All Hanley events bring together leaders, innovators, and professionals to explore and address themes in health and healthcare. These gatherings provide a unique space for building community and fostering meaningful connections. Below, you’ll find summaries of past events, along with links to register for upcoming ones.  At these events, we collectively engage in insightful discussions, share experiences, network and inspire positive change in our field.

Upcoming Annual Meeting

Save the date for next year’s Annual Networking Event: Monday, December 8, 2025, 5:30-8:30pm! 

We look forward to providing further details as the date gets closer.

Upcoming Forums

Our next forum will be in the spring of 2026. We look forward to sharing more details with you about the event as it gets closer!

Past Annual Meetings

Inspiring Action: Highlights from Hanley Center’s 2024 Annual Networking Event 

On Monday, December 2, 2024, the Hanley Center welcomed over a 150healthcare leaders, alumni, and partners to the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, Maine, for our Annual Networking Event. The evening was an opportunity to connect, collaborate, and reflect on this year’s theme: Healing Maine: Health Impacts of Climate Change and the Environment. 

As attendees arrived and enjoyed great company and food, they reconnected with colleagues and built new connections. The evening kicked off with the Hanley Center officially unveiling its refreshed branding and new name, reaffirming our dedication to addressing today’s most pressing health challenges by advancing health leadership development 

The highlight of the evening was a keynote address by Hannah Pingree, Director of Governor Mills’ Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. Pingree presented the work of Maine’s Climate Council and its efforts to address the health effects of the growing climate crisis. Her presentation underscored the urgency of the challenges ahead and the innovative steps Maine is taking to ensure healthier communities. 

Following the keynote, attendees continued networking, exchanging ideas, and growing their connections. With a focus on breaking down healthcare silos and reenergizing efforts to serve Maine communities, the night was filled with meaningful conversations, shared bright spots, and a renewed commitment to action. 

Thank you to everyone who joined us and who support the Hanley Center’s mission to develop leaders through inspiration and education to meet today’s health challenges.  Together, we are shaping healthcare and positively impacting our collective well-being. 

We look forward to continuing this vital work in the year ahead! 

If you hope to attend next year’s Networking Event, save the date on your calendar now: Monday, December 8, 2025, 5:30-8:30pm!

————

Annual Networking Event, 2023: Hanley Center Tackles Ageism in 2024

On Monday, December 4th, 2023, with the support of the Maine Health Access Foundation, the Hanley Center hosted our Annual Networking Event at the beautiful Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, Maine.

The night was filled with excellent company, collaboration, camaraderie, networking, and memories. In addition to enjoying Maine’s premier statewide networking opportunity, we honored the late Dr. Jon Chilingerian, long-time partner and Brandeis faculty for the PELI Advanced Course, and previewed the Hanley Center’s 2024 area of focus: Embrace Aging: Uniting for Age Equity and Positivity in Healthcare.

During this transformative gathering, we delved into inspiring initiatives and discuss innovative strategies aimed at addressing ageism in the healthcare sector. Our engaging expert panel inspired a room full guests, many of who work in health and healthcare. No matter their profession, the speakers ignited everyone in the room to tackle such a critical topic.

It was a night full of joy and hope, as we explored ways to promote age equity, enhance the quality of care, and ensure that age is never a barrier to accessing the healthcare services people need.

To begin diving into the topic of ageism, check out these informative handouts:

Thank you to all who attended, and who continue to support the Hanley Center every day! It is because of this support that we are able to continue working towards our mission to inspire and grow collaborative leaders to solve today’s health challenges.

————

Annual Networking Event, 2022: Daniel Hanley Center Merges With Maine Medical Education Trust

Monday evening, December 5, 2022, 120 alumni and healthcare leaders, shared camaraderie, wonderful reflections, and in our exciting announcement of our merger with the Maine Medical Education Trust (MMET).

As of January 1, 2023, the Daniel Hanley Center is merging with the Maine Medical Education Trust (MMET)! The MMET is the non-profit foundation arm of the Maine Medical Association. Dr. Sean Hanley, Hanley Center’s Board Chair, shared his reflections on the Hanley Center’s 20 years of developing a network of collaborative healthcare leaders. Dr. Erik Steele, D.O., MMA’s President, shared his enthusiasm for what these two organizations can accomplish together, continuing the legacy of Dr. Dan Hanley. With the support of the MMET and more than 1,000 alumni, the Hanley Center is poised to continue to meet the evolving leadership development needs of healthcare related organizations in Maine and beyond.

Past Forums

Hanley 2024 Forum: Embracing Age Equity in Healthcare

On May 2nd, the Hanley Center hosted its 2024 Forum, Embracing Age Equity in Healthcare: Overcoming Ageism. The Hanley Center partnered with a range of experts on aging in designing both the content and format of the day.

We heard from Dr. Rebecca Spear, Director of Geriatric Medicine Fellowship, Maine-Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency, and Jess Maurer, Esq., Executive Director at Maine Council on Aging. These guest speakers discussed ways to combat ageism, foster age equity, and promote age-positivity in healthcare. Dr. Marilyn Gugliucci, Director of Geriatrics Education and Research at the University of New England, led a provocative debrief from our World Café process that responded to questions about what healthcare leaders can do to improve age equity. This discussion laid the groundwork for making progress toward challenging ageism.

Throughout the day, discussions delved deep into the impact of age discrimination across healthcare, from the practice level to workforce challenges. By acknowledging the experiences of older adults, including LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and racial/ethnic minority communities, we took crucial steps towards creating a more equitable society for all generations.

As the forum ended, there was a palpable sense of empowerment and determination among participants. Armed with newfound knowledge and inspired by the stories of resilience shared throughout the day, attendees wrote down their personal commitment for making change and left the event with a renewed energy to make  a difference in their communities and workplaces.

The Hanley Forum 2024 wasn’t just about discussion—it was about action. And as we reflect on the day, we are reminded of the transformative power of collaborative and collective effort in advancing age equity and building a more inclusive future for generations to come.

You can continue the inspiring conversations we had by reviewing and utilizing the slide deck, video, and handouts from the forum below:

————

Hanley 2022 Forum 2022: Creating a Healthy Sustainable Healthcare Workforce

As we enter our post-pandemic new normal, it is imperative that we come together as a healthcare community to learn from one another’s initiatives, breakdown organizational barriers and lines of competition, and collaborate to solve our healthcare workforce shortages. Please join other healthcare leaders from across the state at our Hanley Center Forum 2022.

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/HanleyForum2022

KEYNOTE PANEL

An Abundant Workforce: Maine Senior Leaders’ and Their Vision to Get There

Scott Ballard, Chief People Officer, MaineHealth
Timothy Dentry, President & CEO, Northern Light Health
Lori Dwyer, President & CEO, Penobscot Community Health Center
Jennifer Riggs, Chief Nursing Officer, MaineGeneral Medical Center/CEO, MaineGeneral Community Care

The healthcare workforce shortage is a national dilemma, and it is our goal that the conversations across the day will build bridges for collaborative efforts across organizations. A healthcare system siloed approach is just not sustainable. As with the pandemic, this workforce challenge is another “we’re all in this together” moment.

We will renew ourselves through re-connection; rethink our operations and how we best serve our communities; and re-energize our focus to take care of one another while rebuilding the pipeline of healthcare workers at every level. Creating a Healthy, Sustainable Workforce will be our focus and your voice is important as we innovate for a strong healthcare workforce moving forward. Come hear from senior healthcare leaders, network with Hanley alumni and other leaders, and learn from your peers. As with all Hanley offerings, we offer you this open mind space to come together and create positive change.

Note: Should COVID numbers shift in such a way that in-person gatherings are again determined to be unsafe, this event will transition to a virtual Zoom meeting, including virtual recognition of sponsors.

Date and Time:
Wed, May 18, 2022
8:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Location:
Harraseeket Inn
162 Main Street
Freeport, ME 04032