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Build a Better Maine is an accelerated leadership development initiative that engages up-and-coming Maine business leaders across organizational boundaries. The program focuses on developing leadership skills and building peer networks to strengthen connections between individuals and across organizations. This selective program is an investment in the next generation of Maine business leaders and offers a unique growth opportunity for the state’s brightest professionals. Drawing on the expertise of the Maine Business School, Maine Center, and leading industry professionals, Build A Better Maine delivers a truly dynamic and impactful learning experience.

Explore the 2026 program brochure
  • Empower high-impact leaders to drive organizational success
  • Enhance networks of up-and-coming leaders across major employers in Maine
  • Develop an alumni network of participants committed to leading in Maine organizations
  • Connect participants more deeply in Maine to retain talent
  • Create lasting impact across organizations and communities
  • Four full-day, in-person cohort meetings led by the Maine Center and Maine Business School, with materials provided in advance to maximize learning.
  • Presentations and discussions with distinguished guest speakers and subject matter experts from academia and industry
  • Mastermind sessions, guided reflection, and facilitated discussions on leadership challenges
  • Scheduled peer-to-peer meetings between sessions to expand professional connections and practice effective networking
  • Identified as talent on the rise
  • An emerging leader
  • Has core management skills
  • Senior manager or director level (may vary by company)

2026 Program Details

Program LengthProgram DatesCostCohort Size
4 months (March – June 2026)Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Tuesday, June 9, 2026		$5000/participant8-12 participants

Past Participant Organizations

Logos of Past Participant Organizations.

Program Leadership

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.

Dr. Jason Harkins is the Executive Dean of the Maine Business School, Dean of the Graduate School of Business, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, and the Founder of Scratchpad Accelerator, the first seed-stage entrepreneurial accelerator in New England North of Boston. He received his Ph.D. from the Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma and an MBA from the University of Missouri. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Strategic Management Review, The Journal of Business and Industrial Development, and the Journal of Management Policy and Practice. Dr. Harkins has started numerous companies, consults for numerous firms across Maine, and serves on the Board of Directors for for-profit and non-profit companies in the entrepreneurial space. He is a passionate believer in the opportunities for entrepreneurial education and entrepreneurship to transform Maine, the country, and the world!

Past Industry Experts

  • Billy Obenauer, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Management, Maine Business School
  • Buffie McCue-Quinn, Ph.D. – Lecturer in Management and Marketing
  • Melanie Tinto, Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, W.W. Grainger, Inc.
  • Owen McCarthy, President and Co-founder, MedRhythms
  • Patti Miles, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Business and Professor of Management, Maine Business School
  • Ryan Low, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Strategic AI Integration & Treasurer, University of Maine System
  • Samantha Warren, Chief External and Governmental Affairs Officer, University of Maine System