The board of directors of the Maine Jobs Council has named Ben Lucas as the first executive director for the nonpartisan business advocacy organization, which was created a year and a half ago.
Lucas, who began his duties in late December, most recently served as a member of re-election campaign staff for U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. He also worked in the energy, environment and municipal practice group at Portland law firm Bernstein Shur, and has been active in public policy and campaign efforts at the state and federal level.
Brian Parke, a board member and president and CEO of the Maine Motor Transport Association, made the announcement in a news release.
The council’s goal is to protect and grow jobs in Maine and now has nearly 100 members. They comprise Maine-based, small and mid-sized employers who provide foundational jobs. Many are family-owned, multi-generational businesses and have employed multiple generations of Mainers.
The council seeks to advance public policies to support the creation and preservation of foundational jobs in Maine, which are jobs that add value or bring revenue into the state through a base of stable, good-paying jobs in industries such as manufacturing, construction, transportation, energy, farming, fishing, forestry, tourism, hospitality and adapting to 21st-century innovation.
The council’s leadership consists of an executive director and a 10-person volunteer board of directors.
For more information, click here.