When Scarborough businesswoman Michelle Raber learned she had oral cancer in early 2025, her life changed overnight. It was a shock because she had no risk factors. A sore on her tongue turned into a diagnosis that required surgery, removal of lymph nodes, and weeks of radiation. It has been a grueling year. But if cancer was a test of resilience, Michelle met it the way she has always tackled challenges: with grit, grace, and a forward outlook. These are the same qualities that have helped her build one of Scarborough’s most successful insurance agencies.
Finding Her Path
Michelle grew up in Gray, Maine, and studied psychology at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire. She wanted to help people but wasn’t sure which field go to into. A family friend in insurance explained how her job involved supporting clients when they needed it most. She knew of an opening at State Farm in Augusta. “Looking back,” Michelle says, “everything aligned the way it was meant to.”
Michelle thrived at State Farm, moving up quickly and eventually relocating to a corporate office in Saratoga Springs, New York in 1995. There she met her husband, Jeff, and they married at the Black Point Inn. By 2001, she missed Maine. New York just felt too hectic. Her brother had built a spec house in Scarborough, and she and her husband bought it. Moving to the same town where they had married felt right.
A Risky Leap
Back in Maine, Michelle faced a pivotal choice. Away from State Farm’s corporate office, she had an opportunity to become an agent or change careers. It was risky. After a decade at the corporate level, she had a pension and a steady paycheck. Becoming an agent meant living 100% off commission. “I’d never sold anything,” she admits. “I’m a natural introvert.” She also knew that insurance agents had a reputation for being “sleazy” and she didn’t want that. “I had to be true to myself.” She developed her own guiding philosophy: make things easy for people.
She took over an agency in Scarborough, hiring three agents. The first years were lean, but her focus on helping people paid off. She still remembers meaningful early wins: helping a newly married couple set up savings, helping a family rebuild their home after a fire, and protecting families and small businesses with life insurance.
Her focus on taking care of customers has paid off. “We always appreciate the people we already have,” she says. By focusing on them, growth has happened naturally. “We’ve grown every year since I started.”
Growth in Scarborough
Today, Michelle’s two agencies manage accounts for more than 5,200 households in Southern Maine. She leads a team of nine agents with offices in Dunstan and Oak Hill. Scarborough’s growth since 2000 has undoubtedly supported her success, but Michelle says she has always had to earn her share of new business. Participating in local organizations like the Scarborough Chamber of Commerce and Business Networking International ensures that people know she is both local and invested. From the beginning, she hired more agents than she needed so she would have time to be involved in the community.
Giving Back and Paying Forward
For Michelle, supporting her community is more than just a business strategy – it’s who she is. She firmly believes in “making the world a little better wherever I go” and has always prioritized giving back to Scarborough. She is proud to live in the community she serves. Every year she sponsors countless events and programs. She especially supports activities like youth sports that encourage kids to sets goals and work toward them. “It’s like teaching someone to fish instead of giving them a fish.” Her contributions have not gone unnoticed. Last year, the Scarborough Economic Development Corporation (SEDCO) honored her with a business recognition award. Executive Director Karen Martin praised Michelle’s “calm, positive leadership style that produces real results.”
For Michelle, it’s all about the ripple effect. “Everybody can do little things to make the community better.” It may be as small as picking a wrapper off the ground. Recently for her, it was turning a tired office space in Oak Hill into a bright, welcoming office for her staff and clients. Michelle is proud not only of the team she leads today but of those who have launched careers beyond her office. Two former agents now run their own State Farm agencies, and two others work in corporate positions. “I love watching people launch.”
When Michelle was diagnosed with cancer, her thriving agency faced uncertainty. But her team stepped up. “Most customers didn’t even know I was out,” she says. “That’s a testament to them.” The timing was rough—the day before surgery, her business bank accounts were hacked, and she scrambled to reset payroll. Through it all, her employees kept things running. She says it deepened her appreciation of the good relationships she’d built over decades.
Looking Ahead
Michelle sees cancer as just another life experience – one that doesn’t define her but has deepened values she has long embraced, like living in the moment and helping others whenever she can. “Plan for tomorrow, but enjoy today. Be where your feet are.”
Cancer has also made her more appreciative of good health. “If you don’t have health, you don’t have anything,” she says. She encourages everyone to take care of themselves and have their dentists check their mouths regularly.
As she looks ahead, Michelle sees her professional legacy in the customers she has supported and the employees she has nurtured. Her advice to her 25-year-old self captures her resilience: “Nothing is forever except the regret of not trying. If it doesn’t work, try harder—or move in a different direction.”
After a year of immense challenge, Michelle is back in stride—grateful, resilient, and more determined than ever to keep giving back.
What Her Team Says…
“I love working for and with Michelle because she is incredibly supportive, selflessly generous, and deeply committed to both her team and customers.” – Carrie
“I’ve never had a boss be so accommodating and so invested in my professional development. It’s so rewarding to work for someone who sees such potential in you and helps to cultivate it and a work atmosphere to sustain it.” – Roland
“Michelle’s resilience and determination throughout her cancer journey are truly inspiring. During treatments and always, she has shown exceptional strength and grit, ensuring that the business she built stayed successful and thriving. Her leadership not only carried her through tough times but also motivated everyone around her. We are very lucky to have her!” – Sheri
Top photo by Amanda Huebner Photography
