Humanitarian of the year: Margo Walsh, Founder MaineWorks, Co-Founder Maine Recovery Fund
This week we are honored to feature our 2022 Humanitarian of the year, Margo Walsh. Margo’s passion for second chances, coupled with her employee development experience has led her to believe that people do extraordinary things when given a second chance. Founder and Owner of MaineWorks, Margo Walsh started with one challenging mission: employ the unemployable. MaineWorks is an innovative social staffing company with a mission: to dignify transitional employment for people in recovery for substance use disorder, reentering from jail and prison, new Americans, and veterans in transition. MaineWorks provides jobs in industrial construction, carpentry, masonry, highway, bridge, and road construction. In 2017, Margo and her sister Elaine Walsh Carney, founded Maine Recovery Fund. Maine Recovery Fund supports the needs of people in work-force reentry, by providing: a ride to work, assistance with sober living, workplace outerwear including steel-toed work boots, and immediate access to on-call telemental health. Margo credits the MaineWorks staff for their endless commitment to creating economic viability in tandem with Maine Recovery Fund board and staff.
With a passion for economic and social development, Margo has steered MaineWorks to receive B-Corporation certification in Maine and advocated for B-Corp legislation to be passed in collaboration with the Associated General Contractors of Maine. Margo advocates for solving social and economic challenges through collaboration with the private sector.
Margo Walsh grew up in Cumberland Foreside, Maine, and attended Waynflete School and received a BA in Psychology from Wheaton College. Margo has over 25 years of experience in recruiting, staffing, and employee development, specifically in recruiting for diversity. Since founding MaineWorks in 2011, Margo has been recognized as an SBA Small Businessperson of the year and a SCORE Outstanding Job Creator. In 2019, she was invited to attend the State of the Union address as Senator Angus King’s guest. MaineWorks is working at the state and national level to transform employment for people who struggle.
It is with great pleasure and pride we recognize Margo’s outstanding effort to create jobs in our community for those once thought “unemployable”. Thank you, Margo! We look forward to celebrating you at the Humanitarian Awards on Thursday, June 2nd.