LuAnn Ballesteros is the vice president of External and Government Affairs at The Jackson Laboratory, where she leads the organization’s federal, state and local policy strategy, and builds partnerships that advance JAX’s mission in biomedical research, innovation and workforce development. Since joining JAX in 2005, she has developed and expanded JAX’s government relations program, strengthened its national presence, and helped secure key investments that support scientific discovery and economic growth across Maine and Connecticut. Her career also includes senior leadership roles in Maine’s energy sector, where she guided government relations and regulatory strategy.
Ballesteros is an active civic and business leader, serving on the boards and advisory councils of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, the Maine Economic Growth Council, the Maine Workforce Investment Board and Machias Savings Bank. She is a recipient of the Kenneth M. Curtis Leadership Award and a 2025 laureate of the Junior Achievement of Maine Business Hall of Fame. Ballesteros holds a B.S. in Paralegal Studies from Husson College, graduating summa cum laude, and an A.S. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Maine at Farmington.