June 10, 2025
4:30 PM | Reception
5:30 PM | Ceremony
The Maine Center Awards is an evening dedicated to celebrating excellence in business, law, policy, innovation, and entrepreneurship. This special event will celebrate the Maine Center’s impact and honor recent and distinguished alumni from our core academic partners — Maine Graduate School of Business, Maine Law, and Muskie School of Public Service. The Maine Center will also highlight our newest core academic partner, the Maine College of Engineering and Computing.
In addition to honoring alumni, the Maine Center will recognize community leaders who are driving entrepreneurship and innovation across Maine.
Please RSVP here to join us at the event. Space is limited so we recommend securing your spot early!
Awards Categories
- The Distinguished Alumni Award is bestowed upon alumni of the participating programs who have achieved exceptional success in their careers, made significant contributions to their industry or profession, and demonstrated outstanding leadership and service to their community and alma mater. The award particularly recognizes those who have excelled in bridging business, law, and policy disciplines, developed solutions informed by multiple frameworks, and have helped to create systemic change through their cross-disciplinary expertise. Recipients of this award embody the values of excellence, integrity, and impact, serving as an inspiration to students, fellow alumni, and the broader community, while reflecting great credit upon both themselves and the university.
- The Emerging Leader Alumni Award recognizes outstanding recent alumni (graduated in the last 5-10 years) who have demonstrated leadership, and service to their industry, community, or alma mater. Recipients of this award exemplify the values and mission of the institution, serving as role models for current and future students. Their dedication, innovation, and contributions have made a significant impact, reflecting positively on both their profession and the university.
- The Maine Center Award for Innovation & Entrepreneurship honors a respected leader who has demonstrated forward-thinking advancements that have strengthened Maine’s economy and that integrate business, law, and policy, reflecting the Center’s commitment to cross-disciplinary collaboration. Nominees should also exhibit originality, leadership, and measurable impact in their professional endeavors, aligning with the Center’s emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship, experiential learning, and professional workforce development. To reflect the Maine Center’s commitment to the Maine community at large, the awardee does not need to be a University of Maine System alumni, but rather a contributing professional working in the state of Maine.
Meet the 2025 Award Winners
Melik Peter Khoury, CEO & President, Unity Environmental University
University of Maine, Graduate School of Business, Class of 2001
Dr. Melik Peter Khoury currently serves as the 11th President and CEO of Unity Environmental University, where he has led a bold transformation and made higher education more affordable, flexible, and accessible. Dr. Khoury has reimagined how, where, and to whom environmental science and sustainability education is delivered. Under his leadership, Unity has become a national model for integrating cutting-edge technologies, including AI, into personalized and practical learning experiences for students across the globe.
A first-generation American, Dr. Khoury was born and raised in West Africa and came to the United States to play soccer for the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK). He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Management from UMFK in 1999, his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Maine in 2001, and his Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from the University of Phoenix in 2011.
Dr. Khoury’s career in higher education has included institutions in Maine, New York, Missouri, and Iowa. He joined Unity in 2012 and is a leading expert in institutional transformation, advancing governance reform, operational streamlining, enrollment redesign, and modern digital infrastructure, ensuring long term viability in a disrupted educational landscape. In 2018, he received the AGB John W. Nason Award for Board Leadership in recognition of his work in these areas.
Amanda Rector, Maine State Economist, Department of Administrative and Financial Services
University of Southern Maine, Muskie School of Public Service, Class of 2010.
Amanda Rector has served as the Maine State Economist since 2011, providing policymakers, businesses, and people across the state with data and analysis of Maine’s economic and demographic conditions. Amanda has spent over twenty years in public service, joining Maine state government in 2004 as an economic research analyst in the Department of Labor. She earned a BA in Economics from Wellesley College and a Master’s in Public Policy and Management from the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine.
Amanda is currently the chair of the State of Maine’s Revenue Forecasting Committee and serves as the Governor’s liaison to the U.S. Census Bureau. She holds membership on the advisory board for the New England Public Policy Center at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and is the chair of the Board of Visitors at the Muskie School of Public Service. Amanda is originally from mid-coast Maine and now lives in Union with her husband and their two school-aged children.
Ira Waldman, Partner, Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP
University of Maine School of Law, Class of 1976
Ira Waldman is a partner at Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP in Los Angeles and a nationally recognized leader in real estate and commercial law. Since joining the firm in 1981, he has built a broad practice spanning lending, workouts, entity formation, acquisitions, dispositions, development, and ground leasing.
A 1976 graduate of the University of Maine School of Law, Ira began his legal career at Union Mutual Life Insurance Company in Portland before relocating to Los Angeles. He remains closely connected to Maine Law, serving for many years on the University of Maine School of Law Foundation Board and receiving both the Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his professional achievements and support of the institution.
Ira is a past chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Real Property Section and holds key leadership roles in the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL), including service on its Board of Governors, as co-chair of its Climate Impact Affinity Group, and long-time chair of its Public Policy Forum Working Group. He represents ACREL on the Uniform Law Commission’s Joint Editorial Board for Uniform Real Property Acts and has served as ABA Advisor to several Uniform Law Commission drafting committees.
A prolific speaker and author, Ira has contributed to the California Real Estate Finance Practice and California Commercial Leasing Series, among others, and frequently presents at national forums, including the USC Real Estate Law and Business Forum and ACREL meetings.
His work has earned numerous honors, including the Outstanding Real Estate Lawyer Award from the Los Angeles County Bar Association, repeated Band 1 rankings by Chambers and Partners, recognition as a Global Elite Thought Leader by Who’s Who Legal, and two-time recipient of Who’s Who Legal’s International Real Estate Lawyer of the Year. In 2024, Ira was honored with Bates College’s Bruce Stangle Award for Distinguished Service and the USC Real Estate Law and Business Forum’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Bates College has also recognized him with the Bates Best Award for athletic achievement and induction into its Scholar-Athlete Society.
Trevey Davis, Healthcare Policy and Operations Leader, Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation
University of Southern Maine, Muskie School of Public Service, Class of 2016
Trevey Davis is a healthcare policy and operations leader with expertise in value-based payment, population health, and Alternative Payment Models (APMs). He currently serves as a Health Insurance Specialist at the CMS Innovation Center (CMMI), where he works to improve the U.S. healthcare delivery system through the advancement of federal healthcare policy and operations.
Trevey’s career spans leadership roles at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Trinity Health, and UpStream, where he served as Vice President of Government Programs. In that role, he led two Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) participating in the ACO REACH Model and spearheaded efforts to reduce health disparities. At Trinity Health, he managed national quality programs and supported operational excellence across hospital and provider networks.
A graduate of the Public Health program at the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service, Trevey earned a competitive fellowship at Trinity Health, launching his career in public service. He also holds a B.Sc. in Biology from Mount Allison University and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Public Health in Health Policy and Management at George Washington University. His work is driven by a deep commitment to creating a more equitable, efficient, and patient-centered healthcare system.
Trey Stewart, Senate Republican Minority Leader, Maine State Legislature; Lawyer, Treworgy & Baldacci
University of Maine, Graduate School of Business, Class of 2018
University of Maine School of Law, Class of 2022
Sen. Harold “Trey” Stewart III is serving his fourth term in the Maine Legislature and currently leads the Senate Republican caucus as its unanimously elected leader. He was first elected to the Maine House in 2016 at just 22 years old, later serving as Assistant Republican Leader—the youngest legislative leader in the nation at the time. Since 2020, he has been the youngest member of the Maine Senate and, as of 2022, the youngest caucus leader in the country.
A native of Aroostook County and graduate of Presque Isle High School, Sen. Stewart earned his B.A. summa cum laude from the University of Maine in 2016, where he was also student body president. He went on to complete an MBA in 2018 and a J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law in 2022, joining the Maine State Bar that same year. He works at Treworgy and Baldacci, a statewide real estate-focused law firm, and owns a small rental property business. He is also a licensed real estate broker.
In the Legislature, Stewart has served on key committees including Education and Cultural Affairs, Taxation, and the Opioid Task Force in the House, and as Ranking Member on Energy, Utilities and Technology; Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services; and Appropriations and Financial Affairs in the Senate. He also serves on the boards of the Aroostook County Action Program, Northern Maine Community College Foundation, and GOPAC, and previously held roles with the UMaine Alumni Association, ALEC, and the National Conference of State Legislatures. Since 2018, he has served on the Maine Development Foundation’s Economic Growth Council.
Beyond politics, Stewart has been a volunteer firefighter in Presque Isle and currently serves as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He is active in his local Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, and several civic organizations.
Krystal Williams, Founder, Providentia Group, PLLC
University of Maine School of Law, Class of 2017
Krystal Williams started her legal career as an associate attorney in Pierce Atwood’s energy and environmental law groups after graduating from Maine Law in 2017. In 2020, she joined Bernstein Shur’s energy practice. Later that year, she struck out on her own when she founded Providentia Group, a law firm focused on increasing the diversity and vibrancy of Maine’s business community by providing accessible and strategic legal services to micro- and mid-size organizations.
In 2020 she also founded the Alpha Legal Foundation, a non-profit organization with a mission to diversify Maine’s legal profession. Earlier this year, Alpha Legal Foundation launched the AmeriCorps Legal Access Navigators Program, a program designed to add capacity to civil legal aid organizations while providing traditionally underrepresented individuals with lower barrier opportunities to enter the legal profession. In 2023, Krystal co-designed Maine Law’s Public Interest and Social Justice Certificate Program. The Certificate provides a path to recognize law students who specialize in public interest and social justice law.
Krystal has served on the board of directors for multiple non-profits. She has served on the board of the ACLU of Maine, Coastal Enterprises, Inc., Maine Women’s Lobby Educational Fund, Maine Center for Entrepreneurs, and Maine Boys to Men. She also served as a trustee of the University of New England. She was also the inaugural chairwoman of KinoTek, a rapidly growing startup in Maine. She currently serves as an incorporator for Mascoma Bank.
IKrystal received her J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law in 2017. In addition to her J.D., Krystal has an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and BAs in Mathematics and Psychology from Williams College. In 2011, she thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail.
David Engle, Serial Entrepreneur and Founder, Do Good Group
David Engle is a serial entrepreneur and investor with a passion for building businesses from the ground up. He co-founded and was CEO of Upright Labs, an e-commerce SaaS platform serving over 4,000 second-hand retailers, fully bootstrapped, and exited to private equity in 2022. Before starting Upright Labs, Engle started Startup Village in partnership with the University of Maryland (UMD) to offer affordable housing to students and alums pursuing their startup endeavors full time. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business from UMD’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, with a focus on logistics, materials, and supply chain management. David is a proud Maine resident living in greater Portland and now runs Do Good Group (DoGoodGroup.org), where they invest and buy businesses, with the goal of creating 1,000 jobs in Maine and donating a majority of the profits to the local community.
David is a member of the University of New England’s Board of Trustees and is the lead partner on building a venture studio at the Maine Center, which currently includes 15 entrepreneurs, funders and founders.