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Maine Humanities Council Appoints Erik Jorgensen
Next Executive Director
PORTLAND, Maine - The Maine Humanities Council (MHC) Board of Directors recently completed a national search and has named Erik Jorgensen of Portland Executive Director, effective January 1, 2007. Jorgensen will become the third director in the organization’s 30-year history when the current Executive Director, Dorothy Schwartz, retires. He presently serves as the Council’s assistant director, and has been on its staff since 1999.
Jorgensen has worked in Maine’s cultural sector for nearly twenty years. Prior to joining the council, he served for nearly ten years as Executive Director of the Pejepscot Historical Society in Brunswick. Jorgensen is a graduate of Bowdoin College and holds a Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, where he was a Henry Brooks Fellow. He is a founding member and past president of the Maine Association of Museums and is currently on the boards of the Maine Center for Economic Policy and of the Willowbrook Museum Village. He is a resident of Portland.
“I am proud of the Council’s reputation as a national leader, energized by its responsiveness to the changing environment, and fully convinced of the power of our work to make an important contribution to Maine life. I am honored to have this chance to shape the Council’s course as it starts its fourth decade,” said Jorgensen.
The search committee reviewed over 40 applications from across the country. At the end of the process, Dr. Robert McArthur, chair of the search committee, said: “We chose Erik over the other candidates for his extraordinary blend of energy, leadership, vision, and demonstrated management abilities.”
Richard Barnes, Chair of the Council’s Board of Directors, added, “Erik’s record of accomplishment in creating and supporting humanities-based programs throughout the state provides assurance that the Council and its programs will continue to be a vibrant force in the civic and cultural life of Maine for many years to come.”
About the Maine Humanities Council: The Maine Humanities Council is an independent, statewide, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the people of Maine deepen their understanding of themselves, their communities, and the world. The Council works with volunteer literacy programs, educators, school systems and libraries to promote the power and pleasure of ideas through its programming; the Council also provides grants supporting projects in community history, exhibits, workshops and other areas of study.
