Economics & Demographics Program
About the Economics and Demographics Team
The Economics and Demographics Team conducts ongoing analysis of Maine’s economy to inform planning and policy decisions made throughout the state. The team assists the Governor, Legislature, and other state agencies in monitoring the Maine economy, formulating and evaluating economic initiatives, analyzing policy alternatives, and pursuing sustainable economic growth. The team also staffs the Consensus Economic Forecasting Commission; serves as the State’s official liaison to the Census Bureau; and operates the State Data Center, which provides access to data produced by the US Census Bureau.
Economics and Demographics Team Members
Michael LeVert is the State Economist. Michael manages the Economics and Demographics team and sits on the State's Revenue Forecasting Committee. He holds a Master’s Degree in Resource Economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Graduate Certificate in Statistics from the University of Southern Maine. Before joining the State Planning Office, Michael worked as an economist and statistician in the private sector. His interests include leveraging Maine's Quality of Place as an economic development strategy. Michael lives in Cumberland with his wife Fonda and daughter Robin.
Amanda Rector serves as the Governor’s Liaison to the Census Bureau, staffs the Consensus Economic Forecasting Commission, and works on special research projects. Prior to joining the SPO Economics and Demographics team in 2007, Amanda worked at the Maine Department of Labor, Division of Labor Market Information Services. Amanda has a BA in Economics from Wellesley College and is pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Muskie School at the University of Southern Maine. She is originally from mid-coast Maine and now lives in Union.
Joel Johnson holds a Master’s Degree in Resource Economics and Policy from the University of Maine, where his research interests included environmental valuation methods, international trade, and socioeconomic disparities across Maine. The latest addition to the SPO Economics and Demographics Team, he most recently completed a NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. He is also an outdoor enthusiast and Registered Maine Guide.
Thomas Merrill coordinators the Maine State Data Center as a geographer and computer scientist with an undergraduate degree from the University of Maine at Farmington and is pursuing a Master's degree in Regional Economic and Social Development at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He has previous experience and continuing interest in Asset Development for low-income communities, Geographical Information Science, and database/MIS development. Thomas is a native of central Maine.
