UMaine alumni receive top K-12 administrator awards

Two University of Maine alumni, Gorham School District superintendent Heather Perry (‘04G) and Regional School Unit 34 (Alton, Bradley and Old Town) assistant superintendent Jon Doty (’00, ‘04G, ‘06G, ‘18G), were honored by the Maine School Superintendent Association (MSSA) as the state’s top K-12 administrators for 2026.

Perry, who has been Gorham School District’s superintendent for the past 10 years, was named 2026 Maine Superintendent of the Year. She began her educational career as a teacher and principal in the Machias area before serving as superintendent in the Greenville School Department and RSU 3 (Brooks, Freedom, Jackson, Knox, Liberty, Monroe, Montville, Thorndike, Troy, Unity and Waldo). Perry earned her master’s in educational leadership from UMaine in 2004. She continued taking graduate courses through the UMaine College of Education and Human Development before earning a Ph.D. in public policy from the University of Southern Maine in 2019.

Perry has overseen transformational changes in boosting student success and post-secondary opportunities in Gorham. Under her leadership, the district redesigned its alternative educational programming for high school students while boosting enrollment in student internships, mentorships and career and technical education. Through its Aspire Gorham initiative, the district has collaborated with local businesses and community leaders to expose students to career exploration from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Doty was named 2026 Maine Assistant Superintendent of the Year. He has worked in RSU 34 for more than 25 years, serving as curriculum coordinator and coordinator of gifted and talented services before spending the past four years as assistant superintendent. Through partnerships with local colleges and universities, including UMaine, he led the creation of the Educator Accelerator program, in which the district hires pre-service educators to address substitute teaching needs in the district and pairs them with mentor teachers to build knowledge and experience. To date, nearly 90 students have gone through the program and nine have been hired as full-time educators in RSU 34. 

“Talented and dedicated educators like Jon Doty make me confident in the present and future of Maine schools. What is so notable about Jon’s work is his deep commitment to supporting other educators in achieving similar levels of excellence,” said Zeke Kimball, dean of UMaine’s College of Education and Human Development. “Jon is the sort of educator that other educators aspire to emulate, and his work serves as an exemplary model for effective practice.”

Doty received his bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a concentration in natural sciences from UMaine in 2000. He went on to earn three more degrees from the university: a master’s in education with a concentration in instructional technology in 2004; a certificate of advanced study in education with a focus on gifted and talented education and educational leadership in 2006; and a doctor of education in educational leadership in 2018.

In 2024, the College of Education and Human Development awarded Doty its inaugural Robert A. Cobb Award for Extraordinary Service. The award is named after the former dean of the college, who served from 1977 to 2007. At the time of his retirement, he was the longest tenured dean of a college of education in the U.S.

Both Perry and Doty have also served as UMaine adjunct instructors.