The John T. Gorman Fellowship program is designed to build the individual and collective capacity of Maine leaders to drive measurable outcomes for children and their families.
The John T. Gorman Foundation envisions a future where all children in Maine are resilient and ready to succeed. An important strategy for achieving this vision is the John T. Gorman Fellowship. Through a yearlong program of leadership development, coaching, and peer support, the Fellowship strengthens the ability of leaders to impact systems change at a policy and practice level.
First launched in 2015, the Fellowship uses a cohort-based model to create a supportive, creative, and focused space where results-based leaders think, innovate, and take action together. Five cohorts – totaling 54 leaders from the nonprofit, advocacy, and government sectors – have completed the Fellowship so far. Using whole-family strategies, Cohort 5 Fellows aligned their efforts toward a shared population-level result: “All Maine children are resilient and ready to succeed.”
*Please note: Fellows are identified below with the titles and organizations with which they were affiliated at the time of their participation in the Fellowship. Where applicable, new roles have been included on their personal bio pages.
Associate Director of Academic Pathways
Northeastern University's Roux Institute
Director, Child and Family Health
MaineHealth
Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects Manager, Child Development Services
Maine Department of Education
Assistant Superintendent & Director of Special Education
St George Municipal School Unit
Executive Director
Tree Street Youth
CEO
Girl Scouts of Maine
Special Projects Manager, Child and Family Well-Being
Maine Department of Health and Human Services
Project Director
Family Futures Downeast
Working Communities Challenge Director
Sunrise County Economic Council
Policy Associate
Maine Children’s Alliance
Chief Operations Officer
Aroostook Mental Health Center
Executive Director
Franklin County Children's Task Force
Executive Director
Sunrise County Economic Council
Executive Director
Greater Franklin Development Council
(Former role) Deputy Director
Pine Tree Legal Assistance
Aging Services Manager
Maine Department of Health and Human Services
(Former role) Early Childhood Data and Policy Analyst
Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future
(Former role) President
Good Shepherd Food Bank
TRIO Student Support Services Director
Kennebec Valley Community College
Chief Executive Officer
Southern Maine Agency on Aging
(Former role) Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
City of Lewiston
(Former role) Executive Director
Maine Children’s Alliance
Executive Director
New Beginnings
Director
Somerset Career and Technical School
Senior Consultant
Wabanaki Aspirations
Director of Intervention Strategy
Portland Public Schools
(Former role) Regional Manager
New Ventures Maine
President
Kennebec Valley Community College
(Former role) Scholarship Director
Senator George J. Mitchell Scholarship Research Institute
Executive Director
Portland ConnectEd
(Former role) Economic Development Manager
City of Lewiston
(Former role) Executive Director
Maine Association for the Education of Young Children
(Former role) Director of Data, Research and Assessment
Portland Public Schools
Executive Director
Boys & Girls Club of Bangor
(Former role) Executive Director
Maine Women’s Policy Center
(Former role) Vice President of Programs
Sweetser
Executive Director
Aroostook County Action Program (ACAP)
(Former role) Executive Director
National Alliance on Mental Illness Maine
(Former role) Dean of Enrollment and Student Success
Southern Maine Community College
President & CEO
United Way of Greater Portland
Executive Director
Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services
Executive Director
Maine Equal Justice Partners
(Retired) President and CEO
Community Concepts
(Former role) Executive Director
Oxford County Mental Health Services
Associate Director
Community Caring Collaborative
(Former role) Associate Commissioner
Maine Department of Corrections
Senior Vice President, Community Impact
United Way of Greater Portland
Division Director, Geriatrics, Maine Medical Center
Maine Medical Partners
Executive Director
Legal Services for the Elderly
Chief Executive Officer and President
Penquis
Assistant Director, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Maine Department of Labor
Vice President, Family and Early Childhood Education
The Opportunity Alliance
(Former role) Program Development Director
New Beginnings, Inc.
CCS, Director of Division of Behavioral Health
Mid Coast Hospital
Fellows will make a measurable difference in the lives of Maine children and their families. By the end of the program, the Foundation expects that all Fellows will show development in three key areas:
Impact
Leverage
Influence
Implemented in Maine since 2023, ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed) is a new measure of financial hardship designed to raise awareness of a key demographic – those who earn above the federal poverty level, but not enough to cover the costs of essentials like housing, food, and child care.
An innovative collaboration is showing how community partnerships can improve student engagement and strengthen learning environments
Trained in whole-family strategies over the last year, this fifth cohort of Fellows focused intensively on strengthening the well-being of children and families. Learn how they’re aligning their efforts toward a shared “result” of all children in Maine being resilient and ready to succeed.
