Nagle named winner of Steve Gould Award for selfless service to UMaine

Margaret Nagle, senior director of public relations at the University of Maine, is the recipient of the 2021 Steve Gould Award for demonstrating superior qualities of unselfishness and compassion in service to the university and its ideals.

Nagle generates stories, handles media relations, and edits UMaine Today, a magazine distributed nationwide that highlights faculty and student creativity and achievement. The magazine has earned numerous awards, including a 2020 CASE District I Bronze Excellence Award in Storytelling for “A wild story,” which Nagle wrote.

Peers lauded Nagle for being selfless, calm, positive and professional, even when under considerable pressure. Throughout the pandemic, she has handled additional responsibilities in stride, while continuing to mentor colleagues.

“Margaret is a reliable and skilled communicator and may understand UMaine better than anyone else today,” says University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. “She shares the university’s successes and stories with the world and puts our best interests first.”

Nagle earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Maryland. The former newspaper reporter joined the University of Maine community in 1985 and earned a master’s degree in education. She also has taught journalism courses at UMaine, including feature writing and public affairs reporting.

Family and friends of Steve Gould created the award in 1981 in loving memory of “a man of honest and passionate concern for others.” After Gould retired from the Maine State Police in 1956, he was chief of police at UMaine for 13 years. In 1976, Gould was elected to the Maine House of Representatives. When the Legislature wasn’t in session, Gould volunteered daily at Eastern Maine Medical Center, where he was a trustee.