FARMINGTON — Kathryn A. Foster, University of Maine at Farmington president, and Craig Larrabee, UMF alumnus and president and CEO of Jobs for Maine’s Graduates, are co-chairmen of the committee overseeing UMF’s 150th anniversary celebration.

UMF received its charter establishing it as the first center for public higher education in Maine on Oct. 9, 1863, and is planning to kick off the commemorative series of events in the fall of 2013.

“We are so excited to have Craig join us in this leadership role for what is going to be a spectacular year of celebration, remembrance and promise for UMF,” Foster said. “Craig has a talent for bringing the best people and ideas together and we are proud to have his support in this historic effort.”

A graduate of the UMF class of 1992, Larrabee has served for 20 years with JMG, a statewide, private, nonprofit program that provides drop-out prevention and school-to-work transition services for at-risk youth.

Larrabee joined JMG in 1993 and was named director of operations in 1999, executive vice president in 2002, and president and CEO in 2005.

Under his leadership, JMG seeks to make learning “relevant, rigorous and rooted in strong relationships” in schools across Maine, where it helps 95 percent of its students graduate from high school.

In addition to his work with JMG, Larrabee is a member of the Juvenile Justice Implementation Council, the Department of Labor’s Maine Jobs Council and chairs the Youth Transitions Committee of that council.

In 2010, he received the UMF Alumni Achievement Award, an accolade that honors a graduate who has achieved distinction in his/her field, and therefore honor to the university. He is also currently a member of the UMF Alumni Council.

Looking forward to UMF’s sesquicentennial celebration, Larrabee said he is appreciative of the opportunity to give back to his alma mater. “It’s a true honor to be involved with this significant milestone for UMF,” he said. “It’s going to be an exciting year.”

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