Maryanne LeCompte: Managing $13 Million Grant for ME Community Colleges

Our Alumni Spotlight shines this week on Maryann Lecompte from Lewiston, Maine, who graduated from the University of Maine at Machias in 1979 with a major in Business Education. She works in Auburn, Maine as a Fiscal/Administrative Officer of a $13 million Department of Labor “Maine is IT!” grant for the Maine Community College System (based at Central Maine Community College).

Tell us a little bit about what you are doing now:

After holding positions as a teacher, educational administrator, and staff development/ training leader, I’m now working in a role celebrating the core nature of what I studied—accounting and business! Mrs. Lambson and Mrs. Murphy I remember you well and smile!

What is the most valuable thing you learned at UMM?

The versatility of having a major in business and education has served me well. Additionally, UMM, with its surrounding beauty and small, personal campus, was a wonderful place to discover who I was and what I was capable of.

Do you have any advice for current UMM students?

Be open and flexible to possibilities that you would have never imagined as your journey unfolds. Keep family first always because at the end of the day that is really what matters most. Honor your parents by living a genuine life and remembering that your children are your legacy in creating a better world.

How did your time at UMM prepare you for what you are doing now?

UMM provided a core foundation for achieving a Master’s Degree and various professional certifications. Because the education was focused on a career, it has given me a livelihood so I could provide for my daughter supporting her in college in becoming a teacher and owning a home with flourishing gardens in the middle of the woods.

How has UMM made a positive impact on your life?

I remember my time at Machias fondly not only for what I learned in the classroom but what I learned about myself. The core network of colleagues remains today. Friendships have lasted over time. It was a wonderful atmosphere for becoming independent, self-sustaining, and productive.