June 3, 2025 — Portland, ME — Liz Cotter Schlax is the most recent addition to FocusMaine’s Board.

From 2015 until early 2025, Liz served as President & CEO of United Way of Southern Maine, an organization with $8 million in annual revenues serving 500,000 residents of York and Cumberland counties to improve people’s lives and achieve long-lasting community change in the areas of youth opportunity, financial security, health, and community resiliency.

Liz previously led fundraising and marketing teams at United Way of Central Iowa and United Way of Dane County (WI) and guided college-aged students through an experiential education curriculum in twelve countries with Up with People.

For six years, Liz served in marketing and strategic planning roles in Iowa, Illinois, North Carolina, and Germany with Deere and Company, more commonly known as John Deere. Liz is proud to serve on local boards and committees including University of Southern Maine’s Board of Visitors, Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors, and Maine Medical Center’s Program & Planning Committee.

Liz grew up in Waterville, Maine, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Harvard University and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University.

In addition to Cotter Schlax, the FocusMaine Leadership Team includes:

• Andrea Cianchette Maker, FocusMaine President and Co-Chair
• Michael Dubyak, FocusMaine Co-Chair and Former President, CEO, and Chairman of WEX, Inc.
• Michael Bourque, President and CEO, MEMIC
• Dana Connors, President and CEO, Workforce Brokers LLC
• Jay Dearborn, Chief Strategy Officer, WEX, Inc.
• Joan Ferrini-Mundy, President, University of Maine & UMaine Machias
• John Fitzsimmons, PhD, President, Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges
• Ed McKersie, Founder and President, ProSearch, Inc.
• Kristen Miale, Managing Director, Caswell Advisory Group
• Amanda Rector, Maine State Economist
• Patrick Woodcock, President and CEO, Maine State Chamber of Commerce

About FocusMaine:

FocusMaine is a dynamic, data-driven, private sector-led initiative collaborating with influential leaders to accelerate the growth of Maine’s high potential industries, creating quality jobs, and shaping a future-ready economy. Over the past seven years, the growth of FocusMaine sectors, the Food Economy and Life Science Economy, outpaced Maine’s overall growth. FocusMaine has catalyzed over 1,450 jobs, including 676 jobs in companies participating in their programs which created an additional 772 indirect jobs, generating $309 million in sales revenue for companies and $86.6 million in earnings for working Maine people.
Between 2023-2024, job growth in food companies participating in FocusMaine programs was twice as high as job growth in Maine’s overall food sector, and six times as high as job growth in Maine’s overall economy.

Media Contact
Mari Smith
Manager of Strategic Communications and Outreach
FocusMaine
mari@focusmaine.org or 207-200-3236