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UNE announces new appointments to Board of Trustees

The University of New England has announced three new members elected to its Board of Trustees this spring.  

Kate Snyder, David Engle, and Richard Roderick will join 19 of their peers in overseeing the University's strategic direction, financial health, and overall governance, playing a crucial role in ensuring its long-term success. 

A little about UNE’s newest trustees: 

Kate Snyder, M.P.P.M.

Snyder served as Mayor of Portland from 2019 to 2024. Previously, she helped found the Foundation for Portland Public Schools, a nonprofit with the mission to generate philanthropic support for Portland Public Schools, and then worked as the executive director of the foundation from 2014 to 2019.  She also served on the Portland Board of Public Education from 2007 to 2013, two years as finance chair and two years as board chair. Snyder previously worked in Augusta during Governor John Baldacci’s administration as the executive director for the Board of Corrections. 

Kate Snyder, M.P.P.M.

Snyder holds a bachelor’s in government and French from Skidmore College and a Master of Policy, Planning, and Management from the University of Southern Maine. Snyder has also served as a board member for Jobs for Maine’s Graduates, the Portland Parks Conservancy, and Portland Tomorrow.   

David Engle, M.S.

Engle is the co-founder and former CEO of Upright Labs, a computer software company that focuses on supply chain and operations for secondhand retailers. 

In 2022, after bootstrapping the company to seven figures in annual profit, he sold the business to new ownership and transitioned to an advising role. He has remained active in developing startups with products or solutions focused on impacting the health of our planet. 

David Engle, M.S. 

In UNE’s newly established College of Business, Engle is currently co-teaching a course on entrepreneurship, consulting with administration, and partnering with professional staff in UNE’s Makerspace.  

Before starting Upright Labs, Engle started Startup Village in partnership with the University of Maryland (UMD) to offer affordable housing to students and alums pursuing their startup endeavors full time. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business from UMD’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, with a focus on logistics, materials, and supply chain management.  

RICHARD RODERICK, M.S., MBA

Roderick previously served on the UNE Board of Trustees from 2011 to 2020, serving on the Legal and Audit, Facilities, and Finance Committees. He has long supported many UNE programs, including nursing, nutrition, and, more recently, criminology.  

He is a retired business executive with Dead River Company, a propane and heating oil provider based in Portland, Maine, where he held many positions from 1979 to 2010 including, long-time senior vice president, chief financial officer, and properties division president and chief operations officer where he contributed to the operations of that half of the company. 

Richard Roderick, M.S., MBA

Richard Roderick, M.S., MBA 

Roderick has decades of experience serving on the board of directors of Gorham Savings Bank, Maine Association of Nonprofits, the University of Maine’s business and engineering colleges, and many more. He earned a bachelor’s in accounting from the University of Notre Dame, a master's in computer systems management from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, and an MBA from the University of Maine.