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Updated: 7 hours ago 2025 Business Leaders of the Year

Business Leaders: Olympia Snowe continues to inspire women through her leadership institute

Photo / Courtesy of Olympia Snowe Olympia Snowe held elected office for nearly four decades.
By Tina Fischer
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Olympia Snowe served in elected office for four decades and was the first woman to serve in both the state House and Senate and the U.S. House and Senate. After retiring from the U.S. Senate in 2013, she founded the Olympia Snowe Leadership Institute with a mission to build confidence, raise aspirations and encourage leadership in high school girls. In 10 years, the nonprofit has served more than 1,400 girls from 37 high schools, from every county in Maine.

Mainebiz: What do you feel were some of your most challenging, and rewarding, accomplishments during your time in Congress?

Olympia Snowe: In addition to chairing the Congressional Caucus on Women’s Issues for my last 10 years in the U.S. House, I served on several important committees including commerce, armed services, intelligence and small business. The work was important to both our state and our country and gave me a platform from which to help Maine across a spectrum of issues, from fighting for Bath Iron Works and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to advocating for our state’s small businesses, and providing our rural schools and libraries with access to vital broadband and internet connectivity.

MB: What inspired you to start the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute?

OS: The concept of the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute was born out of my lived experience and research showing that girls lose confidence more than three times faster than boys as they transition from middle to high school.

When I was first elected to Congress, women made up just 3% of the body. Today, women hold 28% of the seats in Congress. We have made progress, but women represent 50% of our country’s population, so we have more work to do. Forums in which decisions are made and policies set are stronger when women have a seat at the table. With too few women in visible leadership roles and with girls losing confidence, the pipeline of talent has the potential to wither. I wanted to influence that outcome and let Maine girls know that we need them to be the leaders they aspire to be.

Photo / Courtesy of Olympia Snowe
Olympia Snowe with the inaugural class of girls from Auburn’s Edward Little High School, her alma mater.

MB: How is the institute’s model having an impact on the program’s participants and on the state?

OS: The institute is bridging the gap between girls’ aspirations and their ability to realize their dreams. Of Olympia’s Leaders, as the girls are known, 100% graduate high school, 96% go on to post-secondary education, and more than 80% pursue STEM studies. The last statistic illustrates that our girls have the confidence to enter fields that have traditionally been male dominated.

The accredited, three-year curriculum focuses on “My Values, My Voice, and My Vision” and helps young women acquire leadership skills through mentorship. With more women represented across industries and pathways, the next generation will have networks to guide them along the way. When our girls thrive, our state and our workforce thrive, too.

MB: Who are some of the advisors who mentor the young women in the institute’s program?

OS: The institute’s mentors are the heart of the organization. At any given time, we have 220 volunteer advisors leading [Olympia’s Leaders] through the three-year program. We have built a statewide network, and these women hail from every county, and represent Maine’s diverse business landscape, from banks and small businesses, multinationals and nonprofits, education and the environment to hospitals, hospitality, retailers and manufacturers.

MB: As the institute heads into its second decade, what are your aspirations for the organization?

OS: First and foremost, the board of directors and I want to ensure the sustainability of the institute by growing our endowment. It is clear that the program is needed, has a positive impact, and that our girls deserve all the support we can offer. Looking ahead, I see us serving more girls in our existing partner high schools — ultimately graduating more than 220 Olympia’s Leaders each year — and offering professional development programs for what will be more than 2,000 alums in five years and more than 3,000 in 10 years, a significant number of whom will be working here in Maine, hopefully in our partner companies.

Olympia Snowe

Served in the U.S. Senate (1995–2013), the U.S. House of Representatives (1979-1995), and the Maine House and Senate (1973–79), as a Republican

Founder of Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute, 2014

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