FARMINGTON —The University of Maine at Farmington is pleased to announce that Dr. Nirav Dinesh Shah, former principal deputy director of the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and voice and face of the pandemic response in Maine during his time at the Maine CDC, will be the Commencement speaker for the upcoming graduation of the UMF Class of 2025.
UMF will also proudly award Jonathan Moody, UMF alumnus and Maine’s 2024 State Superintendent of the Year, an honorary degree of doctor of humane letters.
This year’s UMF Commencement exercises will take place in-person on Saturday, May 10 at 11 a.m., on the grounds of the Narrow Gauge Outdoor Venue behind the Narrow Gauge Cinemas in downtown Farmington.
Shah is an American epidemiologist, economist and attorney. While in medical school, he worked for the Ministry of Health in Cambodia where his work included outbreak investigation and he aided in the response to the SARS and Avian Influenza outbreaks.
“We are honored to have Dr. Nirav Shah as this year’s Commencement speaker. He became a daily presence in the lives of Mainers as he led the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a significant event in the lives of our students and families. His professionalism, compassion and leadership are a wonderful example for our new graduates as they chart their own career pathways as tomorrow’s leaders,” said Joseph McDonnell, UMF president.
Following medical school, Shah worked as a health care attorney and was appointed as the director of the Illinois Dept. of Public Health from 2015–19.
In 2019 he was appointed by Maine Gov. Janet Mills as the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention where he served as the voice and face of the pandemic response in Maine. In 2023 he was appointed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the principal deputy director, followed by appointment as the acting director.
Throughout his career, Shah has championed critical public health issues including combating the opioid crisis, childhood lead poisoning and reducing maternal and infant mortality. His leadership and communication style are renowned for being centered in both scientific investigation and human compassion.
Shah recently returned to Maine to launch a public health education program at Colby College.
Moody, UMF alumnus, superintendent for MSAD 54 and Maine’s 2024 Superintendent of the Year will be honored at this year’s commencement ceremony as the recipient of an honorary degree of doctor of humane letters.
A lifelong educator, Moody earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Farmington in 1998. During his career, he has served as a coach, tutor, secondary teacher, middle school administrator, high school principal and is currently MSAD 54 superintendent of schools serving the towns of Skowhegan, Canaan, Mercer, Smithfield, Cornville and Norridgewock.
Under his leadership and in tandem with the district’s partnership with Kennebec Valley Community Action Program, MSAD 54 envisioned and developed a first-of-its-kind-in-Maine elementary school that will provide early childhood programming for children ages 6 weeks old to three years and comprehensive educational programming to students in pre-K through grade 5. Additionally, the Margaret Chase Smith Community School will provide technical center early childhood space for high school students and will be a learning lab for professional development as well as the support of pre-service teachers.
“We are pleased to award an honorary doctoral degree to Jonathan Moody for his significant contribution to Pre-K to 12 students in Maine. We are proud of this UMF alumnus, a UMF Athletics Hall of Fame member, a UMF Board of Visitor member, and a part-time faculty member in our Education program,” said McDonnell. “And we congratulate Jon for being named Maine’s 2024 State Superintendent of the Year.”
In addition to his role as superintendent of schools, Moody serves on several boards that support the field of education. Currently Moody serves on the board of directors of the Mitchell Institute, is a member of the Redington-Fairview Hospital Board, is a member of the Early Childhood Advisory committee with Educate Maine and serves as an adjunct Instructor for the Educational Leadership program at University of Maine at Farmington. He is also a member of the UMF Board of Visitors.
He and his wife Shelly (Maine’s 2011 Teacher of the Year, and Elementary Principal in RSU18) are proud alumni of UMF (’98), where they both were scholar-athletes. He was a 2016 inductee into the UMF Athletics Hall of Fame. They are both active advocates for a strong educational system for students (PK-16) statewide. Together, they have three children, Jacob, Grace and Olivia.
Additional event details —
The UMF 2025 Commencement ceremony will be held off-campus on Saturday, May 10 at 11 a.m., at the outdoor Narrow Gauge Amphitheater behind Narrow Gauge Cinemas in downtown Farmington. No tickets are required for the outdoor ceremony. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held at 11 a.m., in the Fitness and Recreation Center on the UMF campus. Tickets are distributed to students for their guests and will be required if the ceremony is indoors in the Fitness and Recreation Center.
Additional information and updates can be found at: https://www.umf.maine.edu/commencement-2025/.
