Meagan Hamblett has taken a new job within the YMCA. On Feb. 3, she becomes executive director of the Alliances of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.  Hamblett has been Central Lincoln County YMCA’s executive director for five years. She began working for the Greater Portland YMCA as an early childhood teacher in 1992. Her new job is a leadership role within the tri-state region for fostering collaboration and initiatives among the 27 YMCAs. 

Hamblett described her new job as 80% consulting work on strategic planning, collaborations and partnerships among the three states’ YMCAs. The other 20% is working with a Maine CEO board and a New Hampshire and Vermont CEO board. She has one staff person working for her. 

Besides working for Y’s in Portland and Damariscotta, she also worked at Boothbay Region YMCA as a consultant in its early childhood program. Hamblett was happy in her job as CLC YMCA executive director, but the Alliance executive director job is one she’s coveted for a while. “It’s really where I’ve wanted to be for the past few years. It’s an operations position, and we’ve done a really great job at CLC. I’ve utilized the previous Alliance executive director in strategic planning, master facility design, collaborations and mergers.”

As CLC YMCA executive director, Hamblett believes the post has honed her leadership skills to a level where she facilitated in developing community partnerships within central Lincoln County. She remembers when the nonprofits and other community organizations didn’t collaborate much on programs or events. “There were a lot of individual silos and not a lot of cooperation. I was one of the leaders who started to bring people together, and now the Y does a lot of work with the Lincoln Theater and Lincoln Academy.”

Hamblett’s YMCA career began in 1992 at the Greater Portland Y. She worked one year as a third grade teacher in her hometown of Winthrop. Hamblett decided to try teaching in a larger community and moved to Portland. “I needed a job and told them I was looking to work at a private or public school. They hired me and allowed me to interview for other teaching positions,” she said. “I worked there two weeks and absolutely loved it and cancelled my other interviews.”

Eventually, she married and moved. Hamblett began a new job at the United Way. When the Hambletts moved to East Boothbay, she worked at St. Andrews Hospital as a development director. Hamblett did marketing, community relationships and worked on the capital campaign. Hamblett left the job to care for her children and work as a private consultant. Eventually, she worked with BRYMCA on developing its early childcare program before becoming CLC YMCA’s executive director.