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Better Maine 2026: Working With AI

Thursday November 5, 2026, 12:30pm – 5:15pm

Greene Block + Studios, Waterville

Register Schedule Speakers Sponsors & Partners
Better Maine 2026: Working With AI is a half-day working summit for the people who employ Mainers. Not a technology showcase. Not a policy symposium. An afternoon built to send you back to work with something you can actually do.
Now in its fifth year, Better Maine is hosted by the Central Maine Growth Council and Dirigo Labs in downtown Waterville. It is built for employers, HR and operations leaders, community leaders, educators, and workforce providers.
Sessions run at Greene Block + Studios, 18 Main Street, and the closing reception is at the Lockwood Hotel, a two-minute walk down Main Street. Light refreshments on arrival, afternoon coffee and snacks, and a reception with appetizers are included. Space is limited to 100.

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Tickets are on sale now through Eventbrite. Seating is limited to 100.

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Schedule

Time
Session
Location
12:30 – 1:00 PM
Arrival, Networking & Light Refreshments
Greene Block + Studios
1:00 – 1:15 PM
Welcome & Opening Remarks

Garvan D. Donegan, President & CEO, Central Maine Growth Council

Greene Block + Studios
1:15 – 1:50 PM
AI and Maine’s Labor Market: What do the data tell us?

Mark McInerney, Ph.D., Director, Center for Workforce Research and Information, Maine Department of Labor

There is no shortage of bold predictions about the workforce impact of AI. What can the data and emerging research tell us today? This session examines the documented and potential impact of AI on jobs, by occupation, skills and educational attainment in the context of broader population, demographic and economic trends in the state.

Greene Block + Studios
1:50 – 2:30 PM
Breakout Session 1

The Human Side of AI at Work, with Keri Lyle, Professional Certified Coach and facilitator, Roux Institute and Harvard Business School Executive Education
Location: Howard Miller Room, Lockwood Hotel

From AI Experimentation to Responsible Adoption: Putting Practical Governance in Place, with Kyle Peterson, Senior Director, vCIO (Virtual Chief Information Officer) at Uprise Partners
Location: Greene Block + Studios

2 Breakout Sessions
2:30 – 2:45 PM
Coffee & Snack Break
Greene Block + Studios
2:45 – 3:25 PM
Breakout Session 2

The Human Advantage: Leadership, Ethics & Workforce Development in the Age of AI, with Donald Cragen, D.S.M., Chair, H. Allen Ryan School of Business, Thomas College
Location: Greene Block + Studios

A practical tour of the AI tools available, with Noah Workman, Founder, cQuenced
Location: Howard Miller Room, Lockwood Hotel

2 Breakout Sessions
3:30 – 4:15 PM
Keynote Address

Preparing Students for the Workforce in the Age of AI, with Jeannine Diddle Uzzi, Ph.D., President, Thomas College

Greene Block + Studios
4:15 – 5:15 PM
Wrap-Up & Networking Reception

Appetizers and drinks. Speakers stay on for questions.

Lockwood Hotel

Speakers

Confirmed speakers for Better Maine 2026. More sessions are being finalized, and the full program will be published in October.
  • Garvan D. Donegan, President & CEO, Central Maine Growth Council
  • Mark McInerney, Ph.D., Director, Center for Workforce Research and Information, Maine Department of Labor, and author of Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Maine’s Workforce
  • Keri Lyle, Professional Certified Coach and facilitator, Roux Institute and Harvard Business School Executive Education
  • Kyle Peterson, Senior Director, vCIO (Virtual Chief Information Officer) at Uprise Partners
  • Donald Cragen, D.S.M., Chair, H. Allen Ryan School of Business, Thomas College
  • Noah Workman, Founder, cQuenced
  • Jeannine Diddle Uzzi, Ph.D., President, Thomas College

Sponsors & Partners

Better Maine puts your organization in front of the employers, educators, and community leaders shaping central Maine’s workforce. Sponsorship levels run from Community Sponsor to Presenting Sponsor.
Thank you to our 2026 sponsor. Additional sponsors will be announced here as they are confirmed.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust

Sponsorship opportunities are available!

Reach central Maine employers as they work through what AI means for their people.

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