Maine Commissioner of Fortman selected for American Swiss Foundation Class of 2025 Innovation Fellows
Posted on October 20, 2025 | News
by BDN Community
American Swiss Foundation launched the inaugural “Innovation Forum: Developing the Workforce of Tomorrow” at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Maine Commissioner of Labor Laura Fortman joined 17 state secretaries of labor from across the United States to share perspectives and seek new strategies on labor innovation and workforce development.
Robert J. Giuffra, Jr. chair, American Swiss Foundation said, “The American Swiss Foundation’s inaugural Innovation Forum in Boston reflects our mission to connect and engage leaders from Switzerland and the United States. We are delighted to bring together top leaders from government, business and academia to exchange ideas about the future of work.”
Fortman remarked, “I am thrilled to join my national colleagues to undertake strategies to address the evolving economy while creating paths for every worker to get the right training leading to job opportunities.”
Appointed by Gov. Janet Mills in 2019, Fortman has been responsible for labor standards enforcement, employment and training programs, unemployment insurance, labor market information and vocational rehabilitation services.
Fortman said, “I am also looking forward to learning best practices from Switzerland’s world-renowned apprenticeship system that may be applicable to Maine.”
Lee Umphrey, president & CEO of EMDC added, “This is a great opportunity for Maine to enhance our current workforce system and solidify the systemic, people-focused programmatic foundation created by Commissioner Fortman and her team. With Commissioner Fortman’s extensive public policy, advocacy and implementation experience with the Department of Labor, which she also led under Gov. John Baldacci from 2003 to 2011, she is well-positioned to identify innovative solutions for today’s workforce challenges. EMDC is ready to be the laboratory for workforce enhancements born from this process.”
Founded in 1945 in response to World War II, the American Swiss Foundation’s mission is to connect and engage Swiss and American leaders focused on nurturing and investing in the next generation of leaders.