FAIRFIELD — Good Will-Hinckley announced Friday that former Regional School Unit 74 Superintendent Kenneth Coville has been chosen to be its president and director of development, while Rob Moody, who has served as president on an interim basis, will become executive director.

Coville was picked recently by the board of directors to become president of the organization, which includes the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences. He will begin work at the Fairfield campus on Aug. 29.

The position has been filled on an interim basis since Glenn Cummings left in 2014 to become interim president at the University of Maine at Augusta. Cummings is now president of the University of Southern Maine.

Last year, Good Will-Hinckley named Maine House Speaker Mark Eves, a Democrat from North Berwick, as its president but rescinded the offer after Gov. Paul LePage threatened to cut the organization’s funding.

The Eves controversy still hasn’t wound down, more than a year after it began. In May, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that Eves brought against the governor, accusing him of using the power of his office to prevent Eves from being hired, and contending that his actions violated Eves’ constitutional right of free speech, association and political affiliation, as well as his right to due process.

Eves is appealing the case to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

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In a news release Friday, Moody said: “Mr. Coville is a proven educational leader, we are fortunate to have him join our team. … Ken brings a set of skills to help us build on our current strengths and realize the enormous potential and promise that this organization has.”

Moody has been vice president and chief operating officer at Good Will-Hinckley since 2013.

Jack Moore, chairman of the board of directors, described Coville and Moody as “our dream team.”

“Good Will-Hinckley is incredibly fortunate to have Ken Coville and Rob Moody leading this great organization,” he said in the release. “Ken and Rob have over 60 years of combined experience as Maine educators and an equally long track record as leaders that know how to best educate, nurture and support non-traditional students.”

Coville, 58, will oversee the advancement and development of Good Will-Hinckley, which serves 126 students. As executive director, Moody will oversee the organization’s internal operations.

According to Friday’s news release, in his 35 years in education, Coville has been a teacher, a principal, a special education director and a superintendent. Coville announced his retirement from RSU 74 in June after leading the school district for 12 years. The district covers Anson, Embden and New Portland.

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Coville began his education career at Good Will-Hinckely in 1981 as a teacher after graduating that year from the University of Maine at Farmington. He then worked in the Rangeley school district as principal and then superintendent until 2004, when he was hired as the principal at Carrabec High School.

Coville received a master’s degree in administration from the University of Maine in 1989.

At Good Will-Hinckley, Coville will be “keeping the school on its growth plan, supporting the development team as they develop advancing the organization and keeping the momentum on the capital campaign underway to develop the facilities required to serve more young people from all over Maine,” the release said.

Founded in the 1890s, Good Will-Hinckley has offered a residential education and social experience for generations of at-risk youths. In 2009, it shut down its core service because of financial problems, but in 2012 it opened the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences, the state’s first charter high school.

The organization also operates the Glenn Stratton Learning Center, a day program for students with significant social-emotional and behavioral challenges, and the L.C. Bates Museum.


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