AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage today announced his long-time press secretary Adrienne Bennett will step down from her post at the beginning of August to take a position in the private sector. Bennett has been the primary spokesperson for Governor LePage and his Administration since January 5, 2011.

"Adrienne has been a vital part of our team since the day I took office, and we will miss her greatly," said Governor LePage. "With her tenacity, experience and insight into the media business, she was able to handle a very difficult job with poise and composure. She maintained grace under fire from a hostile media that was more interested in sensationalism than the many important policy goals we have achieved. I will miss Adrienne's guidance and advice – even if I didn't take it all the time. On behalf of our administration and the people of Maine, I thank her for her years of dedicated public service. We are sorry to see her go, but we wish her all the best in this next well-deserved chapter in her life."

Bennett will return to the private sector as Vice President and Marketing & Communications Director for Kennebec Savings Bank, headquartered in Augusta. Her last day at the Office of the Governor will be August 2.

Bennett, who resides in Augusta, says she is tremendously grateful for the faith the Governor has shown in her ability to take the leading role in public communications for his Administration.

"It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve our Governor and the people of Maine. The past seven years have been simultaneously the most challenging and the most exciting years of my life," said Bennett. "While it was certainly demanding, this job has been an incredibly rewarding, once-in-a-lifetime experience, mainly because of the leadership within the Office of the Governor and the people I encounter every day. Make no mistake, through sheer force of will Governor LePage has forever changed Maine's political and historical landscape. As Governor, he will leave a lasting legacy for our great State, as well as for the people of Maine he has worked so hard for. I am proud to have served a small role in his remarkable journey."

Previous to her work at the Office of the Governor, Bennett was the Waterville bureau chief reporter from 2007 to 2011 at WABI TV5. She also held positions at the station as executive producer and videographer, beginning in 2002. Bennett has also volunteered for the Sexual Assault Crisis & Support Center in Winthrop since 2005 and is a member of the Maine Domestic Violence and Abuse Commission.