Meet The Team
President's Office
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Julia Munsey
President & CEO Julia Munsey became president of the Maine State Chamber in March of 2023, succeeding Dana Connors, who retired as Chamber president after nearly 30 years at the helm. Munsey previously was Membership & Corporate Development Director for the Maine International Trade Center (MITC), where she led MITC’s efforts to attract and retain members and develop and steward relationships with corporate donors, and helped secure support for MITC’s programs and events, helping Maine businesses grow internationally. Munsey was a key leader in bringing the Cross Insurance Center to Bangor. She also created the Cross Insurance Center Advisory Board and the Troop Greeters Museum in Bangor. A Maine native, Munsey is a graduate of Orono High School and the University of Maine. In 2009, she earned Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America. Munsey currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the University of Maine Alumni Association, Girl Scouts of Maine, and the Cross Insurance Center Advisory Board. She also serves on the Boards of Directors for BanAir and the Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership. Contact Julia: Email: jmunsey@mainechamber.org Phone: (207) 623-4568 |
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Angela Ouellette
Executive Assistant to the President As Executive Assistant to the President, Angela's duties vary from day to day. Her main objectives are helping to coordinate the President's schedule, planning our Board of Directors events, maintaining our Membership database, and overseeing Social Media marketing for the Chamber of Commerce. She serves on various committees including Maine's Best Places to Work and the Maine Bicentennial Commission.
Angela attended the University of Maine at Augusta where she studied art, graphic design, and communications, graduating cum laude in 2010 and obtaining a bachelor's degree in liberal studies. After UMA she also completed a 500 hour Corporate Leadership program, attended Massasoit College for Human Resources, and has completed a 200 hour yoga teacher training certification program at Seaside Yoga. Prior to her career with the Chamber of Commerce Angela worked as Office, Marketing, and Social Media Manager for a successful Luxury Kitchen and Bath Sales Representative firm located in the Greater Boston area. Furthermore Angela spent years in hospitality, working as a Human Resources Manager. While within the hospitality industry her concentration was training, hiring and staff retention. Contact Angela: Email: angelao@mainechamber.org Phone: (207) 623-4568 - Ext. 101 |
Advocacy
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Linda Caprara
Vice President of Advocacy Linda joined the Maine State Chamber of Commerce in January 2008, and serves as the Senior Government Relations Specialist in Taxation and the Director of Grassroots Advocacy. Previously, she held the position of director of Government and Public Affairs at the Maine Pulp and Paper . She is a graduate of Saint Anselm College, with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology. Linda attended Central Connecticut State University for additional studies in taxation and accounting and is a graduate of Connecticut School of Broadcasting.
Contact Linda: Email: lcaprara@mainechamber.org Phone: (207) 623-4568 - Ext. 106 |
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Ben Lucas
Senior Government Relations Specialist Ben Lucas comes to the Maine State Chamber of Commerce after serving as the first ever Executive Director of the Maine Jobs Council. Prior to the Maine Jobs Council, Ben served as a member of Senator Susan Collins’ successful 2020 re-election campaign staff. He was also an adviser to Marty Grohman’s Independent Congressional Campaign in Maine’s First District, and worked in the Energy, Environment & Municipal Practice Group at the law firm of Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer, and Nelson. As an Augusta native, Ben has considerable experience with Maine political campaigns and public policy. Ben has been active in several public policy and campaign efforts, both at the state and federal level. These experiences have allowed Ben to develop an understanding of the Maine economy and business community. He has become an expert in effective advocacy efforts and coalition building. Ben has great experience working on issues with both sides of the political spectrum and brings competence, energy, passion, and intelligence to this important work.
Contact Ben: Email: blucas@mainechamber.org Phone: (207) 623-4568 - Ext. 111 |
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Peter Gore
Human Resources/Labor Consultant Peter has been with the Maine State Chamber of Commerce since 1994, serving initially as the Senior Governmental Affairs Specialist, and since 2008, as the Vice President for Advocacy and Government Relations. In this capacity, Gore represents the Chamber's network of more than 5,000 business members before the Maine Legislature, the Office of the Governor, and the public in the specific areas of workers' compensation law, labor/management issues, and healthcare/health insurance and economic development topics. Peter is a graduate of the University of Maine at with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and a minor in Sociology.
Contact Peter: Email: pgore@mainechamber.org Phone: (207) 623-4568 - Ext. 107 |
Membership, Marketing, & Communications
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Mark Ellis
Director of Operations For more than 30 years, Mark helped businesses like Douglas Dynamics, Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp., and Hewlett-Packard add value to their business endeavors through information technology. In the public sector, he has held leadership positions in state and national political campaigns, statewide political party operations, and legislative communications.
Contact Mark: Email: mellis@mainechamber.org Phone (207) 623-4568 - Ext. 109 |
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Melody Rousseau
Sponsorship & Advertising Sales Manager Melody Rousseau serves as Advertising and Sponsorship Manager for the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. Hired as our receptionist in 1996, she was quickly promoted and has been responsible for the organization's advertising and sponsorship sales since 1997. Among her diverse responsibilities are advertising sales for all of our various events, publications, and websites, as well as providing many support functions for our finance department. In addition, Melody has held several leadership roles for the Waterville High School's Girls Basketball Boosters, as well as serving on the Athletic Council.
Contact Melody: Email: melodyr@mainechamber.org Phone: (207) 623-4568 - Ext. 102 |
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Angie Arno
Director of Events & Programs As an independent marketing consultant and former director of a small chamber, Angie joined our team in March of 2019 with 10 years experience in event and program management. Her duties include managing all aspects of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce events and programs, as well as serving as Administrative Director of the Maine Alliance of Chamber of Commerce Executives, where she manages their activities and semi-annual conferences. Angie is the producer of OneVoice Maine, the official magazine of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, Angie assists with marketing and social media campaigns for all of the Chamber's needs.
Contact Angie: Email: aarno@mainechamber.org Phone: (207) 623-4568 - Ext. 104 |
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Tae Chong
Director of Multicultural Markets and Strategies Tae Chong is Director of Multicultural Markets and Strategies for the Maine State Chamber. He specializes in market research and strategies with multicultural and people of color communities in Maine and the Northeast. Tae has over twenty years’ experience working with the immigrant and refugee and people of color populations in Maine in economic development, business counseling, workforce development, education, and multicultural programming. He has consulted with Hannaford to expand their product lines to attract more immigrant, refugee and people of color to shop at their stores and he also assisted them with community outreach and with employee recruitment and retention strategies. In his role as Director of Multicultural Markets and Strategies, his goal is to educate, advocate and outreach to Maine businesses interested in increase sales and services to People of Color in Maine and Northern New England as well as businesses interested in hiring and retaining more People of color.
Contact Tae: Email: tae.y.chong@gmail.com Mobile: (207) 632-9719 |
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Jen Webber
Director of Communications Jen Webber has been a communications consultant to the Maine State Chamber since 2011. She brings more than two decades of experience in strategic communications and media relations, specializing in public affairs, advocacy, crisis communications, executive communications, and more. Jen’s political experience also is extensive, having worked on numerous statewide candidate and referendum campaigns and three U.S. presidential campaigns. In addition to managing external communications and serving as the Maine State Chamber’s primary media liaison, Jen produces the Chamber’s livestream program, The Maine Take, and manages various projects and initiatives for the Chamber.
Contact Jen: Email: jwebber@mainechamber.org Mobile: (207) 939-0213 |
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Mase Peterson
Media Specialist |
Finance & Human Resources
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Simon West
Director of Finance and Human Resources Simon West joined the Maine State Chamber of Commerce in January 2019. Simon completed his undergraduate at the University of Maine Augusta and received an MBA from Thomas College. Simon has worked in banking and finance since 2010. Aside from his position with the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, Simon serves as Treasurer for the Pine Grove Program, a non-profit organization aimed at serving Veterans and First Responders.
Contact Simon: Email: swest@mainechamber.org Phone: (207) 623-4568 - Ext. 117 |
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Kattie Peaslee
Finance Administrator Kattie Peaslee joined the Maine State Chamber of Commerce in August 2022. Kattie received her Associate’s degree in 2009 in business administration and marketing from Kennebec Valley Community College. With more than 10 years of experience in financial services, her career began at TD Bank as a head teller and customer service representative. She later joined the team at Gardiner Federal Credit Union in 2015 as a teller and was quickly promoted to the member services team, where she helped raise money for the Ending Hunger Campaign in Maine. Outside of work, she has previously served as the treasurer for Animal Rescue of Kennebec for many years and has volunteered for Cohen Center in Augusta.
Contact Kattie: Email: kpeaslee@mainechamber.org Phone: (207) 623-4568 - Ext. 108 |