AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage announced Tuesday he has appointed Julie D. Rabinowitz, spokeswoman for the Maine Department of Labor, as his press secretary.

“Julie has worked closely with our communications team and our policy advisers in her role at the labor department, and I am looking forward to her continued service as my press secretary,” LePage said in a prepared statement.

Rabinowitz now serves as the director of policy, operations and communication for the Department of Labor.

Before joining LePage’s administration, Rabinowitz taught writing and communication courses at the University of Southern Maine and Bates and Colby colleges. She has also held management and executive positions in government and nonprofit organizations in New York, North Carolina and Maine, according to LePage’s statement.

Rabinowitz is a graduate of Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and holds a master’s degree in communication studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She lives in Falmouth with her husband and two children.

Rabinowitz will start her new role as press secretary on Sept. 5. She replaces Adrienne Bennett, who left the administration in early August to return to the private sector.

Scott Thistle can be contacted at 791-6330 or at:

sthistle@pressherald.com

Twitter: thisdog