Emily Cain joined EMILY’s List as Executive Director in 2017 with a decade of experience as a Maine state legislator and public policy leader, two cycles as one of the country’s top ranked Democratic congressional candidates, more than a decade of work in higher education and past leadership in a private sector tech company. Emily, who was first elected to office at age 24, made her mark in Maine politics serving in both the House and Senate over five terms in the state house, leading the Appropriations Committee as Chair and serving as the youngest woman House Minority Leader in state history.
In 2012, against all odds, Ms. Cain led House Democrats back into the majority by recruiting top candidates, electing more women, and winning tough seats in Maine’s challenging rural areas. As a leader in the legislature Emily Cain was known as a tough negotiator, deal closer, and champion for women, equality, domestic violence prevention, higher education, and economic development. In 2014 and 2016 Emily ran for U.S. Congress in two of the most competitive house races in the country. Prior to joining EMILY’s List, Emily was the Chief Strategy Officer at HistoryIT, a Maine-based technology company. Emily also worked for Jobs for Maine’s Graduates, and was the Coordinator of Advancement in the UMaine Honors College for more than ten years.
The daughter of a shoe salesman and a sign language interpreter, Emily is the oldest of three sisters and learned at a very young age the value of hard work, family, and education. Emily has lived in Maine most of her life, was born in Kentucky, and spent her childhood years in Illinois and New Jersey. Emily is a proud graduate of the University of Maine and Harvard University, and is currently working to complete her Ph.D. in Higher Education at the University of Maine. Emily and her husband, Danny Williams, live in Orono, ME with their dog, Bartlet the pug.