Governor-elect Hannah Pingree Names 22-Person Transition Committee

Governor-elect Hannah Pingree announced on Tuesday the 22-member transition committee that will assist her administration in preparing for the upcoming change in leadership, Maine Public reported.

The committee is tasked with helping Pingree select the individuals who will lead state agencies and fill her Cabinet. Pingree, a Democrat, is scheduled to be sworn in on Jan. 6 to succeed the outgoing Governor Janet Mills.

The announcement follows the earlier designation of former Republican state Senator Roger Katz and former Penobscot Nation Ambassador Maulian Bryant to lead the panel. The remaining members represent a cross-section of Maine’s business, healthcare, nonprofit, and public sectors.

Governor-elect Hannah Pingree introduces transition team for Maine cabinet jobs

During a press conference held at the State House, Pingree emphasized the breadth of the group’s background.

“So they are a group with deep and varied expertise,” Pingree said. “They come from every corner of the state. They are each respected leaders who bring important and diverse perspectives and they bring expertise to this process and the decisions that we have to make.”

The committee includes figures from various professional backgrounds, ranging from maritime industry leaders to healthcare professionals and educators. For instance, the list features Luke Holden, a third-generation lobsterman and founder of Luke’s Lobster, alongside Steve Smith, the former president and CEO of L.L. Bean.

Governor-elect Hannah Pingree Names 22-Person Transition Committee

The healthcare sector is represented by several professionals, including Dr. Barbara Crowley, a pediatrician leading the Peter Alfond Endowment programs at MaineGeneral Health, and Dr. Richard Evans, a retired surgeon and former president of the Maine Medical Association. Marwa Hassanien, a human resources director for a large health system, also joins the panel.

The following individuals have been named to the 22-person committee:

Maine Governor-elect Hannah Pingree unveils transition team

Judy Camuso, former commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Hannah Carter, dean of cooperative extension and a deputy provost at the University of Maine
Vicky Cohen, a retired educator
Ken Colburn, principal of Symbiotic Strategies LLC
Maureen Drouin, executive director of Maine Conservation Voters and the Maine Conservation Alliance
Liza Fleming-Ives, executive director of the Genesis Community Loan Fund
Elsie Flemings, executive director of Healthy Acadia and former state lawmaker
Liam LaFountain, mayor of Biddeford
Susan Nourse, former chief of police in Freeport
Jason Parent, CEO for Avec Community Action
Grant Provost, vice president of Maine AFL-CIO
Sen. Peggy Rotundo, longtime state lawmaker and co-chair of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee
Claude Rwaganje, founder and executive director of ProsperityME
Eloise Vitelli, former Maine Senate majority leader
Ben Waxman, CEO and co-founder of American Roots

The committee’s composition includes members with direct experience in Maine’s legislative and economic development frameworks. Senator Peggy Rotundo currently co-chairs the budget-writing Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee.

Economic development and community support are addressed through members like Liza Fleming-Ives of the Genesis Community Loan Fund and Claude Rwaganje, who leads ProsperityME to assist immigrants with financial education and housing. The inclusion of Grant Provost, a vice president of the Maine AFL-CIO, suggests a focus on labor and industry analysis within the transition process.

The transition period will conclude when Pingree takes office in early January, marking the formal handover of state authority from the Mills administration.