PORTLAND — FocusMaine, a private-sector organization, working to create jobs in the food economy and bioeconomy, announced that Joan Ferrini-Mundy, president of the University of Maine, and Patrick Woodcock, president and CEO of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, have joined the organization’s Leadership Team.
“Joan’s deep academic and research experiences and Patrick’s broad statewide business perspective are great additions to FocusMaine’s leadership team. They will bring unique and valuable expertise to FocusMaine as we strive to accelerate our impact,” said Andrea Cianchette Maker, FocusMaine president, co-chair, and co-founder.
Ferrini-Mundy is the president of the University of Maine and its regional campus, the University of Maine at Machias. Prior to joining the UMaine and UMaine Machias communities on July 1, 2018, she was the chief operating officer of the National Science Foundation.
After receiving her Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of New Hampshire in 1980, Ferrini-Mundy was a postdoctoral associate there, and a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics at Mount Holyoke College. Among her awards and recognitions are the U.S. Senior Executive Service Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Executive, MSU’s University Distinguished Professorship, and election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Mathematical Society.
Currently, Ferrini-Mundy co-chairs the OECD Mathematics Expert Group for PISA 2021 and is a member of the National Academies Board on Higher Education and the Workforce. She is leading the development of a University of Maine System plan for research and development. Ferrini-Mundy serves on the boards of Maine Center Ventures, and Maine & Company, and is an ex officio board member of the University of Maine Foundation. Just last week, it was announced that the Biden administration has appointed Ferrini-Mundy to serve on the National Science Board.
Woodcock joined the Maine State Chamber of Commerce in October 2023 in the role of president and CEO, returning to his home state after serving in a number of state energy leadership positions in New England. Prior to joining the Chamber, Woodcock was commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources under Gov. Charlie Barker, where he oversaw offshore wind procurement, new building codes, solar policies, and all other state and regional energy policies. He also served on the board of the National Association of State Energy Officials and several state and regional energy boards.
Prior to working in Massachusetts, Woodcock was director of the Maine Energy Office from 2013 to 2016 under Gov. Paul LePage, where he led efforts to expand air source heat pump adoption and other energy efficiency investments. He previously served as an adviser to former U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe in her Washington, D.C. office. Woodcock graduated from Bowdoin College in 2004 with a bachelor of arts in government.
In addition to Ferrini-Mundy and Woodcock the FocusMaine Leadership Team includes:
- Andrea Cianchette Maker, FocusMaine president and co-chair
- Michael Dubyak, FocusMaine co-chair and former president, CEO and chair of WEX, Inc.
- Michael Bourque, president and CEO, MEMIC
- Jay Dearborn, chief strategy officer, WEX, Inc.
- John Fitzsimmons, PhD, president, Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges
- Ed McKersie, founder and president, ProSearch, Inc.
- Kristin Miale, managing director, Caswell Advisory Group
- Amanda Rector, Maine State Economist, Department of Administrative and Financial Services
FocusMaine is a dynamic, data-driven, private sector-led initiative collaborating with influential leaders to accelerate the growth of high-potential industries, creating quality jobs and shaping a future-ready economy. Over the past six years, the growth of FocusMaine sectors, the Food Economy and Bioeconomy, outpaced Maine’s overall growth. FocusMaine catalyzed over 1,200 jobs, including 577 jobs in companies participating in their programs which created an additional 618 indirect jobs, generating $261.7 million in sales revenue and $71 million in earnings.
Over the past year, job growth in food companies participating in FocusMaine programs was twice as high as job growth in Maine’s overall food sector, and six times as high as job growth in Maine’s overall economy.
