Mainebiz

V O L . X X I X N O. V I O ver six decades, Connors has been called upon time and again by both government and industry to help tackle the state's most pressing economic challenges. His official board appointments have included the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, Maine Economic Research Institute, Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership and Maine & Co. With his Chamber successor, Julia Munsey, now on board, Connors can finally think about retirement. Mainebiz: Your career spans nearly 60 years, all of it in Maine. How does it feel to be retired? Dana Connors: How did this hap- pen? I'm only 40! But joking aside, I must confess that it's not the easiest thing to deal with. I've had the won- derful experience of only having three professional positions that actually paid you something, and they've been three positions that I've actually loved. It has been a pleasure to go to work every day and to work with the people Dana Connors is public service personified. After graduating from the University of Maine with a bachelor's degree in public management in 1965, the Easton native went on to serve 16 years as Presque Isle's city manager, followed by 11 years as commissioner of the Maine Department of Transportation, and then 30 years as president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY M A R C H 2 0 , 2 0 2 3 28 Dana Connors retires as head of the Maine State Chamber B y J . C r a i g A n d e r s o n Tireless champion for Maine's economy LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Dana Connors Retired President, Maine State Chamber of Commerce Dana Connors has retired after 30 years leading the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. Prior to that, he led the state Department of Transportation for over a decade and was a longtime city manager of Presque Isle. Top officials have called on Connors many times to help solve the state's economic problems.

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