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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
Opening Session: 36,000 Jobs – What Maine’s Own Data Actually Says

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

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

From AI Experimentation to Responsible Adoption: Putting Practical Governance in Place, with Kyle Peterson, Senior Director, vCIO, Uprise Partners

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

Building and deploying AI in practice, with Noah Workman, Founder, cQuenced

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

Speaker to be announced

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
  • Donald Cragen, D.S.M., Chair, H. Allen Ryan School of Business, Thomas College
  • Keri Lyle, Professional Certified Coach and facilitator, Roux Institute and Harvard Business School Executive Education
  • Noah Workman, Founder, cQuenced
  • Kyle Peterson, Senior Director, vCIO, Uprise Partners

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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