Saturday, February 6, 2021 @ 10am
Guest:
James Dinkle
Executive Director
Kennebec Regional Development Authority
Jim Dinkle is the Executive Director of the Kennebec Regional Development Authority in Oakland, Maine. In his role, he markets for sale FirstPark, a 280-acre commerce and technology park that is located at Interstate 95 and State Route 137 at Exit 127. The Authority was created by a 1998 Act of the Maine Legislature. Businesses and property owners in FirstPark include LL Bean, T-Mobile, MaineGeneral and One River CPA’s.
Jim moved to Maine with his partner of 20 years, Carlos, in November 2017. They reside in Oakland. Jim has served on the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees and as deputy chief of staff for a governor and as an aide to the Mayor of Chicago. In 2018, Jim and Carlos established an endowment at the University of Kentucky that created the Dinkle-Mas LGBTQ Resource Center in the University’s new student center. The Dinkle-Mas Center has become a place for networking, making new friends, programming and wellness.
Jim says that he and Carlos have been especially inspired by fellow Kentucky alumni Greg Bourke and Michael DeLeon, who were plaintiffs in the landmark 2015 US Supreme Court case Obergefell vs. Hodges that established marriage equality.
Jim’s mantra are the words of polio vaccine inventor Dr. Jonas Salk, “The greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more.”
