Leigh I. Saufley became dean of the University of Maine School of Law in 2020. The eighth dean of Maine Law since its founding in 1962, she is the first dean to report directly to the Chancellor as part of the transition of the law school to a stand-alone institution within the University of Maine System.
Saufley has had a distinguished career of public service. Prior to becoming Dean, she served as Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court from 2001 to 2020. She was appointed to the Maine Superior Court in 1993, and the Maine Supreme Judicial Court in 1997. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Maine in 1976, and from the University of Maine School of Law in 1980, she practiced in a small law firm in Ellsworth, Maine, worked briefly in the U.S. Veterans Administration Counsel’s Office, and later held leadership positions in the Office of the Attorney General of Maine.
As Chief Justice, she was responsible for overseeing the operation of Maine’s Judicial Branch, which included just over 500 people and 35 courthouses throughout Maine’s 16 counties. Among her accomplishments as Chief Justice, Saufley obtained legislative and gubernatorial support for substantially improved security for the Maine’s courthouses, making them safer for the public and court personnel, and she obtained funding for and oversaw the complete replacement of the courthouses in Kennebec, Penobscot, and Waldo Counties, along with the substantial renovations of several other courthouses.
Throughout her tenure as Chief Justice, Dean Saufley was an active member of the Conference of Chief Justices. She was a member of the Conference’s Committee on Courts, Children and Families, as well as the Government Affairs Committee, which covers a broad range of topics including appropriations, federalism, international trade agreements, the Hague Convention, forensic science advances, and national issues surrounding privacy law. She served as the Chair of the CCJ’s New England Regional Chief Justices Committee. In 2010, she was appointed by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to serve on the 14-member Federal-State Jurisdiction Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States. More recently, she had joined a State Justice Institute Advisory Committee on a grant-funded federalism project.
Dean Saufley is the winner of numerous honors and awards, including International Women’s Forum, Woman Who Makes a Difference; University of Maine Mary Hartman Award, Maine Women of Achievement; L. Kinvin Wroth Alumna of the Year Award from the Law School; and the Maine State Bar Association’s Caroline Duby Glassman Award. She holds an honorary degree from the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
Bits & Pieces
November Is Foundation Month
By Patty Byers
November is Foundation month -- a celebration of OUR Rotary Foundation. As the charitable arm of Rotary, the Foundation empowers Rotarians to approach big challenges such as poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition with sustainable solutions that leave a lasting impact. When you give to the Rotary Foundation SHARE Fund, nearly half that money returns to our district three years later to be directed toward our local district grant projects and our global initiatives.
This year our district has already sent grant funds to fourteen Clubs for their projects. This included funding for our own Portland’s new satellite club and their Literacy Project in Guatemala.
Charity Navigator gives the Rotary Foundation 4 stars, their highest rating!
(Grant funding in $ millions)
Here are just a few ways to make a donation, large or small!
Send your check, payable to the Rotary Foundation, to Alice Alexander, P.O. Box 1755, Portland, ME 04104-1755 (and write Annual Fund on the memo line).
Donate online at Rotary.org and sign into your “My Rotary Account” (if you have any questions about online giving, please contact Patty Byers)
Rotary Direct is Rotary’s recurring giving program. Have a small amount deducted (as low as $10) from your bank account or added to your credit card every month, quarter, or year. You decide the amount, method, and timing. It's easy to sign up—visit rotary.org/rotary-direct to get started.
Rusty Atwood calls our attention to an article in The Boston Globe about a project and exhibit at Colby College concerning the high rate of incarceration in the U.S. The link to the newspaper article is here. Also note the link in the article to the First Amendment Museum in Augusta. The Maine statewide public project titled Freedom & Captivity: A Humanities Initiative for an Abolitionist Future, wonders what Maine would look like if prisons were abolished.
Arctic Explorers | By Jake Bourdeau
Dana Eidsness, Director of the Maine North Atlantic Development Office(MENADO), spoke Friday, October 29, to 34 members via Zoom. Director Eidsness, just back from Iceland on behalf of MENADO, started her presentation by telling us about her connection to Rotary, thanking Portland Rotary again for providing her a student scholarship 35 years ago which allowed her to study Mandarin abroad in China.
She detailed the history of how MENADO came to be about the time that Eimskip, primarily a fishing company based in Iceland, chose Portland as it primary port of call for trade with the US. Maine began shipping goods back to Europe with this Eimskip connection to the North Atlantic, and that, along with an initiative of the Maine International Trade Center, led to the formation of MENADO. MENADO was formed to help develop trade and investment between Maine and the North Atlantic Region, and also develops Maine’s policy on Arctic affairs.
“As melting polar ice leads to the gradual opening of more Arctic shipping routes for longer periods of time, Maine is well positioned as the first U.S. port on the East Coast for this increased shipping traffic. That presents both economic opportunity and responsibility,” she said MENADO expects to insert Maine into future of the Arctic development with these shipping connection being the active thread, considering the Arctic as potentially ground zero for climate change with Greenland’s ice sheet melting (UCAR 2021), and to intentionally be part of the conversation.
MENADO works closely with both the State and Federal government to address Artic opportunities. Part of the support includes Maine’s Governor, and Senator Angus S. King, who is a founding co-chair of the U.S. Senate’s Arctic Caucus, along with Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
As one of its functions, MENADO is an active member of the Arctic Council and the Artic Frontiers based in Norway. “The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, Arctic indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular on issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic,” Eidsness said.
One of MENADO’s most visible efforts includes preparing for, and participating in, the annual Arctic Circle Assembly, which is the largest international meeting on the Arctic in the world, including over 2,000 attendees from over 60 countries, and 30 people from Maine. At this assembly, business leaders, scientists, academics, and heads of state meet together on various topics affecting the Arctic. The assembly is similar to other large conferences where there are plenary sessions, presentations on numerous related topics, and detailed workshops. Maine displays its expertise with exhibits on ocean industries, tourism (including Maine’s beer box), pharmaceuticals (including enzymes extracted from fish), climate research, and even art. The Portland Museum of Art will be participating in the Arctic cooperation presenting a multi-country rotating art exhibit.
Director Eidsness told us about many of her trips on behalf of MENADO as part of the Arctic Council and detailed Maine’s trade interest with Greenland, which has approximately 56,000 inhabitants, where travel in the country occurs by boat or plane due to minimal roads, and which is currently largely supported by Denmark.
Dana spends the rest of year planning trade and study missions with companies and academics in Northern and Artic markets (including northern Europe, Canada, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands), working on trade partnerships, as an intermediary for joint research and development, and addressing other needs as they arise.
In-Person Meetings Resume January 7, 2022
At its October 22 meeting, the Club’s Board of Directors approved resuming meeting-in-person on January 7, 2022. Zoom streaming will be provided for those unable to attend in person. This date assumes that COVID infections do not worsen. Two venues are under consideration and the location will be announced when the choice is finalized.
The Board agreed that proof of COVID vaccination will be required for attendance at in-person gatherings. This conforms to District 7780 direction and the requirements of potential venues, as well as Portland Public Schools and other organizations where we do volunteer work. The process for achieving this will be announced shortly.
The Board also adopted a statement of support for COVID vaccinations in light of Rotary’s long tradition of working to eradicate polio. We believe that the eradication of COVID is in line with our humanitarian mission. This statement has been released to the media and is included below.
--Bob Martin, President
Club Statement on COVID
For decades, over 1.2 million Rotarians have been the leading force behind the eradication of polio through the use of safe and effective vaccines. Our efforts have not only included vaccinating children, but also overcoming the spread of misinformation about the vaccine. Today, wild polio exists only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Rotary continues its efforts to completely eliminate this devastating disease.
Because of our deep commitment to service to others, The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine seeks to curb the spread of COVID-19 by supporting access to safe and effective vaccines, combating misinformation, and providing safe spaces to gather without the risk of infection. We support vaccine mandates, and will require proof of vaccination for our in-person meetings and participation in community service projects. We believe this is a humanitarian effort, just like polio eradication, and not a political one.
Since 1915, members of Portland Rotary have been dedicated to improving the lives of others. We are ordinary people who have used our passion, energy, and talent to take action on sustainable projects. From literacy and peace, to water and health, we are committed to improve the world. We know we are not alone in this effort, and we call upon all other service organizations to join us in helping to eradicate COVID, just as we have with the equally devastating disease of polio.
Board of Directors
The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine
Bob Martin, President
