Governor Janet Mills today thanked Senior Advisor on Tribal Affairs Donna Loring for her service to the State of Maine. Loring, who has worked in the Governor’s Office since January of 2019, is leaving her position to pursue personal opportunities.
“I am grateful for Donna’s wise counsel, her hard work, and her service on behalf of Maine people. While there is still much work to do, with Donna’s help we have made important strides in healing the divisions of our past and bringing the State and Maine’s Tribal Nations closer together as we seek to build a future shaped by mutual trust and respect,” said Governor Janet Mills. “I served with Donna in the Legislature. She is a friend, and I will miss her. But I know her contributions to our state will continue and I wish her well.”
“It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve the first woman Governor of this State, my friend Janet Mills. I have found her judgement to be impeccable and her choice of staff, commissioners and advisors remarkable in their areas of expertise,” said Loring. “I am proud of the progress we have made in the past two years and hope that we can continue to build on that progress in the coming years and further develop a relationship of trust. I look forward to a mutual beneficial future for the Tribes and State working together.”
Under the Mills Administration, Maine has made important progress in its relationship with Maine’s Tribal Nations, including prohibiting Native American mascots; establishing Indigenous Peoples Day; reinvigorating the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission, strengthening water quality standards, and providing Tribal Nations jurisdiction to prosecute non-Tribal members for domestic violence against its members.
Before joining Governor Mills’ office, Loring most recently served on the twelve-member Penobscot Tribal Council. Loring also served as the first woman Director of Security for Bowdoin College and as the first woman to serve as a police chief in the State of Maine when she served as Police Chief for the Penobscot Nation. She also served as the Chair of the Women Veterans Commission under Governor Angus King. She also hosted Wabanaki Windows on WERU Radio where she discussed current issues within Wabanaki Communities.