Curtis Picard, CAE, President & CEO

Curtis Picard joined the Retail Association of Maine (formerly the Maine Merchants Association) in November of 2007.

Prior to his current position, Curtis was Vice President of Business Development and International Trade for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.  He was responsible for the chamber’s International Trade Program with offices in Shanghai, China and Taipei, Taiwan. Additionally, he coordinated the annual VT Business and Industry EXPO, the largest Business to Business tradeshow in Northern New England and managed the Vermont Aerospace and Aviation Association (VAAA), a group formed to support the aviation industry in Vermont and an affiliate of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.

Picard serves on the board of directors of the Maine Tourism Association, Topsham Development, Inc., the Maine Workers' Compensation Coordinating Council and the Maine Society of Association Executives. He has previously served on the boards of the Council of State Retail Associations, National Retail Federation and InforME. He was appointed by DECD Commissioner George Gervais to the Maine Small Business and Entrepreneurship Commission. In 2018, he was honored with the J. Thomas Weyant Award recognizing the retail association executive of the year. 

He graduated from the University of Vermont in 1991 with a B.S. in Business Administration and he received a New York University Certificate in Sports and Event Management in 1993.  He is a 2008 graduate of the U.S Chamber’s Institute for Organization Management and earned his Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation in January of 2012.

Picard is a runner who has completed four marathons and a former volunteer firefighter.  He is married with one son and lives in Topsham.