b'MEMBER NEWSNew Director Appointed for Maine State Ferry ServiceT heMaineDepartmentofrootsinMainehisfamilymovedtoTransportation (MaineDOT)the state when he was a child, and he recently appointed Edward J.attended school in Maine. EJ Dupont as the new Director of theMaineStateFerryService.EJjoinsMaineDOTwithextensiveleadershipexperienceincomplex, high-pressure environments acrosstheglobe.AretiredU.S.Army IntelligenceandForeignAreaoffi-cer,EJheldsenioroperationaland managementroleswithintheU.S. Department of State, including exec-utivedirectorpostsatU.S.embassiesincludingLiberia,Uganda,Bel-gium, Luxembourg, and at the U.S. MissiontotheEuropeanUnion. Throughouthis32-yearmilitary and diplomatic career, EJ led critical logistical,operational,andsecurity functionsskillsthatalignclosely withtheneedsofMainesisland transportation system.Inhisnewrole,EJisresponsible for overseeing all operations of theMaineStateFerryService.Hisfocusincludes infrastructure and ticketing systems,customerservice,stafftrain-ing and development, operationalsecurity, regulatory compliance, and PHOTO: MAINE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATIONcoordinationwiththeU.S.Coast Guard to ensure adherence to federal safety standards.Fluent in French and Portuguese, EJ holdsabachelorsdegreeinhistory and a masters degree in management. Though his professional career has tak-en him around the world, EJ has deep 47 AUGUST 2025'