About Us

Senior Staff

denise garland portrait

Denise Garland,
Deputy Commissioner,
denise.garland@maine.gov

Victoria Foley portrait

Victoria Foley
Legislative Affairs and Communications
Victoria.foley@maine.gov

steve lyons portrait

Steve Lyons,
Director of Tourism and Film,
Steve.Lyons@maine.gov

wade merritt portrait

Wade Merritt,
President of the Maine International Trade Center,
merritt@mitc.com

brian whitney portait

Brian Whitney,
Director of the Maine Technology Institute,
Brian.Whitney@maine.gov

carolann portrait

Carolann Ouellette,
Director, Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation,
carolann.ouellette@maine.gov

d-johnson-portrait

Deborah Johnson,
Director of Community Development,
deborah.johnson@maine.gov

Mace portrait

Charlotte Mace,
Director, Maine Office of Business Development,
charlotte.mace@maine.gov

Phoenix McLaughlin

Phoenix McLaughlin,
Director of Strategy Implementation,
Phoenix.McLaughlin@maine.gov


Business Funding. Community Development. Tourism & Film. Maine Branding. International Trade.

At DECD, we are more than two dozen experts whose broad mission is to help communities and businesses prosper through a variety of programs providing everything from targeted tax relief to community block grants to tourism marketing. Whether your business wants to make a film here, bring a Maine-made product to market, expand an aquaculture project, or explore financing when moving a business to our state, our experienced staff can help.

DECD and its partners show companies how to benefit from millions of dollars in tax credits, reimbursements, R & D credits, capital loans, even direct investment. Every year, we help Maine communities attract jobs and grow their infrastructure with unique financing programs.