Paquette stepping down as Department of Labor commissioner

Courtesy / Maine Department of Labor Jeanne Paquette, who has been commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor since 2012, is leaving the LePage administration to assume a position at the University of Southern Maine.

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By Staff

Gov. Paul R. LePage announced Friday that Jeanne Paquette, commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor, will be leaving his administration to become director of auxiliary services at the University of Southern Maine.

“We are proud of the work Commissioner Paquette has done at MDOL to improve services for Maine workers and the businesses that employ them,” LePage said in a statement. “Under her strong leadership, MDOL has become more efficient and more responsive to the needs of both our employees and our employers. The department has stepped up its efforts to provide assistance and retraining when jobs are lost and to help Mainers prepare for and find good jobs.” He added that during Paquette’s time at MDOL, Maine has seen the lowest unemployment rate since 1976 and the highest number of private-sector jobs ever created in the state. “We are truly sorry to see Jeanne go, but we wish her all the best in this exciting next chapter of her life.”

Paquette served as MDOL’s deputy commissioner from July 2011 to September 2012. She joined the LePage administration with more than 20 years of experience as a business owner and human resources specialist, experience that brought to her role a comprehensive understanding of how the Labor Department interacts with employers and employees. Her background in human resources was focused on finding good jobs for good people and led her to found several industry-related publications and websites, including the Employment Times, HR Times and MyJobWave.com.

Prior to founding her media businesses in 1999, which later merged with Sun Media Group, Paquette held the position of vice president, human resources at Androscoggin Bank based in Lewiston. She previously served as the director of human resources at Creative Work Systems, a non-profit serving people with disabilities.

She has also served as a past member of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce board of directors, the Maine Jobs Council and several nonprofit boards.