Leadership Spotlight: Brian Elowe
“We fit a very important niche in the healthcare system in Maine. Yet, current challenges in our infrastructure should make everyone in our state recognize the critical role LifeFlight provides in making sure that all of us have access to the critical care that we, or our loved ones, may need at any given moment.”
– Brian Elowe, LifeFlight Foundation Board of Trustees
LifeFlight of Maine benefits tremendously from the generosity of thousands of people across Maine and beyond who donate what they can in support of its lifesaving mission. Many have a personal connection to the organization — as they themselves, or a loved one, may have been transported by LifeFlight. Some may love their small Maine community and understand the essential role LifeFlight plays in ensuring access to the healthcare system. And, for many others, they simply appreciate LifeFlight’s mission and want to make sure everyone in Maine, regardless of where they live or what they do, has access to the care they need, when they need it.
Brian Elowe and his wife, Liz, support LifeFlight for all these reasons. Their personal connection to LifeFlight began in 2004 after their son Josh was transported from MaineHealth Memorial Hospital in North Conway, New Hampshire, to Maine Medical Center in Portland. “Our son hit a tree while skiing in New Hampshire and suffered significant internal damages,” Brian shared in a recent conversation. “Neither of us were with Josh that day. You get that phone call that no parent ever wants to get.”
“They saved him,” Brian said of the LifeFlight team that flew his son to Portland. “Ever since then, Liz and I have been continuous financial supporters as we want to pay it forward to others who may need the same help someday.”
In 2024, Brian joined the board of the LifeFlight Foundation. He was nearing retirement, and so the timing seemed right. “Nonprofits need individuals who provide their time and their skills in addition to financial resources. As I was retiring, I realized I had some more time, and possibly some skills, that could be helpful to this wonderful organization,” Brian said.
Brian officially retired in January of this year from his position as CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine (BGCSM). Investing his time and talent in his home community toward the end of his career was important and meaningful to him. Though he grew up in Massachusetts, his family connections to Maine go back generations, and he spent every summer as a kid on Sebago Lake.
He and Liz lived in Maine briefly as young professionals and when both of their sons, Josh and Ben, were born. In 1992, they left Maine for professional reasons and then moved back to Portland decades later in 2017. It’s a place both he and Liz love, and he is proud of the difference the BGCSM is making though its various sites.
Prior to working with the BGCSM, Brian spent nearly 40 years with Marsh & McLennan, a Fortune 250 risk management and insurance brokerage firm, where he held various roles over the years. In his role as a consultant, Brian helped build risk profiles and risk finance strategies that allowed organizations to achieve their strategic goals. “Understanding the external forces that can disrupt an organization’s success was a central part of the advice I provided,” he explained. Brian concluded his tenure at Marsh & McLennan as Chief Client Officer. As a member of their executive team, he had responsibility for client service and for 300 engagement partners across North America.
Brian understands the risks and opportunities for an organization like LifeFlight almost intuitively, and he sees the context for why its mission is so desperately needed. The challenges facing rural healthcare, and the limitations of scarce resources, both human and financial, are significant. Brian speaks about the inflection point confronting LifeFlight and Maine’s healthcare infrastructure with the concern of someone who cares deeply about LifeFlight’s mission and with the clarity and insight of a consultant. He gets it, and he gets LifeFlight. That’s why he’s so committed to the organization’s success
Brian explained, “LifeFlight was there when Josh needed it. As other families need it, we want to help to the extent we can.”
Brian now serves as the Treasurer of the LifeFlight Foundation board and as one of that board’s representatives on the LifeFlight of Maine Steering Committee. “As a Foundation board member, our job is to raise as much money as we can for LifeFlight of Maine,” Brian said. “We have an unbelievable history of people doing good things to get us where we are. The great thing about Maine is that it has always been a state where people jump in to help their neighbors when they see the need.”
“I think external forces are coming at us at a pace that requires deep understanding of the changes we face and laser focus on the opportunities for continued success,” Brian said. “Together with our board and our fabulous team of professionals, we are positioning ourselves to continue to be a critical organization for everyone in Maine. I’m proud to help in whatever way I can to support this goal.”
This is an important moment for LifeFlight and for Maine. The headwinds are substantial, but the opportunities to make a difference are even greater. “We fit a very important niche in the healthcare system,” Brian explained, “and that should matter to everyone in the state.”
