commitment to education and community engagement.

For more than 60 years, the Society has recognized women whose accomplishments have strengthened their professions, communities, and the lives of others. Their examples continue to inspire emerging leaders to make a difference with the same passion, determination, and compassion that characterized Deborah Morton's remarkable legacy.

Story Landis, Ph.D.

PIONEERING NEUROBIOLOGIST

Story Landis, Ph.D., is an internationally respected neuroscientist, former National Institutes of Health (NIH) leader, and dedicated advocate for higher education whose service to UNE has helped strengthen the institution’s academic excellence, strategic vision, and commitment to scientific discovery. 

A pioneering neurobiologist, Landis devoted nearly two decades to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a component of NIH. She served as scientific director from 1995 to 2003 and as director from 2003 to 2014, overseeing one of the nation’s largest neuroscience research portfolios and advancing discoveries that have transformed the understanding and treatment of neurological disease. During her tenure, she directed a $1.5 billion research enterprise that supported scientists across universities, medical centers, and research institutes throughout the United States. 

Landis is widely recognized for groundbreaking scientific contributions that helped reveal the remarkable adaptability of the nervous system. Her research demonstrated that sympathetic neurons alter the neurotransmitters they release in response to signals from their target tissues, one of the earliest demonstrations of what is now understood as neuroplasticity. These discoveries fundamentally advanced the field of developmental neuroscience and opened new avenues for understanding how the nervous system forms and adapts. 

Beyond her own research accomplishments, Landis has been a passionate champion of scientific opportunity, mentorship, and innovation. Throughout her career she has advanced programs that foster the development of emerging investigators, promoted collaboration across scientific disciplines, and championed transformative initiatives in neuroscience, including stem cell research and the NIH BRAIN Initiative. She has also worked closely with patient advocacy organizations to accelerate research and improve outcomes for individuals living with neurological disorders. She is a member of the External Advisory Committee of the Maine IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence, funded by NIH and led by MDI Biological Laboratories, which supports science faculty and biomedical research experiences for undergraduates at Maine institutions, including UNE. 

Landis’ achievements have been recognized through some of the highest honors in science and medicine. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the National Academy of Medicine. Among many distinctions, she received the Wellesley College Alumnae Achievement Award, the American Epilepsy Society’s Extraordinary Contribution Award, the Society for Neuroscience Ralph W. Gerard Prize for Distinguished Scientific Achievement, and Parkinson’s Action Network’s Morris K. Udall Award for Public Service. 

Landis and her husband, Dennis Landis, M.D., have long been engaged members of their community. Serving on the UNE Board of Trustees from 2016 until 2025, Landis provided exceptional leadership, serving as vice chair of the board and lending her expertise to numerous committees, including Academic, Student & Research Affairs, Institutional Advancement, Long Range Planning, Executive, and Compensation. Her thoughtful guidance has helped shape UNE’s growth and aspirations as a leader in health sciences education and research. 

At UNE, she has been an invaluable advisor, advocate, and steward whose leadership has strengthened the University’s ability to educate future healthcare professionals, advance research, and serve society.

Nancy Pond

Background

Pond’s professional life began in public education earning both undergraduate and master’s degrees in special education from the University of Southern Maine (USM). She distinguished herself as a teacher at Holy Cross School in South Portland and Pond Cove Elementary in Cape Elizabeth where she served as assistant principal. She later became principal of both Hamlin School and Small School in South Portland. Her leadership in education extended into higher education, where she served as an adjunct instructor at UNE.

Her early career reflects a lifelong commitment to learning, community development, and the well‑being of children and families. 

Early volunteer years

In 2000, Pond and her late husband, Kirk Pond, started the Pond Family Foundation. Kirk Pond’s corporate experience and Nancy Pond’s traditional academic grounding in education and community service became the foundation for her decades of philanthropic leadership across Maine.

Nancy Pond also served as a trustee at UNE, where she and Kirk were steadfast in their commitment to UNE’s mission. As members of the Leaders Giving Society, they were pleased to take part in the robust growth and transformation period of expansion at the Portland Campus. This growth period led to the founding of the School of Pharmacy, the College of Dental Medicine, and the expansion of the College of Osteopathic Medicine. 

For 19 years, Pond served as a trustee of Maine Behavioral Healthcare (MBH) now MaineHealth Behavioral Health (MHBH), chairing committees in the emerging organization. For 10 years, she worked with MBH to design and sponsor free symposiums promoting positive mental health. An outcome of these community conversations led to the Lunder Initiative at Spring Harbor Hospital launching a navigator position, family counseling, and job placement. Peter and Paula Lunder’s support of this program influenced recovery opportunities for many patients and their families.

Recent Community Volunteerism

In 2021, Pond’s persistent voice on behalf of an expanded vision for autism and developmental services helped raise awareness of the need for a research and treatment center among key community stakeholders. With visionary Matt Siegel, M.D., community volunteers, foundations, businesses, and with the leadership of Judy Glickman Lauder and Leonard Lauder, the $14.7 million MaineHealth Glickman Lauder Center of Excellence (MHGLCOE) became a reality. Thousands of Maine families now receive in-state diagnosis, treatment, and lifelong care.

Pond’s current philanthropic leadership for MaineHealth includes chairing an annual fundraising event that celebrates the MHGLCOE. She also serves as a strong resource for the Portland Identification and Early Referral (PIER) Program. This lifesaving program offers early identification and interventions for teens and young adults experiencing early signs of psychosis.

As a MaineHealth corporator, Pond serves on the governing body, as well as the Community Advisory Council for MHGLCOE in Autism and Developmental Disorder.

The Forum on American Democracy, a two-year educational program initiated by USM President Jacqueline Edmonson, is open to the public, and is supported by Pond and the Pond Family Foundation. This symposium is focused on pluralism, attention to freedom of speech, and First Amendment rights. 

Pond’s impact in the community is deeply personal, reflecting her early family and career educational experiences. Her efforts have transformed behavioral health services and expanded educational opportunities for hundreds of families across Maine and Northern New England.

In 2026, she received the Distinguished Service to Philanthropy Award from the New England Association of Healthcare Philanthropy. As president of the Pond Family Foundation, she and her family continue to strengthen institutions, advance opportunities for others, and to advocate for the underserved in our communities in Maine and beyond.