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2021 Five on the Future Virtual Forum - Panelist Bios

Keynote and Moderator
 

Jeffrey C. Fuhrer: Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Mass Development / Senior Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
Jeffrey (Jeff) Fuhrer is Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Mass Development, the state’s largest economic development agency, where he is responsible for strategic oversight of the Agency’s programs. He also heads up the Agency’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts. He also holds a position as Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy Schools’ Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, where he continues his research into public policy issues. He was previously EVP and Senior Policy Advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, where he served as an advisor to the Bank’s President, advising on monetary policy, economic research, and regional and community outreach. He was also responsible for the Bank’s diversity and inclusion functions. He has been an associate economist of the Federal Open Market Committee, regularly attending this key U.S. policy making meeting with the Bank’s president.

Fuhrer began his career at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, first as a research assistant, and then in 1985 returned as a senior economist after earning his doctorate. He has been active in economic research for more than three decades and has served as an associate editor for the American Economic Review. Fuhrer has published numerous scholarly papers on the interactions among monetary policy, inflation, consumer spending, and asset prices. He has been married for 40 years and has three grown children. Fuhrer earned an A.B. in economics with highest honors from Princeton University, and received his M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University.

Panelists
 

Dava Davin: Founder & Principal of Portside Real Estate Group
Dava Davin started Portside Real Estate Group in 2012, with a handful of agents, a small office in Falmouth, Maine, and one simple idea: to put the “real” back in real estate. Today, they have 100+ agents and five offices throughout Southern Maine. Now the fifth-largest real estate company in the state—and the only woman-owned practice in the top-10. If Dava had to pick three words to describe our practice—and my professional journey—they’d be: gritty, grassroots, and gratitude. They’re values that we at Portside live every day.

 

Jessica Estes: Partner, Designated Broker at The Boulos Company
Jessica joined The Boulos Company in 2003, focusing on brokerage and eventually shifting to operations. In 2018, she returned to brokerage, her passion. She loves learning what’s driving a business and its need for space, and helping clients make smart real estate decisions. She particularly enjoys working with entrepreneurs. As the wife and daughter of business owners, the entrepreneurial spirit is in her blood. A Maine native, Jess lives in Yarmouth and enjoys traveling, boating, and skiing with her family.

 

Jennifer Hutchins: Executive Director of the Maine Association of Nonprofits
Jennifer Hutchins became the Executive Director of the Maine Association of Nonprofits in July 2016. Prior to joining MANP, Jennifer was Executive Director of Creative Portland, where she led the City of Portland’s efforts to strengthen the creative economy. Jennifer also served as Director of Communications and External Affairs at the USM Muskie School of Public Service for nine years and Marketing Director at Portland Stage Company from 1995-2000. She has served on several boards during her career, including Visit Portland, the Greater Portland Economic Development Council, the Maine Association of Nonprofits, the Maine Academy of Modern Music, the Maine Philanthropy Center and, most recently, the Muskie School Board of Visitors.

In May 2020, Jennifer was selected to participate on Governor Mills’ Economic Recovery Committee, which is tasked with putting forth recommendations to alleviate the impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic on the state’s economy. Jennifer holds a Master’s in public policy and management from the USM Muskie School and lives in Portland with her husband and two daughters.

 

Curtis Picard: President & CEO of the Retail Association of Maine
Curtis Picard joined the Retail Association of Maine (formerly the Maine Merchants Association) in November of 2007. Prior to his current position, Curtis was Vice President of Business Development and International Trade for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. He was responsible for the chamber’s International Trade Program with offices in Shanghai, China and Taipei, Taiwan. Additionally, he coordinated the annual VT Business and Industry EXPO, the largest Business to Business trade show in Northern New England and managed the Vermont Aerospace and Aviation Association (VAAA), a group formed to support the aviation industry in Vermont and an affiliate of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.

Picard serves on the board of directors of the Topsham Development, Inc., and the Maine Society of Association Executives. He has previously served on the boards of the Maine Tourism Association, Council of State Retail Associations, National Retail Federation and InforME. He was appointed by the DECD Commissioner to the Maine Small Business and Entrepreneurship Commission. In 2018, he was honored with the J. Thomas Weyant Award by the National Retail Federation recognizing the state retail association executive of the year.

 

Derek Volk: President of Volk Packaging
Derek Volk is the owner of Volk Packaging Corporation, a third-generation family-owned and operated corrugated box manufacturer in Biddeford, Maine.  He has been working at Volk Packaging since high school and has been running the company for 20 years.  Derek is a Maine businessman, best-selling author, former radio personality, and nationally recognized public speaker.  He is a grateful supporter of veterans’ organizations and created the Volk Packaging Heroes Wall as a way to honor members of the US Armed Forces, past and present. Along with his family, Derek was named the 2015 Spurwink “Humanitarian of the Year.”  That same year, Mainebiz named Derek to their NEXT List, recognizing him as one of Maine’s business trailblazers.  In 2020, Derek was inducted into the Manufacturer’s Association of Maine’s “Manufacturer’s Hall of Fame.”

Volk Packaging Corporation has also been the recipient of several awards, including: Governor’s Award for Business Excellence, Institute for Family Owned Business’ Family Business of the Year, and The Wolak Customer Service Award. They are one of the few small manufacturers ever named to Maine Best Places to Work.  For additional information about Volk Packaging, visit Volk Packaging Online.