Our Mission

MaineExcels creates and delivers programs that teach high school students, educators, and nonprofit staff how to use AI and emerging technology responsibly - improving their productivity, creativity, and career readiness.

We use a modified Socratic method — guiding students to discover answers through questions and dialogue rather than lecture. Our philosophy and methodology are based on the educational principles of many of America's premiere colleges and universities:

• Human Centeredness - Every learner is treated as an individual.
• Experience -Learning happens by doing. Students learn using practical cases and the latest computer tools.
• Reflection  - Students are encouraged to stop, think about what they are doing and keep their goals in mind.
• Adaptable  - We adopt what works. Our programs evolve continuously, keeping what delivers results and replacing what doesn't.

Colin Cuskley
Director

Colin founded MaineExcels to help students and others understand and use AI and other rapidly-evolving computing tools that are becoming essential to our daily lives and professional careers. He has over 50 years of wide-ranging experience with computers.

Colin’s interest in computers began back in 1968. He was recruited through his high school in New York City to participate in an early experimental “AI” computer-based training (CBT) program at IBM’s Science Research Associates. There he learned BASIC. An uncle who worked at IBM also mentored him teaching him FORTRAN and providing a summer job as a data coder. These sparks continue to motivate him today.

After getting a degree in History from the College of the Holy Cross he started at Liberty Mutual Insurance Company in Boston as a computer trainee where he learned COBOL. More importantly, he met his wife Sally there, amor vitae meae, for the last 47 years!

Colin's career continued consulting with several large companies, leading to a management position with the New York City government and then running a training program at Morgan Stanley. Subsequently he started a PC training business, The Productivity Center, with several partners. After five years, Colin left to work out of his house as an independent consultant and to oversee the care of their three children.

During this period, Colin worked with private clients and started the IrishGuide.com, an international travel website. This venture allowed him to expand his horizons and develop his amateur photography skills.

An early retirement led to a relocation to Johns Island, SC where Colin started a nonprofit conservation group, the Johns Island Conservancy. COVID precipitated another life change and a move back north to Maine to join their eldest daughter and her family. The move allowed Colin to pursue his other passions: golf, model railroading, reading, travel and producing travel videos which are accessible on YouTube.

With the advent of AI, and its distinct opportunities and challenges, Colin hopes to use MaineExcels to help people learn the right way to use computers productively, creatively and responsibly. Only our futures depend on it.

MaineExcels is dedicated to John O'Conner, 1934 -2026.
A mentor, husband, father, grandfather, uncle and brother.