Who We Are

Who We Are

The Maine Center is supported by a core leadership team and a network of faculty, staff, and partners from across the University of Maine System. Together, we draw on expertise across disciplines to develop programs, build partnerships, and advance opportunities in graduate education, professional learning, entrepreneurship, and innovation. The Maine Center’s work is also guided by its Executive Committee and Maine Center Ventures Board, which provide strategic leadership and oversight.

Our Team

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.

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 is currently pursuing her MBA through the Maine Business School at the University of Maine. She holds a Master of Arts in Intercultural Relations from Lesley University and a Bachelor of Arts in Administrative Science and Spanish from Colby College.

Naomi is the director of the Food Accelerator Programs and is responsible for the Maine Center’s Cultivator Program. Originally from England, Naomi moved to Maine 24 years ago and has since made a big impact in the food service and manufacturing industries. Most recently, she was the Sales Director of Allagash Brewing Company, where she helped the brewery become the 15th largest craft brewery in the U.S.

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 educator for school-based and nonprofit nutrition 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 Master of Science in Nutrition from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Vermont.

Laurie is the manager of the Top Gun Program and workshop series. Laurie grew up in Maine working in a family-owned small business where she served as company treasurer for a number of years until the company was sold in 2003. She is a graduate of Mt. Ida College in Boston, MA, and Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY, where she received degrees for an Associates program in Graphic Design and a Bachelors program in Commercial Photography respectively.

She lives in Westbrook with her husband and children and is active in many community organizations.

Janine serves as Program Manager of MarketShare Food & Beverage Sales Accelerator, helping more mature and established Maine food and beverage companies gain market share in regional and national retail and foodservice channels.

Janine has over 27 years of experience working with Maine’s food, agricultural, aquaculture and seafood producers to develop national and international markets in the HRI and retail sectors.

In her previous positions as President of the Maine International Trade Center (MITC) and as a Senior Trade Advisor, Janine worked closely with food industry leaders with market development strategies, led B2B matchmaking between Maine suppliers and international buyers/distributors, and coordinated business attraction events in the U.S., European, Canadian, Latin American and Asian markets. She has coordinated Maine food and beverage pavilions, educational events, and matchmaking activities with buyers at various trade shows including the Natural Products Expo East, the West Coast Fancy Food Show, National Restaurant Association Show and Seafood Expo North America.

She also served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Resource Trading Company, a Maine seafood processing and trading company with multiple seafood processing and co-packing operations, where she developed a robust domestic and export sales network in the retail and hotel/restaurant/institutional sectors.

Janine is President of Montserrat Group, LLC, a business consulting company, and is currently on the board of the U.S. Department of Commerce District Export Council, New England Canada Business Council, and Bristol Seafood of Maine. She also served on the boards of the Maine Port Authority, the Eastern Trade Council, and the International Business and Logistics Industry Advisory Board at Maine Maritime Academy. She holds a B.A. in Economics and French from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst; a Certificate of French History and Literature from the Sorbonne University; and a Global Leaders Executive Education Certificate from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business.

Terry manages the Maine Mentor Network and is responsible for ensuring that the network has the skills and experience needed to support companies and entrepreneurs in our programs. Terry has over 30 years of experience in product design, technology development, customer support and enabling new product line growth at Texas Instruments, Fairchild Semiconductor, and National Semiconductor. Terry is an experienced manager, consultant, and product and technology development professional.

He is experienced in all aspects of design—product, program, process, and organizations. Terry’s current focus is to assist growing companies in transition to improved profitability and larger scales. He brings a business process and systems perspective to tie the needs of the business and needs of the customer to appropriate systems and methods, ensuring high productivity and cost-effective solutions.

Terry graduated from Montana State University with a BS degree in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Philosophy. He and his wife Karen live in Cape Elizabeth, where they are active supporters of Special Olympics, Goodwill Industries, and all causes concerning adults with disabilities.

Our Collaborators

Erin Cusenbary joined the faculty of the University of Maine School of Law in 2025 as a professor of practice and the founding Legal Director of the Business & Law Clinic. Her focus is helping students translate concepts they have learned in their coursework into real transactional practice. In the Business & Law Clinic, Professor Cusenbary takes a client-focused, practical approach to helping student attorneys understand and succeed in a corporate legal environment. Professor Cusenbary brings years of experience in private practice, most recently with Latham & Watkins LLP in its Austin, Texas office, where she advised a range of clients on secured financing transactions, with a particular focus on emerging companies.

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!

Andrew Kaufman joined the University of Maine School of Law as professor of practice in 2016, following more than 40 years in private practice and extensive experience teaching transactional law and practice skills. His teaching focuses on areas including business law, commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, financing, risk management, compliance, startups, and entrepreneurship. Before joining Maine Law, he taught at Vanderbilt University Law School, UCLA School of Law, and the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. He also spent much of his legal career as a partner with Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he founded and led the firm’s Debt Finance Group.

At Maine Law, Kaufman directs the Business and Transactional Law Certificate Program and the Compliance Program and contributes to transactional curriculum development, student mentoring, and cross-disciplinary initiatives across the University of Maine System. His work helped lead to the 2026 launch of the Business & Law Clinic, where J.D. and MBA students work together to advise business clients. Kaufman is also active nationally in the field of transactional law and legal opinions and received the Working Group on Legal Opinions Foundation’s James J. Fuld Award in 2024. He earned his B.A. from Yale University and his J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School.

Andrew has over 20 years of experience as a public higher education professional. As Director of the MaineMBA, Andrew leads strategy, student engagement, alumni relations, business partnerships, and program growth for our graduate programs. He is passionate about helping students achieve their goals and connecting the university to the broader community.

Before coming to UMaine, Andrew served as Director of Graduate Studies and Director of Admissions at the University of Southern Maine, and held roles at Hunter College in New York City and the University of Maine System office. Before going into higher education administration, Andrew was an editor and writer for publications in Boston and Maine.

He lives in Portland with his wife and two sons, and is a proud UMaine alum (Class of ‘98).

Ryan Low serves as the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Strategic AI Integration & Treasurer for the University of Maine System, where he oversees financial operations, resource management, and administrative functions across the system’s seven universities. With a focus on fiscal responsibility, operational efficiency, and the strategic use of AI, he works to ensure the system remains financially sustainable while supporting its mission of accessible, high-quality education for Maine’s students.

Ryan has extensive experience in public administration, higher education finance, and AI integration. He is an active voice in discussions on the role of AI in higher education, presenting at events such as the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) in Boston and the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) in Chicago. He is a member of Governor Janet Mills’ Maine Artificial Intelligence Task Force and co-chairs the UMS AI Task Force, helping to guide responsible AI adoption within the university system. Additionally, he is a member of the Generative AI Network for Accreditation and Higher Education (GAIN-AHEAD), an HLC-convened group focused on AI applications in accreditation, institutional operations, and policy development.

Hugh Stevens joined the University of Maine School of Business as Entrepreneur in Residence the Business and Law Clinic as the founding Business Director in 2025.  His focus with the Business and Law Clinic is assisting our consulting business advisors to build their critical thinking, counseling, and communication skills while at the same time giving them the tools to best identify problems, issues, and significant opportunities in approaching their work from the client’s perspective.  Furthermore, the Business and Law clinic exposes the students to the collaborative nature of working with business of all kinds. Before joining the University of Maine, he held leadership roles at several institutions in Maine and Texas as well as having 30 years of private-sector senior leadership and advising experience

Maine Center Executive Committee

  • Jenny Boyden, Vice President for Finance and Administration & Chief Business Officer, University of Maine
  • Carolyn Dorsey, Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives, Chief of Staff to the Chancellor, University of Maine System
  • Joan Ferrini-Mundy, President, University of Maine and University of Maine at Machias; Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, University of Maine System
  • Grace Garland, Project Director for UMS TRANSFORMS, University of Maine System
  • Seth Goodall, CEO, Maine Center Ventures and Executive Director, Maine Center
  • Ryan Low, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Strategic AI Integration, University of Maine System
  • Dannel Malloy, Chancellor, University of Maine System
  • Leigh Saufley, President and Dean, University of Maine School of Law

Maine Center Ventures Board

  • CEO: Seth Goodall, CEO, Maine Center Ventures; Executive Director, the Maine Center
  • Board Chair: Dannel Malloy, Chancellor, University of Maine System
  • Board Treasurer: Ryan Low, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Strategic AI Integration, University of Maine System
  • Board Secretary: Amon Purinton, General Counsel, University of Maine System
  • Elise Baldacci, Board of Trustees, University of Maine System
  • Lori Dwyer, CEO, Penobscot Community Health Care
  • Jacqueline Edmondson, President, University of Southern Maine
  • Joan Ferrini-Mundy, President, University of Maine and University of Maine at Machias; Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, University of Maine System
  • Quincy Hentzel, CEO, Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce
  • Lisa Marchese Eames, former Board of Trustees, University of Maine System
  • Trish Riley, Board of Trustees, University of Maine System
  • Leigh Saufley, President & Dean, University of Maine School of Law