Meet The Team
A. Jay Higgins: Former State House Bureau Chief
Decades of excellence in journalism and public service. See box to right for more information.
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Communications Director
A Jay Higgins is a legendary journalist who has significantly contributed to Maine's media landscape. He has spent his entire professional career in Maine media, beginning as a teen-aged cameraman for Bangor’s Channel 7 television in 1970. He began working for the Bangor Daily News in 1972 while still a senior at Bangor High School and his first job involved casting the lead plates for the printing presses in the paper’s stereotype department. In the ensuing 34 years, A. Jay moved up to the editorial department, where he quickly immersed himself in nearly every facet of news reporting, editing and photography. In addition to his extensive award-winning coverage in the greater Bangor area, he also worked in the paper’s Presque Isle bureau and was named bureau chief of the BDN’s Hancock County operations in Ellsworth in 1988. He was assigned to the paper’s State House Bureau Chief’s position in 1993 and was also a New England correspondent for the Boston Globe in the late 1990s. He held that position until 2006 when the BDN instituted a large-scale reduction in force of employees as the future of the state’s newspapers began a decline. After a seven month-stint at the Kennebec Journal in Augusta, he joined Maine Public Radio in 2007 as the station’s State House Bureau Chief focusing on state politics, public policy and offbeat news features. A recipient of several Maine Association of Broadcaster awards while at Maine Public, A. Jay’s news stories also aired on National Public Radio. Retiring from the news business in 2018, he resides with his wife, Diane, in the picturesque Hancock County fishing village of Corea and plays and sings seasonally for the locals and tourists at the Travelin’ Lobster and other area restaurants in Bar Harbor.
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Treasurer
Nick Weiss is a graduate of Thomas College in Waterville, Maine, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration. He has been a member of the Maine College Republicans, serving as Chair from 2024 to 2025 and Vice Chair in 2023 and 2024. He currently serves as Secretary of the Maine Young Republicans. He is a resident of Winslow, Maine. He is working for the campaign primarily in the central Maine region.
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Webmaster and Administrator
Mitchell Rounds will receive a bachelor of science in business administration from Thomas College in December of 2025. He is a member of the Thomas College Republicans, where he serves as secretary. He has been employed by the town of Sebago as a administrative intern, and is currently employed by Walgreen's Drugstore Corporation. He came to Maine from Chester, Vermont, and is currently a resident of Waterville, Maine. He will be working for the campaign in the central Maine region.
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Policy Advisor, Addiction and Recovery
Andrea Lynn Courtney is the daughter of Jonathan and Collette Courtney. She grew up in Sanford, Maine, alongside her two brothers, Andrew and Adam. Andrea was raised in a loving and compassionate environment by hard working parents who made sure she had a fulfilling childhood. At the age of 15 her dentist prescribed her opioids, which opened her eyes to a whole new feeling of euphoria. Andrea she began seeking drugs, and that is where her addiction began. Involved in partner abuse, heroin addition and homeless for a time, and with Child Protective Services recommending that her children stay with her parents, she hit rock bottom. She credits a brief incarceration and a shelter in Solon, Maine with helping her come clean and find a path forward. She is currently engaged in helping those who have been affected by similar experiences, and she will assist the Libby for Governor campaign with fieldwork and policy. She will be working in the western Maine region.
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Policy Advisor, Air Transportation and Entrepreneurship
Eliza Conley-Lepene is an entrepreneur and business owner in southern Maine. She has extensive experience in insurance and banking, and has experience in app development. Eliza has a master's degree in Aeronautics and Space Systems from Embry-Riddle, and a bachelor's degree in Justice Advocacy and Psychology She will primarily be working for the campaign in the southern Maine region.
Deputy Treasurer
​Debra Hamilton comes to the Libby for Governor campaign with six years of real estate experience and 15 years in corporate bank management and lending. She is a licensed realtor an associate broker with with the Maine Real Estate Experience in Auburn, and has recently been named a top real estate agent for the Naples, Harrison and Bridgton area in 2025. She brings a unique combination of real estate and finance experience to the campaign. Raised in Acton, Maine, she and her family are now residents of Naples, Maine.
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Operations
Eva Callioras has worked on the campaigns of Austin Theriault and Paul LePage. She interned for three years with U.S. Senator Susan Collins. She is currently completing a Master of Business Administration degree after attaining a dual bachelor's degree in Political Science and Business Administration. She will be the President of the Thomas College Republicans for the 2025/2026 academic year. She will be working for the campaign in central and northern Maine.
Policy Advisor, Energy and Infrastructure
Born and raised in Maine, John Salamone is a network and IT engineer, currently running for State Senate. He brings the campaign infrastructure and energy experience. He supports reindustrialization through smart, pro-growth economic and energy policies. He also supports reviving investment in efficient manufacturing processes in Maine. John shares the campaign vision of restoring economic independence. He hails from Biddeford.
Policy Advisor, Education and Communications
Dr. Connie Brown brings to the team more than 40 years of experience in education and government. Growing up in Western Maine, she attended public schools and graduated from Mt. Blue High School in Farmington. After graduation she attended USM where she interned for Congressman McKernan, focusing on constituent responsiveness. Each summer in college she packed plastic at Forster Manufacturing Company knowing if she didn’t earn enough money she wouldn’t be able to return to USM. She started her educational career as a teacher in Biddeford. There she completed her Masters (MS) Degree, Summa Cum Laude in Educational Leadership from USM.
At the age of 25 she was selected to be a principal in Somersworth, NH. Six years later, she was chosen to be the superintendent for SAU # 2. Balancing her responsibilities as a single mom and administrator, she completed a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) Summa Cum Laude from UNH. In 1999 she accepted a position as Superintendent of Schools in Augusta, ME and moved back to her home state.
While Superintendent of Schools in Augusta, she emphasized the importance of teaching reading and direct instruction. The efforts paid off- student achievement rose from 15% to 80%, post-secondary attendance rose from 50% to 85%. She successfully lobbied for the construction of a new Cony High School, something the City of Augusta had been waiting 40 years to build. Fiscal accountability was recognized under her leadership, and the Augusta City Council made few budget cuts during nearly 14 years as superintendent. Recognized by her peers, Connie was awarded the Maine School Superintendents’ Association Outstanding Educational Leadership Award. She was also a finalist for the Maine Superintendent of the Year. While working full- time as the Augusta School Department Superintendent, she earned a PhD from Boston College in Educational Leadership.
At the behest of the President of the Maine School Boards Association she applied and was appointed as the Executive Director of the Maine School Management Association, the first and only woman to hold this position.
Leaving MSMA and returning to the superintendency, Connie worked in Nasuha, NH as the Superintendent of Schools. Nashua is the second largest school district in NH with 14,000 students. Missing Maine, she returned and was hired as the Superintendent of Schools for the Winthrop and Auburn School Districts. She retired from the Auburn School Department in 2024. During her tenure in Auburn she improved student achievement from 20% to 88% and raised the graduation rate from 72% to 95%.
Currently, Connie works as the Part- Time Superintendent of Schools in Islesboro, negotiates labor contracts, and does political consulting. She lives in Augusta with her husband, a retired attorney, a shelter dog named Axle, and an irascible cat named Copper. They have 3 adult children, the youngest of which is a junior at Boston College, Connie’s alma mater.
Policy Advisor, Real Estate, Housing, and Regulatory Matters
Laura Holder is a highly successful Real Estate Broker at Keller Williams Realty, with a reputation for integrity, market knowledge, and client - centered services. She has over 20 years experience, particularly in Maine's coastal market. Laura has a background in psychology and business. She also coaches brokers on building strong, sustainable careers rooted in clarity, confidence and results. Laura will provide policy direction in the areas of real estate, housing, and regulatory hurdles in this important market sector. She resides in Kennebunk, Maine.
Honorary Policy Advisors
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