Maine DOE team member Jason Libby is being highlighted this week as part of the Get to Know the Maine DOE Team Campaign. Learn a little more about Jason in tis brief question and answer.

What are your roles with DOE?

I am the Postsecondary and Educator Preparation Coordinator for the Department. I work with multiple stakeholders including the State Board of Education, public and private postsecondary institutions, US DOE, and members of the public in a variety of ways. Some specific job responsibilities include working with our approved educator prep programs, administering the Aspirations early college program, and degree-granting authority requests. I also have the chance to work with some great colleagues in educator effectiveness, educator excellence, adult education, and certification.

What do you like best about your job?

I enjoy working with our postsecondary partners in preparing tomorrow’s educators and workforce as well as managing the Aspirations program which assists high school students in taking classes that lead to college credit. The early college program is an investment in secondary students in Maine and has a positive influence on their post-high school success.

How or why did you decide on this career?

I have worked in a few different areas throughout my career including higher education administration, teaching at the college level, nonprofit management (historic preservation and museums), and policy analysis. When this position became available three years ago, I was very excited to be able to have the opportunity to work in the Department again (I was an intern in Special Services in 1999).

What do you like to do outside of work for fun?

I volunteer with some local and statewide nonprofits and enjoy collecting historic memorabilia and books. I am currently in the process of collecting data for my dissertation research at the University of Southern Maine which has been extremely interesting work. Since the pandemic, my wife, two sons, and I, have been getting out and exploring the natural landscape in the region more so than before.