Our Team

Terry Sutton

CEO

Terry became CEO of Maine Center Ventures in July 2018. She has held senior executive positions at WEX, CashStar, DAVO Technologies, and L.L.Bean and currently serves on the boards of Preble Street, a nonprofit tackling homelessness and poverty in Portland, and Geiger, a promotional products company based in Lewiston.

Terry is a past Trustee of the University of Maine System, a past Vice Chair of the Maine Math and Science Alliance, and a graduate of the Leadership Maine program (Omicron class). She earned her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and completed her MBA at Harvard Business School.

Alexa Dayton

COO

Alexa became COO of Maine Center Ventures in October 2019. She leads the operations and strategic program development of the Maine Center and works closely with Maine’s business community to advance economic growth and innovation through workforce development. She has held senior positions at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Maine Huts & Trails, L.L. Bean, and MapInfo Corporation, and she has operated several of her own small businesses in Maine.

Alexa holds a B.S. in Engineering from the University of Michigan, a M.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Southern Maine, and an Inter-disciplinary Ph.D. in Marine Science, Policy, and Resource Economics from the University of Maine.

Rebecca Gilbert

Program Manager

Rebecca supports the development of the Maine Center through project management, outreach and engagement, website management, marketing, and communications. She leads or contributes to a range of initiatives including executive education, entrepreneurship support, and interdisciplinary academic programming. Rebecca also manages the Maine Center Graduate Internship Program. Before joining Maine Center Ventures, she was a facilitator and mediator, a U.S. Senate staffer, a fisheries researcher, and a field geologist. 

Rebecca has a B.A. in Geosciences from Williams College and a Master of Environmental Management degree from the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She is an alumna of the Williams College-Mystic Seaport Maritime Studies Program.