Belfast — Speaker, author, trainer and coach Tom Dowd is teaching a number of in-person and online professional development programs at the Hutchinson Center in Belfast this fall, including Career Transformation, Public Speaking, Virtual Presentation Skills and Time Management. For more information, visit hutchinsoncenter.umaine.edu/professional-development-programs.

Dowd’s in-person programs include Career Transformation on Friday, Sept. 23 from 8:30 a.m.–noon ET and Public Speaking on Friday, Oct. 14 from 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m. ET.

Career Transformation is designed to benefit people who are hoping to improve their career prospects or make a shift, including people who are midcareer, unemployed or just starting their careers. This program will teach participants how to leverage networks, resumes and interview skills to advance their careers and increase their job satisfaction.

“With the ‘Great Resignation’ upon us,” Dowd says, “there has rarely been a better opportunity to reach for your dream job than now. Much of the power is with the prospective employee in today’s career environment.” 

Dowd’s Public Speaking program has been held at the Hutchinson Center for five years. This time-tested program provides support and training to help improve public speaking skills through reflection, interactive activities, discussion and practice.

Online programs include Virtual Presentation Skills and Time Management. These short sessions are designed to provide valuable information and build skills in a compressed amount of time. Virtual Presentation Skills is offered Friday, Oct. 21 from noon–1 p.m. and Time Management is offered Friday, Oct. 28 from noon–1 p.m. ET.

Though many professionals have been called back to their offices, the need for virtual presentation skills hasn’t diminished. Virtual Presentation Skills will teach participants how to maximize their video and audio presence, minimize derailers and distractions and command the virtual stage, helping to combat Zoom fatigue.

In Dowd’s Time Management program, participants will learn how to better manage and organize their time to increase productivity and improve work/life balance.

Dowd has a communications degree from the University of Delaware. He is a prize-winning speaker, and an award-winning and Amazon best-selling author, trainer and coach. As a member of Toastmasters International, Dowd exhibits consistent success in speech competitions and achieved the Distinguished Toastmaster status in 2015. Dowd utilized his 25+ years of experience in the financial and customer service industry to start Thomas Dowd Professional Development and Coaching, LLC, where he helps people to creatively find their own paths to success.

For information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Abby Spooner, um.fhc.pd@maine.edu; 207.338.8000. For more information about upcoming professional development programs or to register, go online. Early registration is recommended as spots are limited.

A limited number of need-based scholarships are available for people who live or work in Knox or Waldo County. Qualified participants may be eligible for funding from the Harold Alfond Center for Workforce Development to cover the cost of professional development programs. Click here to learn more.

About the Hutchinson Center:

The Hutchinson Center is an outreach center for the University of Maine in Orono that serves as an educational and cultural center for the midcoast area. It is named for University of Maine President Emeritus Frederick E. Hutchinson. The mission of the Hutchinson Center is to broaden access to University of Maine academic and non-degree programs and services, lifelong learning opportunities, and professional and career development experiences using innovative approaches that increase synergy among University of Maine System entities, University of Maine departments and divisions, and that engage a wider Maine community.  For more information about the UMaine Hutchinson Center, visit hutchinsoncenter.umaine.edu.

About the University of Maine:

The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state's land grant, sea grant and space grant university, with a regional campus at the University of Maine at Machias. UMaine is located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation. UMaine Machias is located in the homeland of the Passamaquoddy Nation. As Maine's flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community service. UMaine is the state's only public research university and among the most comprehensive higher education institutions in the Northeast. It attracts students from all 50 states and 81 countries. UMaine currently enrolls 11,989 undergraduate and graduate students, and UMaine Machias enrolls 747 undergraduates. Our students have opportunities to participate in groundbreaking research with world-class scholars. UMaine offers more than 100 degree programs through which students can earn master's, doctoral or professional science master's degrees, as well as graduate certificates. UMaine Machias offers 18 degree programs. The university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campuswide to conserve energy, recycle and adhere to green building standards in new construction. For more information about UMaine and UMaine Machias, visit umaine.edu and machias.edu.