The Mid Maine Global Forum was the brainchild of Linda Cotter, wife of Colby College president, Bill Cotter.  In 1997 Linda Cotter gathered a group of local residents and proposed the establishment of what would became the Mid Maine Global Forum(MMGF). Her vision was for there to be a forum that would bring in knowledgable speakers focused on critical international issues to the greater Waterville community. She formed a board to help implement her vision and a plan was developed to hold monthly meetings in downtown Waterville to provide the greatest accessibility. Local partners, including the Waterville Rotary Club , supported the new venture along with members from the community. Some programs were offered as joint programs with the Rotary Club. Linda Cotter's vision was that the MMGF would reach out to the local high schools and offer the opportunity for engagement and participation of students. The launch of the MMGF was successful and membership continued to grow. After several years of strong participation the MMGF added an annual dinner meeting which featured a nationally or internationally recognized keynote speaker to address a pressing topic. For the Forum's Annual Event MMGF has had speakers such as Zbigniew Brzezinski, the former-Foreign Affairs Advisor to Presidents Johnson and Carter, Senator George Mitchell, former U.S. Senator and Presidential Envoy on peace process in Northern Ireland, and Ambassador Dennis Ross, former Special Envoy to Presidents George H.W. Bush and Barack Obama on Middle East Affairs. After years of growth and success the annual event has been named the Linda Cotter Speaker Series Evening in honor of the Forum's founder and visionary and the program continues to flourish.