October 11, 2004
An eye for the issues | Laurie Lachance moves from state economist to head of the Maine Development Foundation
By Sean Donahue
During her decade-long stint as state economist, Laurie Lachance compiled research that helped lawmakers, governors and state agencies understand the mechanics of Maine's economy and create policy. As much as she enjoyed that work, her position rarely allowed her to move beyond an advisory role in the process of economic development. But now, as the newly appointed president and CEO of the Maine Development Foundation, Lachance says she's eager to cross that line. "For the last 11 years, I've been working on issues of importance to Maine's economy," says Lachance. "Now I get to take a lead in pulling together folks to try and take some action to address those issues."
In September, the Maine Development Foundation board of directors hired Lachance to replace Henry Bourgeois, who is stepping down after 20 years as head of the organization. During that time, Bourgeois helped create some of MDF's most influential programs, such as Leadership Maine and the Maine Economic Growth Council, which publishes the annual Measures of Growth report ˆ programs that Lachance knows well. She graduated from Leadership Maine in 1998, is a member of the Maine Economic Growth Council and is a speaker for MDF's Policy Leaders Academy, which educates incoming legislators on the Maine economy.
Beyond that familiarity with MDF's work and her economics training, Lachance, 43, also brings to MDF her private sector experience, having working for 10 years as a corporate economist with Central Maine Power Co. With that background, Lachance likely is as well known as Henry Bourgeois to lawmakers and private sector business leaders, who are MDF's target audience for programs, as well as key financial supporters. "I believe that [experience] was pretty important to the board members, [and] they took that into account when selecting me," says Lachance. "But filling Henry's shoes is going to be very hard no matter what."
But as Bourgeois said in an interview with Mainebiz earlier this year, rather than looking for a clone of himself he was hoping to find someone to bring new ideas to MDF ˆ and Lachance says she's already got plenty of them. Her first goal is to connect with existing corporate supporters, such as L.L. Bean and Banknorth Group. Along the way, she also hopes to help MDF adapt to Maine's changing corporate climate. "Most of our large businesses are now owned by out-of-state firms," says Lachance. "We need to figure out how we engage or sustain commitments from companies now owned out-of-state, and how we engage those local companies that haven't seen themselves as Maine's corporate leaders before."
Among her ideas for new programs, Lachance says she sees enormous potential for MDF to help untangle the question of regionalization of municipal services. As an economist, she's seen how Maine's graying population has collided with rising education and infrastructure costs, contributing to the state tax burden. But she's also seen how contentious the debate over regionalization can get among municipal governments, the state and wary citizens ˆ which is why she believes MDF's ability to foster collaboration between disparate groups can be influential.
Whether she's taking on regionalization or other new program areas, Lachance says her goal is for MDF to continue helping Mainers view individual issues ˆ such as taxes, education or health care costs ˆ as part of an economic whole. But even as she prepares to take a high-altitude view of the issues, the economist still expects to keep watch on a multitude of indicators that can help her direct MDF's next steps. "Rather than getting wrapped up in any single number, I hope to bring the experience of taking a really good, broad view of what the economic numbers are telling us and how might we change those trends," says Lachance. "My work [at MDF] will be well grounded in economic reality."
In September, the Maine Development Foundation board of directors hired Lachance to replace Henry Bourgeois, who is stepping down after 20 years as head of the organization. During that time, Bourgeois helped create some of MDF's most influential programs, such as Leadership Maine and the Maine Economic Growth Council, which publishes the annual Measures of Growth report ˆ programs that Lachance knows well. She graduated from Leadership Maine in 1998, is a member of the Maine Economic Growth Council and is a speaker for MDF's Policy Leaders Academy, which educates incoming legislators on the Maine economy.
Beyond that familiarity with MDF's work and her economics training, Lachance, 43, also brings to MDF her private sector experience, having working for 10 years as a corporate economist with Central Maine Power Co. With that background, Lachance likely is as well known as Henry Bourgeois to lawmakers and private sector business leaders, who are MDF's target audience for programs, as well as key financial supporters. "I believe that [experience] was pretty important to the board members, [and] they took that into account when selecting me," says Lachance. "But filling Henry's shoes is going to be very hard no matter what."
But as Bourgeois said in an interview with Mainebiz earlier this year, rather than looking for a clone of himself he was hoping to find someone to bring new ideas to MDF ˆ and Lachance says she's already got plenty of them. Her first goal is to connect with existing corporate supporters, such as L.L. Bean and Banknorth Group. Along the way, she also hopes to help MDF adapt to Maine's changing corporate climate. "Most of our large businesses are now owned by out-of-state firms," says Lachance. "We need to figure out how we engage or sustain commitments from companies now owned out-of-state, and how we engage those local companies that haven't seen themselves as Maine's corporate leaders before."
Among her ideas for new programs, Lachance says she sees enormous potential for MDF to help untangle the question of regionalization of municipal services. As an economist, she's seen how Maine's graying population has collided with rising education and infrastructure costs, contributing to the state tax burden. But she's also seen how contentious the debate over regionalization can get among municipal governments, the state and wary citizens ˆ which is why she believes MDF's ability to foster collaboration between disparate groups can be influential.
Whether she's taking on regionalization or other new program areas, Lachance says her goal is for MDF to continue helping Mainers view individual issues ˆ such as taxes, education or health care costs ˆ as part of an economic whole. But even as she prepares to take a high-altitude view of the issues, the economist still expects to keep watch on a multitude of indicators that can help her direct MDF's next steps. "Rather than getting wrapped up in any single number, I hope to bring the experience of taking a really good, broad view of what the economic numbers are telling us and how might we change those trends," says Lachance. "My work [at MDF] will be well grounded in economic reality."
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