The Institute for Civic Leadership is an experiential, eight month, inward journey that enables a leader to develop the skills to lead in a collaborative and facilitative way.
Leadership Maine is a powerful, nine month, outward journey that takes a leader beyond their day-to-day experience and expands their capacity to shape our state’s future.
Policy Leaders Academy is a non-partisan experiential immersion for legislators in the fundamentals of the Maine economy, the factors that drive long-term growth, and how public policy decisions affect investment.
The Realize Maine Network connects regional groups, business, organizations and policymakers to share best practices for attracting and retaining young people to live, work and thrive in Maine.
MDF offers professional development, networking, community service and impactful engagement opportunities to the 1800+ alumni of Leadership Maine and ICL.
MDF is a lead partner in FOR/Maine (Forest Opportunity Roadmap) a cross-sector coalition working to diversify the state’s wood products businesses, attract capital investments, and develop greater economic prosperity for Maine’s rural communities.
MDF is a lead partner in MaineSpark, a 10-year initiative by Maine’s education and business leaders to ensure by 2025, 60% of Mainers hold the education and workforce credentials they need to succeed.
MDF is a key partner in the Maine Alliance for Health and Prosperity which seeks to address and eliminate systemic inequities in health and economic outcomes.
Keynote speaker LuAnn Ballesteros is the Vice President of External and Government Affairs at The Jackson Laboratory. LuAnn is a longtime member of MDF’s Maine Economic Growth Council and serves on numerous advisory & policy groups including the Maine Innovation Economy Board, The State Chamber of Commerce Board, and Maine State Workforce Board. She is a tireless advocate for career opportunity and accessible education for all Mainers. LuAnn holds a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies from Husson College and an associate’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Maine, Farmington. She is a Leadership Maine alum from the 2007 Xi Class and the winner of the 2024 Kenneth M. Curtis Leadership Award.
Keynote speaker Carolyn Nishon is the executive director of the Portland Symphony Orchestra. She is an ICL alum from the Tau class (2012) and the recipient of the 2024 ICL Distinguished Alum Award.
How are individuals, businesses, and communities making Maine a magnet for young workers & their families? Join us for MDF’s 46th Annual Meeting & Champion Awards Celebration and find out! This year’s event is a breakfast festivity and will serve as a kickoff to the 2024 Magnetize Maine conference, hosted by Uplift LA in conjunction with MDF’s Realize Maine Network.
During our Annual Meeting, MDF will present the Champion of Rural Economic Development Award (celebrating an outstanding effort to promote economic development in Maine) and Champion of Education & Workforce Development Award (honoring an organization that invests in people and the development of workforce opportunities, and demonstrates continued investment, innovation, and commitment to excellence).
We are thrilled to partner this year with Magnetize Maine, a statewide conference now in its 6th year and hosted by one of the regional chapter groups who make up MDF’s Realize Maine Network. This year’s conference is hosted by Uplift LA, and will run 9am-5pm – we hope you will stay the whole day and participate in Magnetize. The Magnetize opening remarks will include the presentation of MDF’s inaugural Dirigo Rising Young Professional Award to recognize a young professional in Maine who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and dedication to strengthening the state’s economy and/or their community with efforts to attract and retain young people in Maine. You can find more information and register for Magnetize here.
Agenda: Friday, September 13, 2024
7:00 – 7:30 am
Registration and Breakfast
7:30 – 7:50 am
Welcome & CEO Plenary Remarks
7:50 – 8:00 am
Annual Business Meeting
8:00 – 8:25 am
Champion Awards
8:25 – 8:30 am
Wrap-up & Transition to Magnetize Maine Conference
Thank you to our lead sponsor:
Thank you to our event sponsors:
Thank you to our Champion of Education and Workforce Development Award sponsor:
Thank you to our Champion of Rural and Economic Development Award sponsors:
Thank you to our Dirigo Rising Young Professional Award sponsor:
How are individual Mainers, businesses, and communities working to ensure each of us can achieve what we aspire to? How have these efforts helped you realize your dreams and full potential during the past year?
Join us for a celebration of leaders, businesses, and communities who are driving more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable economic improvement across Maine.
Agenda: Wednesday, September 27, 2023
7:30 to 7:45am
Alumni Breakfast registration opens & breakfast available
Keynote Speaker: Charlie Hewitt, Artist, The Hopeful Project
9:55 to 10:30am
CEO Plenary Remarks & MDF Business Meeting
10:30 to 10:40am
Coffee Break
10:40 to 11:10am
MDF Board Chair Remarks & Table Speeches
11:10 to 11:50am
Awards
11:50am to 12:45pm
Lunch Buffet & Networking
12:45 to 1pm
Closing Remarks: Yellow Light Breen
Alumni Breakfast
In addition to the traditional networking and connecting with classmates while sharing a meal, we will be joined by Julia Trujillo-Luengo, State of Maine Economic Development Plan Implementation Director. She will present the key points from the 10-Year-Economic Strategy Progress Report 1 (2020-2022) and gather Alumni input:
Which actions do you still consider most relevant and important in today’s economy? Why?
Which supplemental actions can enable systemic changes and opportunites across all or some strategies?
Keynote Speaker
Charlie Hewitt is an American painter, printmaker, sculptor, and public artist. His works are part of the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum, New York Public Library, and Library of Congress, among others. He has also been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions. Hewitt is renowned for his fearless approach in the studio and all aspects of life. Learn more at www.charliehewittstudio.com.
Champion Awards
We will continue the MDF Annual Meeting tradition of honoring individuals and organizations with our Champion Awards:
Calling all Alumni! Help us attract the next cohort of leaders to participate in our 2023-2024 30th Anniversary Classes of both ICL & Leadership Maine. Bring a colleague or friend who you think would benefit from participating on these legacy leadership development programs. Plus network with other Alums and share how the skills you honed during your time in these programs are serving you today.
How do you define community? How have fellowships – whether they be place-based, affinity-based, or goal-oriented – helped you navigate the challenges and opportunities of the past year?
com·mu·ni·ty / noun a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
Join us for a celebration of leaders, businesses, and communities whose efforts have benefited entire commnuities, inspired economic resilience, and furthered progress toward equity and inclusion.
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Gabriela Alcalde, Executive Director, Elimina B. Sewall Foundation. Gabriela is a public health leader with 20+ years of experience and commitment to equity and social justice. Gabriela joined the team of the Sewall Foundation as Executive Director in the summer of 2019 and in this capacity leads the integration of environmental, human, and animal health and welfare as the foundation works to center equity and community voices in all of their work and strategies.
We will continue the MDF Annual Meeting tradition of honoring individuals and organizations with our Champion Awards:
