Lydia Savage

Lydia Savage is a Professor of Geography at the University of Southern Maine (USM), affiliated with the Muskie School of Public Service and the Women and Gender Studies program. She holds a PhD from Clark University (1996) and has been teaching at USM since 1996. Her research focuses on urban and regional development, labor movements, gender and work, and the intersection of gender, race, and ethnicity in urban contexts. She has published extensively on labor organizing strategies, neoliberal urban politics, and public sector union dynamics.

Dr. Savage’s scholarly contributions include co-editing special issues in Geoforum and Antipode, as well as a forthcoming book on global labor challenges. She has received awards for teaching and feminist scholarship. Beyond academia, she serves as Vice-President of the USM Affiliated Faculty union chapter, a statewide Negotiating Team member, and a founding Advisory Board member of The International Academy@USM. Her courses include Urban Geography, Gender and Work, and Land Use Planning.

Her work emphasizes the role of labor unions in addressing economic inequality and spatial justice, particularly in Maine’s evolving urban landscapes. She actively engages with policy issues such as workforce development, economic justice, and housing equity in Portland and beyond.