​Ray Gauvin is a Vietnam Veteran and prominent business and community leader in the State of Maine. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Business Management. Born to a blended Canadian and American family of Acadian descent, Ray grew up navigating between speaking French at home and English at school. He learned later in life that he had also been battling with dyslexia. Having lost his father at a young age, Gauvin discovered early that he had a talent for entrepreneurship. In 1984, he started the Center for Financial Planning and popularized the concept of financial planning in northern Maine. At one time, Gauvin owned franchises of Advantage Payroll Services in four New England states. He and his wife Sandy created the Gauvin Lighthouse Fund and the Gauvin Family Scholarship. Currently, they are co-founders of Aroostook Aspirations Initiative, a nonprofit that helps first-generation students complete a college education and move into a successful career. ​They live in northern Maine with their two dogs, Bo and Tucker.