Meg Weston, vice president for advancement at the University of Southern Maine and president and CEO of the USM Foundation is leaving the university to take the helm as president at Maine Media Workshops + College. Weston’s last day at USM will be March 9, and she will begin her new job at the end of the month. The university has not yet chosen her successor.
“It’s really hard to leave,” Weston said. “This was not an easy decision for me to make, but this new job is really where my lifelong passions lie. This a job made in heaven for me.”
Founded in 1973 in Rockport as Maine Photographic Workshops, Maine Media Workshops + College provides hundreds of workshops in digital and film photography and multimedia and offers a master’s degree in fine arts. “Meg’s professional experience and collaborative style fit perfectly with the workshops,” said John Claussen, chair of the board at Maine Media Workshops + College. “She brings with her an entrepreneurial track record, a passion for the creative process and enthusiastic endorsements from everyone with whom she has worked.”
Weston, who oversees university development, fundraising and alumni and corporate relations, has been at USM since 2009. According to Bob Caswell, director of public affairs at USM, Weston has been instrumental in successful fundraising and marketing campaigns in her three years at the university.
“A lot of successes in raising scholarships can be attributed to Meg’s leadership in that area,” Caswell said.
Weston’s accomplishments at USM include establishing the presidential and dean’s level scholarships, moving the marketing department from print media to a focus on digital and social media and revamping alumni connections with a soon-to-be-launched alumni website. She also oversaw the USM Foundation, an independent non-profit group that oversees fundraising for the university.
“I think the university has gone through some challenging times, and it’s not been easy economic circumstances,” she said. “But I see so many positive things going on. It’s hard not to be enthusiastic about USM.”
Weston has years of experience both in academic management and the media. She served 10 years on the University of Maine System Board of Trustees, including two years as chair of the board. She has also served as the president of the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram and president and CEO of Konica Quality Photo East. Caswell also described Weston as an “excellent” photographer.
“She really has what I’d call a rare mix of job experience that makes the job at Maine Media Workshops + College perfect for her,” Caswell said.
Weston reported directly to USM President Selma Botman, who described Weston’s departure from the university as “bittersweet.”
“She has refocused our marketing operation, laid the groundwork for a more vibrant alumni relations program and helped raise scholarship support for our students,” Botman said in a statement announcing Weston’s departure. “She will be dearly missed.”