Rebecca Ryan

Wednesday, October 5th at 9:00am

Rebecca Ryan is a futurist, author, Zen priest and entrepreneur. She is the founder of NEXT Generation Consulting and has held residencies at the Alliance for Innovation, the Governing Institute, and the Association of Government Risk Pools. She is the board chairperson and faculty member at the Institute for Zen Leadership. She is the author of The Next Big Things: The Future of Local Government (2015), ReGENERATION: A Manifesto for America’s Future Leaders (2013), and Live First, Work Second: Getting Inside the Head of the Next Generation (2007). Her TEDx talk, Spring is Coming, was featured at the prestigious TEDxBeaconStreet in 2015.

Rebecca’s other accolades include being named:

• Thought Leader, CPA Practice Advisor
• Top 100 Most Influential People, Accounting Today
• Communicator of the Year, Women in Communication
• Woman of Influence, Business Journal of Greater Milwaukee
• Entrepreneur of the Year, U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Most Powerful Women in Public Accounting, CPA Practice Advisor

Heather Johnson

Wednesday, October 5th at 12:00pm

As Commissioner of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, Heather Johnson is charged with overseeing more than two dozen experts across several bureaus whose mission is to help communities and businesses prosper through a variety of programs that provide everything from targeted tax relief to community block grants to tourism marketing. Johnson has more than 25 years of experience in both the private and public realms. Previously, as Director of the ConnectME Authority, she was focused on expanding access to and increasing adoption of broadband connectivity in Maine. In the role, she was responsible for completing and executing a statewide action plan to expand broadband infrastructure; managing a grant program; mapping key assets; working with communities and businesses to help identify needs and opportunities; and supporting communities in their broadband planning needs and encouraging providers to engage in needed projects.

David Daigler

Thursday, October 6th at 9:00am

David Daigler has been president of the Maine Community College System since January 2019. He previously served as chief financial officer from 2003-2019 and vice president from 2015-2019. He also previously served as director of finance at what was then Southern Maine Technical College (now Southern Maine Community College.)

As vice president, Daigler oversaw fiscal management of the $170 million MCCS budget and systemwide operations, including information technology, capital improvements, and general administration. He advocated for and supported program-specific innovations designed to transform academic programming to be more effective, accessible, and efficient in serving more Maine people.

Daigler serves as chairman of the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME,) where he is treasurer and chair of the education committee. He is also on the board of directors at New England Delta Dental. Daigler previously served on the boards of the Maine Technology Institute and North Yarmouth Academy.

Daigler was a member of the strategic work team that built the economic development strategy for Maine, and a member of the steering committee for the Boston Federal Reserve’s Working Communities Challenge Grant program in Maine.