Seth Goodall serves as Chief Executive Officer of Maine Center Ventures and Executive Director of the University of Maine System’s Graduate & Professional Center. In these roles, he provides strategic leadership for the Center’s operations, programming, and partnerships, advancing its mission to strengthen graduate and professional education as well as entrepreneurship programming in support of Maine’s economic and civic future.
Previously, Seth served as Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Santander US, overseeing the bank’s national strategy in sustainability, community investment, philanthropy, and higher-education engagement. He also directed Santander’s U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Lending division. Earlier in his career, he was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as the SBA’s New England Regional Administrator, leading small-business programs across the region.
Before his federal appointment, Seth practiced law and represented Sagadahoc County in the Maine State Senate, where he served as Senate Majority Leader. He has also been actively engaged in advancing Maine’s innovation economy, small-business ecosystem, and higher-education partnerships throughout his career.
Seth holds a JD from the University of Maine School of Law and both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Connecticut.
Samantha (Sam) LeClerc is the Events & Engagement Manager for the Maine Graduate & Professional Center. In this role, she oversees the design, coordination, and execution of signature Maine Center events, academic partner events, and community events, serving as the primary point of contact for external stakeholders at the Maine Center. She also leads the Maine Center’s community engagement efforts, including social media and marketing strategy.
Prior to joining the Maine Center, Sam held positions that combined event coordination, program management, education, and operations within organizations focused on nutrition, food systems, and public health. She previously served as Operations Manager for the Hunger to Health Collaboratory in Boston, where she managed large-scale summits that engaged stakeholders across corporate, nonprofit, academic, and government sectors, in addition to supporting communications, grantmaking, and cross-sector programmatic initiatives.
Her professional background also includes roles within USDA federal programs, including as a WIC Nutritionist at Massachusetts General Hospital and SNAP Nutrition Educator with Oregon State University Extension Services, as well as a nutrition educator for school-based and nonprofit programs. In addition to her professional work, she has over a decade of hospitality and catering experience, managing complex event logistics and client relationships.
Sam holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Vermont and an Masters in Nutrition from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR.
Heather York is the Special Assistant for the Maine Center, where she advances organizational strategy through operational planning, financial and project management, and program delivery. In this role, she focuses on improving workflows, strengthening cross-functional collaboration, and aligning daily operations with long-term institutional goals.
Previously, Heather served as Executive Operations Director at Maine College of Art & Design, where she led institutional projects to enhance operational efficiency, strategic planning, and communications. She managed operations and communications for the Board of Trustees, supported presidential initiatives, and implemented systems that improved organizational coordination, planning, and transparency across the college.
Her career in higher education also includes leadership and program management roles in global education at Boston University Study Abroad and Babson College. At Boston University, she led enrollment operations and advising services for study abroad programs serving more than 3,000 students annually and oversaw partnerships with international institutions. Earlier in her career, she worked in public relations, building a strong foundation in strategic communications and stakeholder engagement.
Heather holds a Master of Arts in Intercultural Relations from Lesley University and a Bachelor of Arts in Administrative Science and Spanish from Colby College.