Photo / Soubanh Phanthay
More than 250 people attended Thursday's event.
May 8, 2025
'Walk boldly into the room' and other insights from the Mainebiz Women's Leadership Forum
Photo / Soubanh Phanthay
From left: Katie Shorey, Michelle Anderson, Mufalo Chitam, Andrea Cianchette Maker, Liz Kohler and Laura Rinck take center stage at the Mainebiz Women's Leadership Forum in Portland on Thursday.
After a dozen years as a writing teacher, Laura Rinck was feeling restless in her career. One day she took the leap and asked a student's parent who worked in advertising about becoming a summer intern with her firm.
Rinck landed the summer internship and has been working in the industry ever since, starting Rinck Advertising in Lewiston more than 25 years ago.
“My career started with an act of courage,” Rinck told a Mainebiz forum in Portland on Thursday. Today in leading an agency staffed by 40 employees, she said she values courage over credentials any day.
”Courage is when you do the thing even when you’re afraid,” she said.
Rinck was joined at the Mainebiz Women’s Leadership Forum by four other panelists in a 90-minute discussion moderated by Katie Shorey, director of engagement at Live + Work in Maine and president of Startup Maine.
The other panelists were: Michelle Anderson, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Maine; Mufalo Chitam, executive director of the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition; Andrea Cianchette Maker, co-founder and president of FocusMaine; and Liz Kohler, managing director of strategy, operations and growth, at Northeastern University’s Roux Institute.
From nuts-and-bolts networking tips to illuminating anecdotes, panelists shared insights into the power of networks, collaboration and mentorship. More than 250 people attended the morning event, held at the new home of the Good Theater at Stevens Square in Portland.
Other takeaways
“When women lead, they elevate communities.” — Katie Shorey
“Ask questions to understand.” — Mufalo Chitam
“Build strong and authentic networks” — Andrea Cianchette Maker
“A strong partnership is also one where conflict exists and you figure out how to manage through it.” — Liz Kohler
Two questions to ask people when networking: “What excites you about your life right now?” And “If you could give a TED talk, what would you give a TED talk on?” — Michelle Anderson
"Walk boldly into the room and know that you deserve to be in the room." — Laura Rinck
Advice to daughters
During the audience participation portion that followed, one attendee asked about expressing gratitude while another sought advice on raising his two daughters to be resilient.
"Give them experiences," suggested Maker.
Revisiting her earlier remarks about women belonging in the room, Rinck recommended telling them that "'you deserve to be in there or build the room yourself."
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