. >> reporter: mary mayhew was the commissioner of maine's hepartment oth and human from 2011 to 2017er republican governor paul lepage. she says the state was ripe for reform when she took over administration of its safety net programs. >> the department had truly lost sight of its core mission. success was defined by the number of people coming onto welfare rather than the number of individuals who weron that pathway to self-sufficiency and independence. >> reporter: under mayhew, maine looked at the wage records of nearly 7,000 adults without dependents-- people like tim keefe-- in the one year after food stamp benefits were cut off. >> individuals left food stamps, went back to work and their incomes increased by over 114%. they were earning more than the federal poverty level. exactly the goal that we certa ainly hoped fwe incentivized and prioritized work. >> reumporter: and the administration has taken notice. citing maine'snchanges to its program, in april, president trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to strengthen and introduce work requirements. >> i'