The Frances Perkins Center in Damariscotta will host former presidential advisor Maria Echaveste at the fifth annual Betta Ehrenfeld Public Policy Forum at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27 in room 102 of the Wishcamper Building at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. USM’s Muskie School of Public Service is a co-host.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Maria Echaveste to Maine, and to host this important conversation about public policy,” said Michael Chaney, executive director of the Perkins Center. according to a news release from USM. “This is exactly the kind of substantive discussion Frances Perkins herself would have loved.”

Echaveste, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, worked in Bill Clinton’s administration, first as an official in the Department of Labor, and later as White House Deputy Chief of Staff. She remains one of only a handful of Latinas ever to work as a high-ranking presidential advisor.

Echaveste’s talk will focus on the Fair Labor Standards Act, signed into law 80 years ago, and what place it has in today’s new economy.

Members of the board will present Echaveste with the 2018 Frances Perkins Center Steadfast Award.

Tickets are free and available online at francesperkinscenter.org or eventbrite.com.