Meet Our Team

Following decades of professional experience connecting people and communities with programs and resources at local, state, federal and international levels of government, Lee Umphrey joined Eastern Maine Development Corporation (EMDC) as President and CEO in October of 2018.

With additional experience in program and financial management at private non-profit organizations, Lee most recently led a financial turnaround of the Harrington Family Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Downeast Maine.

Lee began his career in Washington, D.C. at the Library of Congress. While employed at the institution’s Congressional Research Service, he learned the value of research and gained an appreciation for the consequential role of information dissemination in creating opportunities. As a staffer for several subsequent years with U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell, Lee developed the foundation for what would become a career-long emphasis on successful interactions with Capitol Hill, federal agencies and international entities.

Throughout his career, Lee has focused on education, healthcare and workforce needs as well as community and economic development, to create, reinvigorate and promote sustainable initiatives through legislative action and access to state and federal programs. As Vice President and Interim Executive Director of Math for America, he directed a congressional process establishing a national math and science corps that became public law.

Lee has excelled in creating communication and public relations strategies in many roles including Director of Communications for Maine Governor John Baldacci and Community Liaison for Senator George Mitchell in his capacity leading the Northern Ireland peace negotiations. In concert with the start of the Peace Talks in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Lee organized an education and workforce conference with participants from East and West Belfast, Republic of Ireland and the United States. He later spent several years building US-Northern Ireland partnerships and helped launch education programs in Ghana, Africa.

Lee resides in Bangor. His two children, Hunter and Ellen, returned to Maine after graduating from College and Law School. They have five children.

Vicki joined the organization in 2010, and has more than 38 years’ experience in project and grants development and management in the fields of transportation, economic development, community planning, cancer research, primary care research, and healthcare. Vicki oversees community and regional economic activities and provides technical assistance for comprehensive planning, community development, writing and publication of the regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), and infrastructure planning and development.  She has a Doctorate of Education/Educational and Transformative Leadership from the University of New England and a Masters’ in Public Administration from the University of Maine, and serves as the Co-President of the Maine Multicultural Center.

Ashley Bubar joined EMDC as an accounting intern in 2009 and has since held many roles, including her current position as Director of Finance. In addition to leading our finance team, Ashley has been instrumental in enhancing EMDC’s program systems and financial operations. She earned a BS in Accounting from Southern New Hampshire University as well as an AS in Business Management and an AS in Accounting from Beal College. Ashley was born and raised in Central Maine and now lives in Saint Albans, where she enjoys being in the outdoors and is a die-hard Harry Potter fanatic.

Patti is the Deputy Director of Workforce Services overseeing the operation of EMDC job training programs throughout the Central/Western Maine region.  She has worked in the 5-County area for 40+ years, previously as the Manager of Job Training for Western Maine Community Action, which has helped her build many community partnerships.  She has been an employment specialist, supervisor and project manager where she advanced the model of employer-driven training.  Patti is a graduate of the University of Maine at Farmington with a BS in Rehabilitation.  She is a Maine native known for her sense of humor, organizational skills, and collaborating spirit.

Laurie Osher is a state representative, soil scientist, a building energy efficiency expert, a small business owner, and a former UMaine faculty member. Her business, Osher Environment Systems, helps homeowners lower their energy use, heating costs, and carbon dioxide contributions to the atmosphere. She moved to Maine in 1999 to be a Research and Teaching Faculty Member at the University of Maine in Orono after earning a Ph.D. in Soil Science at the University of California, Berkeley, and completing research with the Environmental Protection Agency. Before beginning on her Ph.D research she worked as a soil & watershed scientist for the USDA Forest Service, the US Agency for International Development, and the USDA Soil Conservation Service. Osher represents Orono in the Maine Legislature and served as an Orono Town Councilor from 2017 to 2022. She is the solo parent of 21-year-old twins, Noam and Zivi.

Amy has a history of working in teams on projects to transform businesses through technology and training while achieving operational excellence. For the last several years, she was a project coordinator for General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, helping guide the execution, development, and implementation of creative strategies to achieve outcomes. In addition, her marketing, graphic design, and technology expertise will help improve current and new opportunities, boosting and promoting economic revitalization. As a Millinocket native, she has strong ties to the Katahdin Region and is thrilled to return home for work and family. Amy has a BA in New Media from the University of Maine and an AS in Computer Aided Drafting and Design from EMCC.

Cynthia Meservey has rejoined EMDC to lead our recruitment and Human Resources management efforts. Cynthia has extensive leadership experience in several administrative positions focused in financial, personnel, and technology areas. Cynthia has 15 years of experience working with EMDC, leaving in 2011. Her deep knowledge of our organization, and affinity for our work will enable her to provide top notch human resource management. Cynthia lives in Bradley, Maine with her husband and four dogs.