HospitalityMaine names new director for workforce development
Courtesy / HospitalityMaine
Gwen Perry, left, is HospitalityMaine's new director of education and workforce development. Steve Hewins, right, CEO and president of the trade group, made the announcement this week.
HospitalityMaine has named an education and workforce development director to replace Terry Hayes, who left the post in January to head up the Maine Municipal Bond Bank.
Gwen Perry, formerly a business development specialist with the state Department of Economic and Community Development, has been named to the post, which the trade group created a year ago to help strengthen the state's hospitality workforce.
Perry will implement the structure that Hayes created, said Steve Hewins, HospitalityMaine CEO, in a news release. “Terry Hayes broke through walls and launched major programs,” Hewins said. "Her groundbreaking work paves the way for our execution phase, which Perry will grow with impact.”
The organization, formed two years ago by the merger of the Maine Restaurant Association and Maine Innkeepers Association, represents about 1,000 members across the state. It has made workforce training and partnerships an area of focus.
Perry will lead the association’s continuing education programs for members, and expand HM's workforce plans, which include line cook and front line apprenticeships and Maine Career and Technical Education schools culinary training. She will also foster partnerships with the Maine Department of Corrections, "and blaze pathways to develop new employees for Maine’s hospitality industry," according to the release.
At DECD, Perry worked in the Office of Business Development to identify resources and opportunities for businesses across all sectors, zeroing in on workforce issues and job solutions.
A large part of her career has also been in hospitality. The University of Maine Farmington graduate started in the industry busing tables at Portland's Street and Co., and honed her skills at some of the city's other top restaurants, including Hugo's, Petite Jacqueline and Central Provisions.
She also spent time in California, working as a sommelier for San Francisco celebrity chef Michael Tusk.
Her experience also includes time as volunteer campaign coordinator for U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine.
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