The Better Maine Conference: Growing a Diverse Workforce

Kerem Durdag, as executive leader of people and companies bringing out the best of their talents and aspirations, taking into consideration all stakeholders (he is a massive fan of B Corp and conscious capitalism) having over 25 years of experience directing world-class teams. Currently he is President and Chief Operating Officer of GWI (www.gwi.net), a leading ISP/telco in Maine. Previously he served as the Entrepreneur-In-Residence for the Maine Technology Institute. He was the CEO of a start-up (in the sensors market) leading it to growth and eventual acquisition by a public company. Another start-up he led (medical device and advanced materials) was sold in 2016 to a global Chinese company after failing to sustain its growth trajectory. He has also been the CTO of a large US subsidiary of a public German semiconductor and optical media company and prior was the leader of the engineering department of an electronics company which went public. He is also the Founder and Managing Partner of Indus Fund which provides micro-loans to immigrant business owners. With an inherent strong bias towards action, Kerem also serves on several Boards and is a member of the Maine angel investing community.

Lisa Jones founded the proprietary booking engine Worldwide Group Travel & Events in 2006. Her mission has always been to provide a unique blend of travel and event-planning services for large and small travel groups. With over 20 years of corporate digital marketing experience marked by a unique ability to spot emerging trends, Jones established the Worldwide Group Travel & Events platform to help meet the needs of the growing market that most of her contemporaries virtually ignored – group travel. Long before other professionals noticed, she knew that solo travel and “tribe travel” –people seeking unique, authentic travel experiences shared with others – would mark a new era for the travel industry. Providing seamless travel is her expertise, the founder of the experiential travel series Jamaica Fit Trip previously featured twice on Fox 5 Good Day New York. Along with being featured in Black Enterprise Magazine both online in their print edition. Lisa’s specialty in luxury destination wedding planning landed her a featured article in Contemporary Bride Magazine and Style me Pretty blog. The technology behind Worldwide Group Travel has attracted groups from as far away as Poland and Brazil. With a 17+ year history, her technology exceeds the powers of leading hybrid travel agencies like Expedia, Travcoa, Kayak and many others.

Bill Benson joined Boots2Roots in 2019 after a successful stint as the owner/operator of a small manufacturing business in Maine. Prior to owning his business and before moving to Maine in 2014, Bill spent 24 years on active duty with the United States Army. Bill is a combat veteran who served over 42 months deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. When not deployed, Bill enjoyed tours of duty in places like Texas, California, Germany, Colorado, Kansas, Georgia and Tennessee. When it came time to transition, Bill, his wife Tara, and their three children chose to settle in Maine because, out of all the places they lived, Maine felt most like home. Bill joined Boots2Roots because of the opportunity to use his own experiences as a veteran and business owner to assist other transitioning service members in finding meaningful work and put down roots in Maine.

David Pease is Senior Vice President – Director of Talent, Diversity & Inclusion at Bangor Savings Bank. His HR career spans 30+ years in business, nonprofit, healthcare, academia and corporate America. He has a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management from Lesley University and a BS in Political Science and Communication from the University of Southern Maine. David also has the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and the Senior Certified Professional (SCP-SHRM) national designations. He’s been on the faculty of the Maine HR Convention for 15 years and served as an adjunct faculty member in Thomas College’s graduate school. David is the former State Director of Maine SHRM and received the distinguished Maine HR Leader of the Year award. He is a frequent speaker at state and national conferences. David serves as mentor and coach to numerous professionals in all stages of their career.

Julia serves as the State of Maine Economic Development Plan Implementation Director. Prior to her role as Implementation Director she directed the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) at the City of Portland to assure access for underserved populations, including immigrants/refugees, to relevant, high-quality job training and workforce preparedness opportunities while also improving linkages between job seekers and employers; convene regional stakeholders to work collaboratively to identify gaps and existing initiatives in order to develop evaluative metrics to measure the collective effort’s impact, and overall serves as a connector among service organizations, employers, and job seekers. Prior to OEO, she served as Director for Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services’ Multicultural Affairs Office (OMA). The Office provided support to state agencies, non-governmental organizations and community partners in order to develop sustainable projects and initiatives to address the needs of Maine’s racially, ethnically and linguistically diverse populations. She was also responsible for supporting the long-term economic self-sufficiency of Maine’s refugee population by overseeing all workforce development, ESOL classes, health promotion, and programs and grants stemming from the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement. Prior to that, Julia was part of Maine’s Department of Education Federal Programs/No Child Left Behind Team (NCLB), as the Title I, Part C Maine’s Migrant Education State Director. She oversaw all the activities of the Statewide Migrant Education Program. Julia has a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Southern Maine and a Masters in International Cooperation for Development from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. Julia is from the island of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, Spain. She also prides herself of having a strong cultural influence from Extremadura, Spain; where her mother is originally from. She lives in Portland with her two daughters Elia and Vera.

Dan Belyea is the Chief Workforce Development Officer at the Maine Community College System (MCCS) and the new Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce. The center manages all MCCS’s short-term training investments that currently exceed $62 million and supports workforce needs by creating an educated, skilled, and adaptable labor force. Dan serves as a member of the senior leadership team and drives local, regional, and statewide economic growth by addressing evolving business needs and navigating changes in the economy. Dan has worked for the MCCS for over 33 years. Through 2016, he served in a variety of administrative positions at Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor, Maine, becoming the Director of Administrative, Student Services and Auxiliary Enterprises. He then advised colleges on capital facilities projects, real estate transaction, auxiliary business reviews and contracts as the Director of Operational Support. In 2018, Dan was named the Executive Director of Workforce Training, before being appointed Chief Workforce Development Office for MCCS in 2020. He currently serves on the Maine State Workforce Board, is a board member of the Maine Technology Institute (MTI), and serves as a public member on the Grievance Commission with the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar. He recently was appointed to the Board of Visitors and Chair for the Long Creek Development Center with the Maine Department of Corrections and was also appointed to the Maine Connectivity Authority board by Governor Janet T. Mills, helping manage the expansion of affordable high-quality broadband to every Maine citizen.

Claude Rwaganje is the Founder and Executive Director of ProsperityME. Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Claude learned through his own immigration experience that financial stability is essential to building a new life in the United States. It was his vision to create a non-profit organization where New Mainers can go for free financial education and support. In addition to his leadership responsibilities at ProsperityME, Claude currently serves on the board of the Portland Chamber of Commerce, the Maine Community Foundation, United Way of Southern Maine, the InterCultural Community Center and was elected to the Westbrook City Council, serving as a city councilor At-Large since 2019. He was previously appointed to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Community Development Advisory Council in the Spring of 2017 for a three-year term. Previously, he served a three-year term as a member of Portland’s Community Development Block Grant Committee. Claude has received numerous awards for his service to the community, including Bowdoin College’s Spirit of Service Award (2012), Bates College Harward Center’s Community Partner Award for Outstanding New Initiative (2013), Portland Press Herald’s “10 Mainers to be Thankful For” (2012) and the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce award for Public Sector Leadership (2017). Claude holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and is a certified coach and housing counselor through NeighborWorks America.

Jan Froehlich, MS OTR, Professor Emerita, UNE, has been teaching the art of shared listening to diverse groups of students, healthcare practitioners, and community members for over 30 years. She emphasizes the potential of shared listening to heal from the effects of past distress and transform the many divisions within and between groups that limit progress toward a better world. As a recent retiree from University teaching, Jan is enjoying more time with her family and friends and her garden and pet rabbits. She also appreciates having more time to study French and Spanish to support her engagement with climate and anti-racism activists across the globe. June and Jan are co-authors of Transforming Racial and Cultural Lines In Health and Social Care: Listening, Loving and Lifting Spirits (When You Can) and are co-founders of Transforming Racial Lines, a non-profit dedicated to transforming lives through teaching the power of shared listening and authentic sharing.

June Thornton-Marsh, MSW, LCSW, is a clinical social worker, author, and transformation coach with a deep understanding of the profound impact of shared listening. She specializes in guiding individuals to unlock their potential, to foster meaningful connections, and to create positive change in their lives. June is committed to creating inclusive spaces and has successfully facilitated workshops, training sessions, and interactive experiences on campuses, in organizations, and within relationships where she has honed her skills in open and honest communication, building bridges of empathy and connection, and fostering a sense of belonging and understanding. When taking a well-deserved moment from this mission, June is learning Japanese and French while watching in celebration as her daughter, son-in-law, and 2 bulldogs navigate the world in their tricked-out Skoolie bus. June and Jan are co-authors of Transforming Racial and Cultural Lines In Health and Social Care: Listening, Loving and Lifting Spirits (When You Can) and are co-founders of Transforming Racial Lines, a non-profit dedicated to transforming lives through teaching the power of shared listening and authentic sharing.

Elizabeth Fortin has worked at Kennebec Valley Community College since 2014. As Dean of Workforce Training and Professional Development, she has worked collaboratively with central Maine businesses and communities to train over 1,000 professionals in the healthcare, technical trades and information technology industries annually. Prior to being the Dean of Workforce Training and Development, Ms. Fortin was responsible for administering a $2.5 million grant to support KVCC’s Farm-to-Table programming. In addition to her current role at KVCC, Ms. Fortin has worked in her family business for the past 30 years, managing commercial construction projects throughout New England. She is a MBA graduate of Thomas College, a board member of the Central Maine Growth Council and a member of KVCC’s Executive Team.

Xavier Botana currently dedicates his time to serving as a leadership consultant and as an adviser to organizations working to elevate the voices and improve the outcomes for marginalized communities. Xavier retired as superintendent of the Portland Public School in 2023, a position in which he served for 7 years. During his tenure, he spearheaded the development and implementation of the district’s equity centered strategic plan: The Portland Promise. This position capped a nearly 40 year career as an educator in Illinois, Indiana, Oregon and Maine.