Dave Daigler

David Daigler became president of the Maine Community College System in January 2019. The seven community colleges serve more than 30,000 people a year, through two-year associate degree and one-year certificate programs, short-term workforce training, early college programs, advanced certificates, and other learning opportunities.

Daigler previously served as chief financial officer from 2003 to 2019 and vice president from 2015 to 2019.

As president, Daigler is a strong advocate for programmatic innovations that leverage strong relationships with the state’s employers and leaders to transform educational opportunities in Maine, dramatically expanding the scope of what the community colleges offer and creating new educational opportunities that are more effective, efficient, and accessible to Maine people.

When Governor Mills proposed the Maine Free College initiative, Daigler worked with the seven college presidents to maximize the opportunity for recent high school graduates, increasing enrollment 29% in the program’s first two years, reaching a record high.

He also led a historic $60 million initiative to vastly expand short-term training programs using a unique, tiered model that received national attention. The program engages business-driven partnerships and combines resources from the Harold Alfond Foundation, State of Maine grants, and local business investments to offer pre-hire training for those seeking the technical skills needed to enter the workforce and offers additional training and education for incumbent workers seeking to earn a credential of value.

Daigler is also committed to the colleges being highly responsive to the immediate workforce needs of the state. In partnership with Maine’s largest health care providers, he led a successful effort to use public and private funds to double the number of students enrolled in nursing programs and expanded nursing programs to all seven colleges.

Daigler serves on several boards, including as co-chair and founding member of the Maine Defense Industry Alliance, the New England Board of Higher Education, the Alfond Scholars Board, New England Delta Dental, and the Finance Authority of Maine where he is the immediate past chair. He is also an advisor to the Boston Federal Reserve Maine Working Communities Challenge, the Maine Economic 10-Year Plan Steering Committee, the Maine Health Education Network, and the Career and Technical Education Region 10 Advisory Board.

Daigler graduated from John Carroll University and Boston College and has a Master of Science in finance. He and his wife reside in Portland and have two grown children.