Governor LePage selects Alec Porteous as next Commissioner of DAFS

August 4, 2017

For Immediate Release: Friday, August 4, 2017
Contact: Peter A. Steele, Communications Director, 207-287-5086

AUGUSTA ? Governor Paul R. LePage announced today the selection of Alec Porteous as the next Commissioner of the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS). Porteous, who now serves as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Health and Human Services, will transition to DAFS as Deputy Commissioner for Finance on August 14.

He will serve as Acting Commissioner until a formal nomination is submitted to the legislature for consideration and confirmation later this year. David R. Lavway, who has served as Acting Commissioner since June 13, will continue at DAFS in his role as Deputy Commissioner for Operations.

?Alec has a diverse background in the private and government sectors and has been integral in guiding DHHS to stable financial footing and efficient operations. He will continue to be a strong, reform-minded leader within state government,? said Governor LePage. ?I would like to thank Dave Lavway for his steady leadership during this interim period, including his support across all of state government during the recent government shutdown.?

Porteous joined the LePage Administration in May 2014 as Deputy Commissioner of Finance for the Department of Health and Human Services. As Deputy Commissioner of Finance, Porteous oversaw the Department?s $3.6 billion budget, which is 46 percent of the total state budget. He led the Department?s two most recent biennial budget submissions, which drove efficiencies and implemented numerous reform measures, and he has been instrumental in bringing sound financial management and fiscal discipline to a Department that was plagued by massive shortfalls under previous administrations.

?It?s an honor to serve in the LePage Administration. I am grateful to Governor LePage for the opportunities that he has given me to serve the people of Maine. It has been a privilege to work with so many dedicated public servants at DHHS,? Porteous said. ?Over the past three years, I have also worked closely with DAFS professionals. I have been very impressed with their intelligence, work ethic and commitment to good governance of our state, and I look forward to working with team members across the Department.?

Porteous previously worked as a policy advisor for Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Washington, D.C., focusing on financial services issues and congressional investigations. He also worked as an associate in the investment banking division at Lehman Brothers, where he served on teams providing strategic and financial advice to firm clients. Prior to joining DHHS, Porteous was a vice president at Harpswell Capital Advisors in New Gloucester, Maine.

He also served from 2011 to 2013 as state office representative in Portland for U.S. Senator Susan Collins and as a member of her legislative staff in Washington, DC from 2002 to 2005. Porteous received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Colby College in 2002 and his Master of Business Administration from Cornell University in 2007. He is a trustee of the Portland Museum of Art and serves as co-chair of the museum?s Contemporaries Steering Committee.