Greene Named Maine Nonprofit Leader of the Year
In recognition of his leadership in Colby College’s transformative success, President David A. Greene has been named Maine’s Nonprofit Leader of the Year by MaineBiz magazine.
The honor from the state’s premier business publication came as the College prepared to break ground on a mixed-use development in downtown Waterville, as work neared completion on a new center for immersive student experiences, and as Colby admitted a new class from the largest pool of applicants it has ever seen. All of these initiatives have been on Greene’s agenda since he became president of Colby in 2014.
“He is a real visionary,” Leslie Biddle ’89 told the magazine. Biddle, vice chair of Colby’s board and partner in Serengeti Asset Management, said Greene “sees things from different angles and can communicate his vision in a different way.”
In the article announcing the honor, “Anchoring Waterville,” MaineBiz cited Colby’s role in the revitalization of downtown Waterville as one of Greene’s biggest accomplishments. The College expects to invest $45 million in the city’s Main Street, restoring a historic bank as the home for 200 high-tech workers, planning a boutique hotel, and creating a mixed-use development that will house retail, community space, and 200 Colby students and staff focused on civic engagement. The College breaks ground on that project next week. It will open in summer 2018.
Beyond downtown efforts, the article highlights other transformational progress for the College under Greene. Application numbers crested over 11,000 for the Class of 2021 (applications peaked at about 5,000 before his arrival); academics have been strengthened through the creation of new interdisciplinary fields, including environmental humanities and computational biology; and $5 million in additional funding has been earmarked for financial aid, enabling Colby’s commitment to meet all students’ full need. A new, 345,000-square foot athletics complex, supported in part by a $10 million gift from Maine developer and philanthropist Joe Boulos ’68, is in planning. And a major expansion is nearly complete on a building to facilitate global experiences, research, internships, and postgraduate achievement.
MaineBiz annually recognizes leaders in large and small businesses and the nonprofit sector. Other honorees for 2017 include Melissa Smith, CEO of WEX, Inc., and Carmen and Bob Garver, founders of Wicked Joe and Bard Coffee.