Management Team
Joe Powers
Managing Director
Joe joined Maine Venture Fund in 2019. Prior to MVF, he worked for a number of startup technology firms (Tesla, Zoox, Clean Marine Energy) in a variety of roles. Joe also has experience as an entrepreneur (Ripso) and angel investor. Joe is an alumnus of Middlebury (BA) and Tuck (MBA).
Nina Scheepers
Principal
Nina joined Maine Venture Fund in 2021. Prior to MVF, she held a variety of roles at Unum, most recently as a Product Manager leading work to transform the company’s technology and operations. She is a Bowdoin and Tuck graduate and brings enthusiasm for both impact investing and Maine’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Terri Wark
Operations manager
Terri joined Maine Venture Fund in 2001 and serves as the Fund’s Office Operations Manager. Prior to that, she was employed at the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) in the Small Business and Commercial Loan Division. Ms. Wark attended the University of Maine.
Board of Directors
Authority for the Maine Venture Fund resides with an eleven-member Board of Directors, the Small Enterprise Growth Board (SEGB). Members have relevant experience and background in early-stage investing, managing high-growth small businesses, development of technological innovation, commercial lending, and securities law. The Board works closely with prospective and current portfolio companies to provide invaluable advice, resources, and support.
Brien Walton, Chair
Dr. Walton is the CEO of Acadia Capital Management, L3C, a strategic advisory firm
that works with governments and social impact funds to create jobs in economically
distressed communities. He is also the director of the Richard E. Dyke Center for
Family Business at Husson University, where he has developed an innovation
incubation ecosystem between academia, entrepreneurs, and diverse industries.
He has a diverse background, having worked as an executive coach, software engineer,
corporate tax attorney, real estate developer, and commercial banker. Dr. Walton has
also created and managed venture capital funds and technology incubators at large
universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, where he created an award-
winning shared space innovation hub in downtown Philadelphia.
Dr. Walton holds several graduate degrees, including a Doctor of Education in
Organizational Learning Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, with a
concentration in Leadership Development from the Wharton School of Business. He
also has a Juris Doctorate in Law from the University of D.C., a Master of Science in
Education in Workforce Development from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of
Arts in Educational Technologies from Harvard University, and a Master of Laws in
Taxation from Georgetown University.
Peter DelGreco, Vice Chair
Mr. DelGreco serves as President and CEO of Maine & Company, a privately funded business attraction and economic development organization. Charged with helping companies establish successful and profitable operations in Maine, Maine & Company’s Board of Directors consists of top executives from Maine’s business community. During his tenure, Maine & Company has attracted numerous companies to Maine that now employ thousands of people across the State. Peter is a graduate of Colby College and earned his MBA from the University of Southern Maine.
Julie Viola, Treasurer
Ms. Viola is SVP, Commercial Banking Officer and Small Business Manager with Maine Community Bank. She is responsible for leading a commercial banking team, as well as managing her own loan portfolio.
Julie began her corporate career at Seafax/Gofish.com in Portland where she worked for 11 years prior to joining Gorham Savings Bank in December 2001, and was with GSB through 2024. A Portland native and graduate of Portland High School, she holds a B.S. from Bentley University and MBA from Thomas College.
Ms. Viola was named SBA Star Award Recipient in 2021 by the Maine SBA District Office. She volunteers for Score Maine as a Subject Matter Expert and is a co-presenter for their quarterly workshop, “Funding your Business”. She was named Subject Matter Expert of the Year in 2025. Ms. Viola joined the MCED Board in late 2024 and served as past Board President of Portland Economic Development Corporation.
Susan Ahern
Susan Majiu Ahern served as the first Vice President of Innovation with MaineHealth, Chair of the Intellectual Property (IP) and Business Development Committee, and Founder of the Innovation Fund. Collaborating with thousands of colleagues, she created and invested in 7 startups, expanded the IP portfolio, achieved a 300% ROI, and shifted the innovation culture. Susan is a dynamic innovation leader and entrepreneur with extensive experience in Maine, New England and International innovation and economic development.
Susan is passionate about improving lives, creating new value, and fostering communities united by this shared purpose. Susan is an expert at spearheading and building novel solutions in technologies, diagnostics and therapeutics, including the use of artificial intelligence and genomics. Susan is dedicated to the vision of making Maine communities the healthiest in America by accelerating novel solutions and investing in entrepreneurs and innovators.
Susan co-founded four biomedical and life science companies, and her work and team with the Consulate General of Canada was awarded #1 in the world by the International Business Innovation Association. Susan is a graduate of Colby College, a member of the Damariscotta Class of Leadership Maine, and serves on the boards of the Maine Center for Entrepreneurship and Maine Venture Funds.
Elizabeth Chabe
Elizabeth Chabe (MBA, MS) is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and recognized strategic marketing consultant for science, engineering, and technology organizations. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, the BBC, Entrepreneur, CNBC, Composites World, and 360Dx, among others. As the founder and CEO of High Touch Group, Elizabeth leads a team dedicated to crafting effective marketing and PR strategies for advanced technology and science-driven organizations. As the former senior manager of digital and strategic marketing at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX), she developed marketing strategies for its mouse model portfolio, model generation (CRISPR), and in vivo contract research services. Prior to joining JAX, she oversaw global communications for the Advanced Structures and Composites Center in Maine. There, she managed projects including the center’s offshore wind research program, the largest research and R&D program in Maine’s history. Elizabeth has been a governor-appointed director of the Maine Venture Fund since 2018.
Helen Sterling Coburn
Ms. Coburn is a corporate and securities attorney at Bernstein Shur, where she co-chairs the firm’s private capital group. In that role, she counsels start-up companies across multiple industries raising investment capital and also represents investors making investments in early-stage companies. She was on the inaugural Board of Directors of Startup Maine, Inc., is currently on the investment committee of the Indus Fund, and also has served on advisory boards of several enterprises. Helen holds a BA from Dartmouth College and a JD from Boston College Law School.
Jake Daniele
Jake Daniele advocates for small businesses and entrepreneurs through his role in Maine’s Office of Business Development. Jake travels the state assisting businesses with resource navigation, works on investment attraction, and acts as state government’s small business ombudsman. Prior to working for DECD, Jake started two promotional products companies and was a recipient of a Libra Future Fund grant before earning his MBA from the University of Maine. Jake operates Martial Arts programs in Cumberland and Freeport and is a former Freeport Town Councilor.
Greg Fryer
Mr Fryer heads the Securities Law Group of Verrill Dana, LLP, a New England regional firm of more than 150 lawyers, with offices in Portland ME, Boston MA, and Westport CT. A substantial part of Greg’s practice is advising startup companies or investors in transactions to raise capital. His other practice areas are corporate law, securities regulation, contract negotiations, and mergers and acquisitions. Greg has been associated with the Small Enterprise Growth Board since 1997, first as counsel and later as a Board member. He previously was member of Maine Angels, a group of accredited investors who meet monthly in Portland, Maine and provide investment and mentoring to early-stage companies.
Susan Hammond
Ms. Hammond, a Penobscot Nation tribal member, was the former long-standing (20 years) Executive Director of Four Directions Development Corporation (FDDC), a Native-governed Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) serving the four tribes of Maine. As one of the founders, she had been involved with FDDC since the earliest planning stages which began in the fall of 2000. Susan now works for Fahe, a national nonprofit CDFI based in Kentucky, as their new Relationship Manager for Native CDFIs nationwide. She serves on the Boards of Maine Community Foundation, Bangor Savings Bank and Coastal Enterprises Inc. as well as Oweesta Corporation, a national intermediary Native American CDFI. She was awarded the Maine SBA Minority Small Business Advocate of the Year Award and was also a recipient of the Visionary Leader Award and Circle of Honor Award from the national CDFI association, Opportunity Finance Network and Oweesta Corporation. Susan graduated from the University of Maine at Orono with a BS in Business Administration and is well connected in both the local Wabanaki communities and national Native American organizations.
Justin Young
Mr. Young is the Assistant Vice President at Unum Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Unum Group. He oversees the firm’s venture investments in early-stage companies transforming the future of families, work, and longevity. In this role, he leads sourcing, evaluation, and investment management activities, bridging emerging technology and enterprise strategy to scale innovations that modernize employee benefits.
Mr. Young holds an MBA from Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Connecticut, and completed the Venture Capital Executive Program at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business. He resides in South Portland, Maine, with his wife Rachel and their three children—Patrick, Madeleine, and Luke.
