The Alumni Association’s Spirit of Maine Achievement Award is given to an alumnus/alumna who has graduated in the last fifteen years and who has achieved outstanding professional, scholarly, public, and/or entrepreneurial success.
- One award may given annually
- Only alumni are eligible
- Not eligible: any current UMAA board member, current UMAA or UMaine Foundation employee, or current member of the Alumni Awards Selection Committee
Nomination materials:
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Two letters from nominators detailing the nominee’s record of achievement and success as a professional, scholar, public servant, and/or entrepreneur
Recipients by year
2023 Justin Labonte ’10
Vice President of Global Finance at Emerson
2022 Derek McKenney ’14
Senior Manufacturing Engineer at Puritan Medical Products
2021 Ernest Scheyder ’06
Journalist at Reuters
2020 Rachel Binder-Hathaway ’12
Behavioral Economist & Research Consultant, UNDP, UN Women, and The World Bank
2019 Abtin Mehdizdegan ’10
Partner at Cross, Gunter, Witherspoon & Galchus, P.C.
2018 George Pullen ’03
Senior Economist at Commodity Futures Trading Commission
2017 Jonathan LaBonte ’02
Director of the Governor’s Office of Policy and Management
2016 Ewa Kleczyk ’01, ’03G
Pharmaceutical market researcher & analyst
2015 Sherri Mitchell ’08
Executive Director of the Land Peace Foundation, a Native-owned, nonprofit legal services organization
2014 Kyle Parker ’99
Policy Advisor for Eurasia at the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
2013 Pearce Paul Creasman ’03
Archaeologist
2012 Rob Brewer ’98
Major, US Army
2011
Merritt D. Janes ’04
Actor
2010
Emily Cain ’02
Coordinator of Advancement, Honors College, University of Maine
Representative for District 19, Maine State House of Representatives
2007
William Corbin ’92
Interactive Internet Pioneer/VP, interactive production for
A & E Television Networks
2006
Melissa Reynolds O’Dea ’92
Assistant Attorney General for the State of Maine
2005
Denis Cranson ’90, ’95G
Humanitarian & former Director, Eastern Maine AIDS Network
2004
Dr. Linden McClure ’89, ’90
Principal Design Engineer, Hewlett-Packard Company
Adjunct Professor, University of Colorado
2003
Matthew Kenney ’88
NYC Restaurateur and Businessman
2002
Bridget Ziegelaar ’96
NASA Project Manager for Extravehicular Activities
2001
Dr. Peter Brooks ’88
Cancer Researcher
*denotes deceased