Kevin Jensen grew up in Vienna VA, near Washington, DC. He graduated from The George Washington University and earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. After graduation, he moved to New York City where he met his wife who grew up in Maine. After the birth of their first child, they decided to move to Maine to be closer to family.

In New York City, Jensen worked in city government, workforce development, and fundraising, “all of which blends well with what I do here in Gorham,” said Jensen.

As the economic development director, Jensen serves as the primary point of contact for the business community, developing and maintaining relationships with new and existing businesses, and helping businesses navigate the process of starting and operating a business in Gorham. In addition, Jensen administers the Revolving Loan Fund program, which provides gap financing and is only eligible for Gorham businesses, and he develops other programs to support the Gorham business community, such as the recent Façade & Leasehold Improvement grant program. “We heard from business leaders and we’re working to develop new programs that address their needs,” Jensen said. “By listening and responding to business concerns, we hope to offer the type of support they can use to thrive and grow in Gorham.”

Jensen also works to raise the Town’s regional profile and promote Gorham as a great place to do business. He actively works to identify and apply for grant funding that will benefit and help advance the Town’s development goals. This has resulted in consecutive years of federal earmark funding being awarded to the Town in support of major infrastructure initiatives, recently including road construction for the Gorham Industrial Park expansion project and conducting a feasibility study for connecting water and sewer along Rt. 22 in South Gorham.

Recently, Jensen has been meeting regularly with USM leadership to identify areas for collaboration that can benefit both the Town and the university. “Gorham is a college town and USM is an important partner for us,” Jensen said. “There is certainly more that can be done mutually that will help us both in the long run.”