Jeff Mills ’82 spent more than four decades strengthening the university — and the relationships that sustain it
By John Diamond ’77, ’89G
On September 1, University of Maine Foundation President and CEO Jeff Mills ’82 will retire from the most consequential of the many leadership positions he has held at UMaine since his undergraduate days in the early 1980s. His retirement, announced six months earlier, seemed premature to many colleagues and university supporters. After all, Mills was still at the top of his game. His 14-year tenure as the university’s chief fundraising and advancement leader was transformational for both UMaine and the Foundation: record-breaking fundraising success, major organizational restructuring and growth, and a burnished reputation within Maine and nationally for donor stewardship and philanthropic leadership. So why step away now? “I’m almost 67, the magic retirement age for a lot of people,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s been my target for a while.” His departure as head of the Foundation concluded a multifaceted leadership career at UMaine that included election as student body president (1981-82), president and CEO of the UMaine Alumni Association (1997-2005), and UMaine’s vice president of advancement (2002-2005, concurrent with his Alumni Association role). Those chapters were interrupted only three times in 45 years: from 1983 to 1992, when Mills served in the Maine Legislature; from 1993 to 1997, when, as a graduate student at Arizona State University, he worked in ASU’s advancement office helping coordinate alumni relations and government advocacy; and from 2005 to 2012, when he was vice president for institutional advancement at Monmouth University in New Jersey. Across those roles, Mills developed both the hard and soft skills of leadership.
They were reinforced by his long-held reputation for optimism and a quippy, often self-deprecating sense of humor — qualities well suited to fundraising and advancement work. “Jeff’s fundraising and investment management produced great benefits to the university,” said Amos Orcutt ’64, Mills’ predecessor as Foundation president and CEO. “His legacy at UMaine will be the many strategic aspects of alumni advocacy and university development he introduced, particularly after the merger” in 2016, in which the Foundation absorbed UMaine’s fundraising office. “Jeff did such an amazingly good job of putting things in order, of managing the merger, of building up a staff that is very strong and expert, and really making the Foundation a very modern, well-equipped operation,” added Dr. Joan Ferrini-Mundy, president of UMaine and its regional campus in Machias. His departure, she said, “is a very big change for us.” Building goodwill While there are many legal, operational, and administrative aspects to managing a foundation with over $600 million in assets, Mills sees it all as secondary to what’s been called “the gentle art of teaching the joy of giving.”
“The most important thing in fundraising is to really listen when you’re meeting with people,” Mills explained. “You find out what their interests are and then, over time, try to find attractive giving opportunities that match interests with the university’s priorities.” That philosophy helps explain the reservoir of goodwill Mills built over decades with alumni, donors, and colleagues. “Jeff can find common ground with anyone, usually through an exploration of hometown connections, campus experiences like student government, or by asking for multigenerational family business advice,” said Pat Cummings ’89, ’44H, senior director of philanthropy.“If you had never met Jeff before, you would quickly gain comfort with him,” said Chris Keating ’79, the Foundation’s board chair, “and you’d want to participate in Jeff’s heartfelt belief and commitment to the special place that is the University of Maine.” Mills grew up in Bryant Pond, a western Maine village near the New Hampshire border. At 18, he enrolled at the University of Maine to study broadcasting and theater. He also hoped to play for the university’s nationally prominent baseball team. “Jeff realized quickly that his baseball dream was slightly out of reach — the mighty Black Bears were out of his league,” said Dr. Tammy Mills ’04G, a childhood friend and now his wife of 37 years. “Instead, he shifted his extracurricular focus to student government.”
Mills spent three years in Student Senate, including his campuswide election as student body president in his final year. That role brought him into frequent contact with UMaine’s senior leaders and kindled his interest in a career in higher education. “But then, after graduation, politics kinda happened.” A midterm vacancy arose unexpectedly in the legislative district where Mills lived, and at age 23 he chose to run in the special election to fill the position. He won, and went on to serve nine years in the Maine Legislature — seven in the House of Representatives and two in the State Senate. Jeff and Tammy married during those years, during which the first of their two children was born. Mills chose not to seek re-election in 1992, and the following year the family moved to Arizona, where he would pursue a Ph.D. at Arizona State University. Tammy took a position as an elementary school teacher. At ASU, Mills’ legislative experience in Maine led to a position in the university’s advancement division. There, he helped its alumni association build a grassroots advocacy network to support ASU’s state legislative agenda. “I learned a lot about higher ed advancement work in that job,” Mills said. “It was the beginning of my advancement career.” In 1997, as he was finishing his Ph.D., an opportunity to return to Orono arose when the UMaine Alumni Association announced it was seeking a new president and CEO. Mills applied and was selected for the job. One of Mills’ most immediate priorities as head of UMAA was to work with the Foundation’s Orcutt on a campaign to build a new alumni relations center. Initiated by Mills’ predecessor, Max Burry ’57, the finished project would become a shared space housing both the UMAA and the Foundation’s operations while also serving as a gathering venue for alumni, prospective students, university partners, student organizations, and campus events. Mills solicited the largest gift of the $11.4 million fundraising campaign from Dr. Robert Buchanan ’44 and his wife, Pearley. Buchanan Alumni House — “A Place to Call Home” — opened in 2002.
“I think that campaign made my career in fundraising in many, many ways,” he said. Soon, UMaine President Peter Hoff turned to Mills to help improve the disjointed nature of university-related fundraising efforts. With the UMAA board of directors’ approval, Mills served as UMaine’s vice president for advancement — a new position — while continuing as UMAA’s president. The opportunity broadened his responsibilities and deepened his experience in the advancement field. Mills’ network of national higher ed contacts grew because of his dual role, as did his professional reputation. In 2005, Monmouth University in New Jersey recruited him to be its vice president for institutional advancement, offering him a significantly larger portfolio of responsibilities than he held at UMaine. He accepted the challenge, and over seven years his division met or exceeded the goals and metrics set for it. Opportunity arose again when the Foundation’s Orcutt told Mills he would be retiring soon and thought Mills would be an ideal candidate. The Foundation’s board thought so, too, and in 2012 offered him the job. Unifying UMaine’s fundraising operationAt the time of Mills’ return to Orono, the university’s fundraising efforts were split between the independent Foundation and the university’s Development office, a structure that often confused donors and complicated coordination. Two years later, the university’s new president, Dr. Susan J. Hunter, asked Mills to help arrange a merger in which the Foundation would absorb the Development office’s staff and responsibilities. The process required careful work on legal, financial, operational, and personnel issues, but it ultimately produced a more strategic and coordinated model for fundraising, donor stewardship, and campaign planning. “Jeff played a monumental role in the success of this project,” Hunter said, crediting his knowledge of advancement and his diplomatic, consensus-building leadership. “Jeff being here at the right time made this happen,” said Kevin Frazier, the Foundation’s longtime chief financial officer and a central figure in the negotiations. “Sue Hunter trusted Jeff. It would not have happened otherwise.”
Since the merger was finalized in 2016, individual and corporate donations to UMaine and its related entities have totaled more than $500 million, including a record $107 million commitment from the Harold Alfond Foundation to support UMaine academics and athletics. “Jeff has been an exceptional fundraising partner,” said Jude Killy, UMaine’s vice president and director of athletics. “His care for UMaine is remarkable and probably a good part of the reason for his success — as well as the Foundation’s — during his tenure.” “Jeff’s Ph.D. adds to his credentials, especially on a college campus,” noted Dr. Robert Strong, UMaine Foundation professor emeritus of investment education and a former chair of the Foundation’s board. “I believe this positively influences major gift donors and gives them more confidence in the Foundation’s mission and its ability to advance the university.” Several times during his years leading the Foundation, Mills’ political savvy helped advance UMaine’s interests at the State House. He is particularly proud of the successful effort he initiated to have Maine’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles create a Black Bear license plate. Vehicle owners who choose this option pay a small surcharge on their annual registration to support financial aid for UMaine students. Since 2004, the plate has generated more than $1.8 million in need-based scholarships. Still, colleagues say dollars alone do not represent Mills’ legacy.
“Like Amos Orcutt before him, Jeff’s most significant achievement and the one which has had the greatest impact on the success of the Foundation is his emphasis on the importance of building lasting relationships with our donors,” said Sarah McPartland-Good, the Foundation’s vice president and general counsel. “Every year, Jeff has led by example by deepening and strengthening relationships with donors through dozens of face-to-face visits and thousands of personalized cards.” UMaine President Ferrini-Mundy said she’s observed “the quiet, personal kindnesses” Mills extends to donors — small acts of care and attention that often had nothing to do with fundraising itself.“Jeff has demonstrated that with these folks, they’re more than donors — they’re friends.” Mills’ concern for the well-being of others extends to his Foundation colleagues, they say. “[Mills] fostered a work environment in which everyone’s ideas mattered,” said Dee Gardner ’89, director of the Foundation’s southern Maine operations. “His integrity and respect for others served as a model for the Foundation team.” Monique Hashey ’91, the Foundation’s senior director of annual giving, marketing, and events, points to another part of Mills’ leadership. “Jeff leads by example,” she said, noting that he and Tammy have established three endowed funds at UMaine and personally donate to others. “I believe that all of this has been critical to his success.”
Over the years respect for Mills’ leadership and accomplishments spread throughout the higher education philanthropy community. In 2022 the international Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) selected him for its annual CASE Commonfund College and University Foundation Award, the premier honor given to an individual “who has madeextraordinary contributions to the advancement, quality, and effectiveness of their foundations and the sector.” The Next Chapter
UMaine has long been central to Mills’ identity, and to many who know the university, Mills has come to embody it. “UMaine has shaped his life,” Tammy Mills said. “When we lived in New Jersey, people always introduced him as ‘Dr. Jeff Mills, from Maine,’ and that said everything about who he was. His belief in UMaine comes from experiencing how accessible public universities educate students, strengthen families and communities, and enhance an entire state. Even now, whenever he spots a Black Bear license plate, he calls it out with pride, every single time.” Mills says he plans to spend the first months of retirement relaxing and traveling before deciding whether to take on volunteer or consulting work. One longtime interest, however, is likely to reclaim more of his time: magic. Since childhood, he has been fascinated by sleight of hand — he performed professionally in northern New England during his undergraduate years at UMaine and occasionally while serving in the Legislature. In 2025, that lifelong interest reached its pinnacle: he auditioned for and was granted membership in The Magic Circle, the London-based organization considered the world’s most prestigious society of professional magicians.
Mills anticipates returning to performing as a magician and becoming actively involved in the society. He also plans to maintain strong connections with UMaine. “I obviously will be trying to do a lot more with my giving over time,” he said. “I hope that in some way I’ll be asked to help out with my alma mater, because it means a lot to me.”