Photo / Courtesy State of Maine
Michael Duguay
10 hours ago
Thomas College VP nominated as Maine’s next economics commissioner
Gov. Janet Mills nominated Michael Duguay to lead the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.
Duguay's nomination is subject to review by the Legislature's Housing and Economic Development Committee and confirmation by the Maine Senate.
If confirmed, he would succeed Heather Johnson, who in January announced her intention to step down after leading the department for six years.
"Mike's years of experience helping Maine businesses grow, attracting new companies and good-paying jobs to Maine, and preparing workers to succeed in Maine's changing workforce will benefit the department and our state,” said Mills.
Duguay started his economic development career at DECD in 1990.
He is currently vice president of innovation and executive director of the Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation at Thomas College in Waterville.
Since launching the institute in 2017, Duguay has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs market their products and scale their businesses, in addition to training thousands of students.
Patrick Woodcock, president and CEO of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, said Duguay has been instrumental in expanding business exposure for students at Thomas College and was at the forefront of bringing energy solutions to major employers with Summit Utilities.
Steve Levesque, a former DECD commissioner who led the transformation of Brunswick Landing, said Duguay has a wide spectrum of public and private sector experiences and collaborative attitude that make him well-suited to lead the agency.
Career path
Before joining Thomas College in 2017, Duguay’s career spanned business, economic and community development in Maine.
From 1990 to 1998, he served as a project manager for DECD's Office of Business Development and Office of Community Development. From 1998 to 1999, he was executive director of the Midcoast Council for Business Development, leading business attraction and expansion efforts in Bath, Brunswick and Topsham.
Duguay was director of economic development for the city of Augusta from 1999 to 2012, attracting private housing development and business investment that added more than $200 million in value to the city's tax rolls.
From 2012 to 2016, he served as director of business development for Summit Natural Gas, where he managed a business sales team and directed the investment of $280 million in capital assets.
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