Maine Community Foundation names former attorney general as CEO

Photo / Courtesy of Maine Community Foundation Steven Rowe

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The Maine Community Foundation has named Steven Rowe, a former Maine attorney general, as its next CEO and president.

The nonprofit organization announced its selection of Rowe, who also served as counsel for Portland law firm Verrill Dana, in an email to its members Monday. Rowe, who is currently serving as president of New Hampshire-based Endowment for Health, will start on Sept. 15.

Meredith Jones, whose plan to step down was announced last fall, will continue to serve as CEO and president until Rowe steps on board.

Rowe was unanimously selected by Maine Community Foundation’s board of directors after a national search that was led by Board Vice Chairman Peter Lamb and assisted by Isaacson, Miller of Boston, according to the email. Rowe, who was an officer in the U.S. Army and graduated from the University of Maine School of Law, served as Maine attorney general from 2001 to 2009 and in the Maine House of Representatives from 1992 to 2000. He was the House Speaker during his last term.

“Rowe exceeds our ambitious goals," Dighton Spooner, Maine Community Foundation’s board chairman, said in the email. "His significant leadership skills and his proven ability to bring people together to address pressing issues, from clean air to access to education and early childhood development, make him the right person to lead the community foundation during a time of growth and opportunity."