AGC Maine 75th Annual Meeting

Dale Doughty - Acting Commissioner, MaineDOT  

Dale Doughty is a Maine Certified Geologist who began his career working for geotechnical and geological engineering firms. He first joined MaineDOT in 1996. Over the next 22 years, Dale held a variety of roles in the Office of Environment and Bureau of Planning, Region 4 Manager eventually serving as the Director of the Bureau of Maintenance and Operations. 

In 2018, Dale left MaineDOT to serve as the Public Works Director and then Deputy City Administrator in the City of Lewiston. He returned to MaineDOT in 2021as the Director of the Bureau of Planning and in March of 2024, he was appointed as Deputy Commissioner.

 A lifelong Mainer, Dale holds a bachelor’s degree in Geology and Chemistry from the University of Maine at Farmington and did graduate work at the University of West Virginia. He and his wife Pam live on a small farm in Pittston. They have two adult daughters, one living in Central Maine and the other in North Carolina.

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Andre Briere - Executive Director, Maine Turnpike

Andre Briere most recently served as Deputy Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT), where he played a key role in advancing transportation initiatives and overseeing statewide infrastructure programs. Before his tenure at NHDOT, Briere held executive roles in the private sector and served a decorated 29-year career in the United States Air Force, retiring as a Colonel. He is also a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and a FEMA-certified National Executive Emergency Manager.

Andre graduated with honors from the United States Air Force Academy in 1990 and holds multiple graduate degrees with academic distinction. He retired from the US Air Force as a full Colonel in 2019.  Mr. Briere most recently served in federal government as the Defense Attaché of the United States to the Russian Federation in Moscow, Russia.  In that capacity, he served as the senior US defense official and personal representative of the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Russian General Staff. 

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Amanda Rector - State of Maine Economist

Amanda Rector is the State Economist for Maine. In this capacity, she conducts ongoing analysis of Maine's economic and demographic conditions to help inform policy decisions. Amanda is a member of the State of Maine’s Revenue Forecasting Committee and serves as the Governor’s liaison to the U. S. Census Bureau. She started working for the state in 2004 and has been State Economist since 2011.

She earned a BA in Economics from Wellesley College and her Master's in Public Policy and Management from the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine. Amanda is originally from mid-coast Maine and now lives in Union with her family.

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Greg Payne - Senior Advisor, Housing Policy

Greg Payne is one Maine's most experienced leaders in issues relating to housing and homelessness. Prior to joining GOPIF, he served as director of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, a diverse association of 136 private and public sector organizations committed to ensuring that all Mainers are adequately and affordably housed. In addition, he was a development officer for more than 14 years with nonprofit Avesta Housing, managing all aspects of multifamily rental projects from concept to completion.

He is the former board chair of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, and has worked for the Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless and the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless.

Greg earned a BA in Economics from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts and a JD from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston. Following his graduation from law school, he worked in Boston for five years as a real estate attorney specializing in affordable housing.

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Jeremy Payne - Principal, Cornerstone Government Affairs

Jeremy Payne brings a wealth of knowledge in political and legislative advocacy. He also has deep experience in clean energy, economic development and environmental policy.  For nearly two decades he has appeared regularly before the Maine Legislature, the Maine Public Utilities Commission and other regulatory agencies.

He joined Cornerstone in October 2022 after serving as the executive director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association where he led the local and statewide energy policy debate in Maine. He helped grow the industry into a multi-billion-dollar economic engine across the state. He efficiently managed the association budget, served as the industry’s chief lobbyist and developed a strategic plan to help guide the association in two-year cycles by monitoring and representing the industry in front of the Maine Legislature, the Public Utilities Commission, and other regulatory agencies advocating for predictable investment climate to support new and existing renewable energy investment.

Simultaneously, Jeremy served as a senior project manager for Bernstein Shur, leading advocacy efforts across many different law firm clients with Maine-based footprints, including but not limited to, aquaculture, energy, transportation, health care, as well as doing outreach to Maine’s congressional delegation and federal agencies. Prior to these roles, Jeremy served as a government affairs director for the Maine Association of Realtors, working closely with over 5,000 members to ensure legislative action taken at state and federal levels was beneficial to homeowners.

Jeremy holds a Bachelor of Arts in mass communication from the University of Maine at Orono.