John Burns

John Burns, MBA, MS, is the Director of Corporate Engagement for the University of Maine.

In this role, he serves as a primary point of contact for strategic partners, connecting them with the talent, innovation, and infrastructure resources of the University of Maine. Corporate Engagement strives to build multi-faceted,
mutually beneficial relationships with companies throughout the state of Maine and beyond.

John joined the Office of Strategic Partnerships, Innovation, Resources and Engagement in 2022. He previously served as inaugural Managing Director of Maine Venture Fund, the State of Maine’s venture capital fund, and in that role was responsible for stimulating Maine economic development by investing in high- potential early stage Maine companies. Prior, John was Second Vice President of Investments at UNUM. John also served for several years as adjunct faculty at UMaine in the College of Business. A graduate of UMaine in Resource Economics, John earned a MS in Resource Economics from Penn State and an MBA from Babson College.