THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Residential Overnight Counselor
Originally from the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Amanda moved to Maine to attend Unity College. She graduated in 2010 with a degree in Adventure Therapy, and joined The Community School in early 2011. During her time at the school she has enjoyed learning from students as they encounter new challenges that provide opportunities for growth. In the summer months Amanda can be found working in the administration of The Summer Camp, which provides a free camp experience for girls from foster care and inner-cities in New England. Amanda also enjoys board games, sourdough bread, and traveling by head lamp.
Job Titles:
- Counselor
- Passages Program Staff Member
- Passages Staff Member
- Teacher
- Passages Lead Teacher & Curriculum Coordinator
Andrea has worked for The Community Schools since 2003. She loves the privilege of working one-on-one with young parents, learning everything about them and their children, encouraging them to nurture their own curiosity, and watching them grow as students, as parents, and as citizens. Before landing at the Community School, Andrea wore a variety of hats: in the late '70's she started a community day care center in rural Iowa; she worked in a natural food market in Maryland; and after moving to Maine she worked in restaurants, in newspaper production, as a residential counselor in a home for mentally challenged adults, and in several capacities in a domestic violence agency. Andrea earned her writing and teaching degree from Vermont College. She has acted in many plays, written a few, recorded books and conducted playwriting workshops in an after-school program. She loves writing (her own and others'), hiking, boating, playing piano and listening to her granddaughter tell animal stories.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Staff Member
- Development Grant Specialist & Event Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Associate Broker at Legacy Properties Sotheby 's International Realty
Barbara is an associate broker at Legacy Properties Sotheby's International Realty in Camden, Maine. Before beginning her career in real estate in 2002, Barbara was an administrative secretary in the Music Department at Colby College in Waterville. She is a member of the Coastal Mountain Council of the Mid-Coast Board of REALTORS® and is a past co-chair of the annual "Realtors Giving Back" Benefit Auction for Habitat for Humanity. In 2007, Barbara was chosen by her peers as recipient of the Realtor of the Year Award for her reputation of honesty and integrity, service to the Maine Association, and service to the community. Barbara is a past president of The Community Schools' Board of Directors and is a member of the Development Committee. She was also a member of the Board at The Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockport. Barbara and her author husband, Richard, have lived in Camden since 1999 and enjoy the wonderful advantages of living on the coast.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Betsy retired from L.L. Bean where she was a vice president in Merchandising and Product Development. Her career spanned 25 years, and she was responsible for the launch and growth of their children's business, L.L. Kids. She has served on the boards of the Portland Stage Company, Trust for Public Land, Outward Bound, and Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Betsy has three grown children, and five grandchildren, and resides in Yarmouth with her husband, John.
Job Titles:
- Lead Teacher
- Residential Program Staff Member
- Residential Staff Member
- Lead Teacher & Curriculum Coordinator
Carrie has worked at The Community School since 2009. Before moving to Maine, Carrie completed her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Montana, where she taught Freshman Writing Composition. She has also taught at the Centerpoint School in Winooski, Vermont, which served as a strengths-based educational alternative for at-risk high school students. Carrie began her teaching career in a third-grade classroom at the New Mexico School for the Deaf, where she taught both deaf and hearing students in an integrated classroom. Carrie earned her BA in English from Bennington College in 2003. She has had a life-long interest in alternative education and has attended alternative college, high school, and semester programs. Carrie is obsessed with pie. She has been to Pietown, New Mexico, on several different pilgrimages and wants to write a book of essays about her search for the best slice out there. From this, it should be obvious that Carrie likes to cook, eat, and write. She also loves making maple syrup and aspires to own her own sugarbush one day. She occasionally plays the accordion.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
After growing up and attending nursing school and college in New York City, Catherine married and moved to Alabama, New York, and Minnesota, before settling in Maine in 1991. She and her husband both received master's degrees at the University of Maine Orono. She is still very involved in teaching Montessori education, primarily to adult learners now; she is involved in community activities such as the USM advisory board, peace and social justice committee at her church, area choir and the art museum. Catherine loves outdoor activities, such as running, snow shoeing and tennis, despite bad knees! She and her husband have five adult children, and six (soon to be seven) grandchildren; they keep Catherine and her husband young and eager to spend time with them. Catherine has been on the board for about ten years and has watched the program grow and change in great ways.
Cathy has been working at The Community School since 2000. Cathy was born in Camden, attended Camden Rockport High school, and later, studied English and Education at The University of Maine Augusta. Cathy has four children, and in 2009, she became a proud grandmother! Cathy loves working at The Community School because she loves kids and believes everyone needs a chance in life. Cathy's mission at The C School is to help give kids the tools to be successful, and also to help make sure they are eating more than Raman Noodles when grow up! Cathy lives in West Rockport, and when she's not at the school, she can be found cooking, baking, or camping and swimming in the outdoors.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Marketing and Business Development Director for BerryDunn
Cheryl is the marketing and business development director for BerryDunn, the largest CPA and consulting firm headquartered in Northern New England. Over the course of more than 25 years in marketing, Cheryl has worked for consumer product companies, professional service firms, insurance companies, and nonprofits. She has worked in sales, direct marketing and forecasting, and-her favorite area-developing marketing initiatives designed to help a company's growth strategy. At BerryDunn, she is responsible for the firm's branding and marketing communications and recently completed a brand and corporate identity update. Cheryl is a graduate of Dartmouth College and serves on the boards of Maine Delta Dental, the United Way of Greater Portland, and The Community Schools at Opportunity Farm and Camden. She lives in New Gloucester with her husband, David Van Wie.
Crystal is overjoyed to be working at The Community School at Opportunity Farm and cherishes the moments she has spent in the presence of her fellow staff and the diverse mix of students. Crystal's educational path has been varied and exciting. Her high school years were spent at the Meeting School, a coeducational Quaker boarding school run through the process of consensus. She then spent a year at Marlboro College studying theatre and photography. Various employment ensued after her first sojourn into academia, but she missed learning and decided to go back to school. She finally graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a bachelor's degree in History. Crystal resides in Portland, Maine with her three amazing cats. In her free time she plays roller derby for the Maine Roller Derby Port Authorities and also enjoys a good game of tennis.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Social Worker
- Member of the Board of Directors
Curt is a licensed clinical social worker, licensed drug and alcohol counselor, and family therapist. Curt holds a bachelor of science degree from Lake Forest College and a masters in Social Work from Syracuse University. He is currently employed by Spring Harbor Hospital in the Child Psychiatry Department. Curt began his work in the human service field working with Hurricane Island's Outward Bound Programs. Curt lives in Portland with his wife, Meghan, and three children.
Job Titles:
- Executive Administrator Assistant / Office Manager
Cynthia joined The Community Schools at Opportunity Farm and Camden January 2012. She is the executive administrative assistant/office manager at the Opportunity Farm campus. Cynthia's passion is children. Although she is in the office most of the time, you will see her at circle times with the kids, cooking dinner, doing dishes, taking walks and just about anything she can do to get to know the kids. Having come from the public school setting as assistant to the principal, substitute teacher, and just about every position you can imagine, she loves spending time with the kids and offering that little extra to get them through the day. When not at work, Cynthia enjoys being with her husband of 32 years and her five children. She loves camping, cooking, making wine and going to movies. After living in California for several years and touring the U.S. with the children in a RV for 13 months, she and her husband decided to move back to Maine, her home state, to raise her children and start a career.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Diantha first joined The Community School in 2010 as a Social Work Intern with The University of Maine. Upon completion of her internship, Diantha joined the staff as Residential Overnight Counselor. Diantha grew up in many places all over the United States; a few years ago she chose Belfast as her hometown where she sets up indie-rock shows and grows organic vegetables. Diantha is an artist and a musician, most noted for her art-rock band Full Contact Kitty. She has performed all over the East Coast as well as in India. She will graduate from UMaine with her Masters in Social Work in 2012 and hopes to practice music therapy with teenagers and young adults.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Head of School
Dottie Foote, PhD came to the school as executive director in the Fall of 2008. She holds a PhD in Education and Psychology and a MS in Human Development from The University of Maine and is thrilled to be following in the footsteps of the schools' founders - advancing the work of alternative education. After spending years in the banking industry, nonprofit leadership, and teaching for UMaine, Dottie worked on issues of social justice, specifically with issues surrounding HIV/AIDS in rural Maine. Her work with adolescents over 10 years prior to coming to The Community Schools was in the development of a cutting-edge social justice program for teens aged 14-19 called the Diversity Coalition (DC). The goal of DC is to stimulate these young men and women to develop a heightened awareness of real-world socio-cultural issues, reflect on their own social positions within these issues (class, race, ethnicity, gender, etc.), and further encourage them to fully engage themselves in the community at large through concrete and public social activism.
Dottie teaches Psychology of Adolescence for The University of Maine and is a Board member of The Restorative Justice Project. Dot also is on Maine's Shared Youth Vision Council and acts as an adviser to the Commissioner of Education as a member of the Committee on Truancy, Dropout and Alternative Education. And although the gardens need tending and the piano continues to gather dust-she loves to run and ski, and keep an eye to the next new adventure for The Community Schools at Opportunity Farm and Camden. She lives in Rockport with her husband, Charlie, and her own adolescent personal trainers, Andrea 23, Morgan 20, and William 18.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Emily first became interested in helping young adults after she graduated from the arts program of music and dance at Portland Arts and Technology High School in 2003, where she tutored and fell in love with alternative education. She then worked with young adults in a variety of positions, including as a live-in caregiver, coworker, tutor, dance teacher and activist. Emily also attended Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado from 2004 to 2008, where she studied dance, education and psychology. She witnessed the impact that self care, personal growth and individually tailored learning plans had on students' ability to thrive while in a supportive, community-oriented school. Emily is obsessed with dance. She has been choreographing, and performing solo and in dance companies and classes for 12 years, where she truly learned the art of body language and how to communicate with stubborn people, and of course, the power of expressive movement, especially for children and young adults. She is currently a graduate student in Mental Health and Clinical Counseling at the University of Southern Maine, where she hopes to graduate before she is 30, and celebrate her hard work by skipping around Ireland for two weeks. Emily‘s interests include spending time with her three year old son Oliver, art, poetry, gardening, growing and using culinary and medicinal herbs, cooking, riding her bike, music, and making up silly hip hop songs with Oliver and his cousins.
Job Titles:
- Residential Staff Member
- Residential Campus Director
Emily joined the staff in 2010, returning to the Midcoast area after a year in Washington, D.C. Emily grew up just outside of Boston, and has worked for The Department of Defense, The Obama Campaign, National Public Radio, WRFR-LP Community Radio (93.3 Rockland & 99.3 Camden), VillageSoup and The Penobscot School. She has also worked at language schools and elementary schools in Italy, Boston, and New York. Emily lives in Rockland and loves kayaking, fine cheese, and practicing her favorite dance move. Her heroes include Julia Child, Jean Piaget, and Shel Silverstein.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Staff Member
- Development
Job Titles:
- Passages Staff Member
- Passages Teacher
Erica was born and raised in Maine. She attended the University of Maine and has spent many years working with teens in the counseling and education fields as a therapist, classroom teacher, guidance counselor, coach, swimming instructor, and raft guide. Erica has been a teacher for several years but can't express how excited she is to be working with the staff and students at The Community School. Erica feels this teaching opportunity will give her the opportunity to build a relationship with her students that will allow her to watch each of them grow and succeed. In her free time, Erica enjoys kayaking, hiking, skiing, sewing, and spending time with her family. One of her favorite quotes is: "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." Dr. Seuss
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Fred is president and managing director for the Investment Management & Consulting Group in Portland. In addition to providing pro bono work for organizations like the Children's Dream Factory and the Live Poets' Society, Fred has served on a variety of cultural and community boards including the Portland String Quartet, the Portland Symphony's Ovation, Seventy-Five State Street and the Community Television Network. He is also on the Dream Factory's National Board of Directors, based out of Louisville, where he currently serves as member of the Executive Committee and chair of the Finance Committee. Fred is a guest lecturer in the University of Southern Maine's graduate and undergraduate business school, while also being a member on a number of investment management boards. Fred graduated from Vassar College in 1978 prior to returning to Portland for graduate work, has two grown sons, as well as his first grandson, and currently resides in Portland.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Lowell is an attorney whose practice focuses on compliance. He has also been appointed as special compliance monitor for the Raytheon Company and the DIRECTV Group. Formerly, Mr. Brown was assistant general counsel of Northrop Grumman Corporation. Since leaving Northrop, Mr. Brown has practiced law in Maine. He currently serves as a director of two foreign-owned corporations engaged in work for the U.S. Government. Mr. Brown began his career as assistant United States attorney for the District of Columbia. He also served as assistant general counsel of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and was a partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm of Heron, Burchette, Ruckert and Rothwell. He resides in Falmouth with his wife Ella, who is also an attorney, and their four children.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Heather's career began in Marketing and Business Development within the fast-paced high-tech industry after graduating with a BS/BA in Marketing. After ten years in the field, Heather's focus shifted from the culture of software brands to that of the individual. Heather tapped into her knowledge of connecting brands to people and parlayed it into a commitment to connect people to their passions. This drove Heather to earn her Masters in Arts in the field of Career Development from John F. Kennedy University and establish Insight Career Consulting, a private career counseling practice. Heather now focuses her business skills as head of business development and marketing of Hearstudios, a high-end music production and engineering studio in Camden, Maine. Also dedicated to bolstering her community, Heather proudly serves the Center of Maine Contemporary Art (Rockport, ME) in her positions as Auction Chair and Trustee Board Member as well as The Community Schools at Opportunity Farm & Camden as its Co-Chair of the Development Committee and member of the Board of Trustees.
Job Titles:
- Passages Staff Member
- Passages Teacher
Heather has been a teacher at The Community Schools since December 2010. Before Heather came to The Community Schools, she taught English, reading and writing at a community college in Pennsylvania. This is when she recognized her love for working with adolescents! Heather has also waitressed for many years in a variety of restaurants, worked as a home visitor for Head Start and was a Title I teacher. She finished her master's degree in English in 2008. Heather appreciates working with the students in the Passages Program because each student brings unique strengths from their own life experiences that can be shared with other students and their children. Heather believes that getting to know students on a personal level, along with their children, is what really makes The Community Schools special. In her spare time, Heather adores spending time with her three children, ice skating, waterskiing, tubing, hiking, and reading or even playing taxi driver for their various extracurricular activities.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Program Manager at Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc
Jade is a program manager at Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc. (CCWI), the entity responsible for administering federal Workforce Investment Act dollars in the six coastal counties from Waldo to York, where she oversees a statewide U.S. Department of Labor funded grant and other employment and training related initiatives. Jade came to CCWI after working for three years in the Workforce Solutions Division of Goodwill Industries of Northern New England; prior to that she served two terms as an AmeriCorps VISTA strengthening Maine's nonprofit sector by promoting collaboration, partnerships, volunteerism and best practices in volunteer management. Jade is a graduate of The Community Schools' Residential Program and holds a BA in Social Science and an AA in Social Services. A Camden native, she and her daughter now reside in Portland.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Jim retired from Fraser Paper, Inc. in 1995 as senior vice president for operations after serving 37 years in the paper industry. Jim attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, earned a BS from New York State College of Environmental Science and Forestry and completed post-graduate studies at Northeastern and Harvard. Jim currently resides in New Gloucester, where he has served on the town's planning board and other committees. He and his wife, Mary Ellen, have four grown children.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Administrative Staff Member
- Admissions Director
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Job Titles:
- Residential Director
- Residential Program Staff Member
- Residential Staff Member
- Director of Residential Programs
Since arriving at The Community School in 2008, Joseph has truly appreciated the chance to bring people together and provide opportunities for young adults to learn, grow, and demonstrate the goodness of their hearts. As the director of residential programs, Joseph guides students from the admissions process to graduation, creating real life experiences for students to connect with others, build relationships, achieve personal goals, and positively contribute to local communities. He is driven by the possibility of meaningfully affecting the lives of brave and honest students who are seeking to discover their strengths.
With a BA in Political Science from Boston College and a MS in Environmental Education from Lesley University, Joseph obtained his teacher certification through Teach for America while living on the Texas-Mexico border. From Costa Rica to Nantucket, Texas to Boston, Joseph has held a variety of educational and administrative positions in multiple classroom settings. He has taught every grade, K-12, and while he has taught just about every subject, he remains consistently drawn to issues of social justice and diversity. With a true love of sports and team camaraderie, Joseph has coached basketball, soccer, football, and ice hockey. He has created several after-school programs and served as head of Upper School at the Nantucket New School. Joseph also has a distinct passion for experiential learning and has led groups of high school students on expeditions throughout the U.S. and Canada. When Joseph's not working, he loves being outdoors and exploring the world with his wife and young daughter.
Job Titles:
- Secretary of the Board of Directors
Kim has worked in small business management, marketing, product and brand development since graduating from college. She recently left her family's business, Downeast Concepts, in pursuit of starting her own small business with her sister here in southern Maine. Kim grew up in Yarmouth, Maine and is a graduate of St. Lawrence University. She lives in Cumberland with her husband Dan and two children, Grace and Henry.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Staff Member
- Finance Manager
- in 2009 As the Finance Manager
Laurie joined The Community School in 2009 as the finance manager. Laurie is a lifelong Maine resident and a longtime foster parent. Laurie attended George's Valley High School and has many years of bookkeeping experience, most recently for Pen-Bay Christian Schools. She has also served as treasurer for several local nonprofit organizations, and was drawn to The Community Schools because of its positive, community-centered approach. Laurie is a huge fan of chocolate, and lives in Owl's Head with her husband Don, son DJ and two dogs, Mia and Rosie. Laurie's other two children have grown and are living outside of Maine. When not at work, Laurie enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Member of the English Faculty at the University of North Carolina - Greensboro
Lincoln is a retired educator who was a member of the English faculty at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro before returning to Maine with an invitation to organize the Maranacook High School English department and to teach at the University of Maine at Farmington. Lincoln continues to do research in specialized areas of English literature. He is an active volunteer who has served on the boards of Bates College and Maine Public Radio, in addition to serving as recent past chairman of the Filene Foundation. Lincoln and Gloria Ladd live in Wayne, Maine.
Job Titles:
- Passages Staff Member
- Passages Teacher
Lisa has lived in many states but has made Maine her home for the last 25 years. She attended the University of Maine at Farmington. She has taught English in public schools and in a youth development center, as well as many subjects in a day-treatment facility. Emma and Ethan are her two wonderful children. Among her favorite things are encouraging and watching her children participate in their passions of horseback riding and soccer. She also loves reading, laughing, learning new things, practicing yoga, and raising her pug, Dudley.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director of Academic Support at Hebron Academy
Marcia is the director of Academic Support at Hebron Academy, where her husband John is the headmaster. She is a former English teacher and received her BA in English from Goucher College in Maryland. Marcia has been a volunteer and on the board of several community organizations including the Duxbury Education Foundation, an agency for abused women, and a literacy tutor for women.
Job Titles:
- Residential Staff Member
- Residential Campus Director
Margo joined The Community School at Opportunity Farm in 2011. Margo has had over 20 years experience working with children and families in crisis. She graduated with a BSW from the University of Vermont and then moved to New York where she worked as an HIV counselor and social worker for at-risk pregnant teens. When her family moved to Maine to be closer to family she worked for nine years in the Gray-New Gloucester public school system. It was there that she met and assisted a blind student for five years, learning Braille and a specific math program specially designed for visually impaired students. Margo loves cooking, especially Spanish foods since both her parents were born in Spain. Her favorite dish to prepare is Paella, a popular rice and seafood meal that her mother and grandmother used to make. She spends her weekends with her wonderful husband who is an avid gardener and 17 year old son who is a long distance runner. Her golden retriever Abbey makes frequent visits to The Community School, matching the energy of a household full of teenagers!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Job Titles:
- Director
- Passages Program Staff Member
- Passages Staff Member
- Passages Program Director
Martha joined The Community Schools in 2004. Prior to moving to Maine, Martha was Director of Grants and Contracts at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. She completed a certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Leadership from the University of Maine Orono. She holds a bachelor's of Fine Arts from the University of Oregon and a master's in Expressive Therapies from the University of Louisville. Her varied life experiences include directing residential services for mentally disabled adults, coordinating educational programs at Slater Mill Historic Site, coordinating apprenticeships at the Swain School of Design, assisting grantees at the National Endowment for the Arts, and teaching reading to elementary school children. She loves seeing the creative process in action and the way it sheds light on our lives and souls. Martha's two daughters and husband keep her guessing. Give her good books, dear friends or family scattered across the U.S. and she is happy. If not, she is content to hike Maine, explore new places or bask near any body of water…really, any body of water.
Job Titles:
- Residential Program Staff Member
- Residential
Maureen worked for seven years at Home Counselors, Inc. before joining The Community School in 2009 as a Residential Overnight Counselor. Maureen was born in Washington D.C, as the second of eight children, and later moved to Maine, where she attended Hamden Academy and Bangor Community College. Maureen studied liberal arts and early childhood education in college, and has run her own cleaning business for the past 18 years. Maureen has three children; Ryan, Kristofer, and Lauren, and lives in Rockland. In her down time, Maureen's favorite activities are hiking, kayaking, dancing and camping. She loves working at The Community School because she loves teenagers and wants to see them succeed in life.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer of the Board of Directors
Bob recently retired after 40 years in public education as a teacher, coach, principal, and superintendent of schools. He currently resides in Vassalboro, Maine. Bob received his bachelor's, master's, and certificate of advanced study at the University of Maine and completed his doctoral work in educational leadership. He has been a board member at The Community School since 2004. He has three grown children.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Vice - Chair of the Board
Meg has lived in Camden for more than 30 years, and has been involved with nonprofit organizations and education most of that time. In 1983, she and a few others started Peopleplace Cooperative Preschool where she served in a variety of capacities, including board chair, executive director, and teacher; the school continues to thrive today. She served on her public school board for six years and on The Community School board for eight years, working on the Merger Committee and now serving as vice president of The Community Schools. In 2008, Meg opened High Mountain Hall, a new center for fitness and special events in the heart of Camden. She lives on a small farm with her animals and gardens, and her grown daughters reside in Maine, Louisiana, and California.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Managing Partner With Duffy Anderson Investment Management LLC
Melissa A. Duffy Melissa is a managing partner with Duffy Anderson Investment Management LLC, and a graduate of the Williston Northampton School and Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She is a native of the Portland area and returned to Maine in the spring of 2002. Melissa and her husband, John, reside in Cumberland, Maine with their two daughters. Melissa is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Portland, Maine and has served as the League's vice president of Public Relations. Melissa and her husband are also active supporters and volunteers at The Ronald McDonald House of Portland.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Product Line Manager
Michael is currently the product line manager overseeing the sSporting equipment division at L.L. Bean. He has been with L.L. Bean since 1993 and spent the majority of his career in corporate marketing, most recently heading up the Corporate Advertising division. Prior to L.L. Bean, Michael was involved with The American Youth Foundation as an experiential educator leading wilderness trips for kids. Michael graduated from Wittenberg University in Ohio with a BA in Economics. He has volunteered for the Portland Chapter of the United Way and Mt. Abram's Ski Patrol. In addition, he has been involved with the National Outdoor Leadership School and Outward Bound in Colorado. Michael and his wife, Heidi, reside in Pownal.
Job Titles:
- Residential Support Staff
Natalie majored in sculpture earning a BFA from the Maine College of Art and a MFA from the University of Pennsylvania School of Design. Through the process of teaching sculpture, she enjoys encouraging students to find their voice and acknowledge their own personal strengths by working with them individually and in group settings. As a Maine native who grew up locally on a small farm with a couple horses, chickens, steer, dogs and lots of cats, she takes an interest in exploring the natural elements Maine has to offer. She also enjoys gardening, and hiking, canoeing and kayaking on Maine trails, rivers and lakes. Other favorite activities include listening to traditional Celtic music, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Richard spent his career in finance after finishing graduate school at Columbia. In that career he provided long-term financing to small companies, was a venture capitalist, and for twenty years managed mutual funds and pension accounts. He was in the asset management business at a time when American managers became global investors. After retiring from the mutual fund business, Richard moved to northern California and later to Camden, where he, his wife, Mary Jane, and their daughter Sarah enjoy sailing. Richard has been a supporter of and involved with a number of environmental organizations for many years.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Risa is a psychotherapist maintaining a private practice in Portland, Maine, specializing in couples and family work, including mediation, with a particular emphasis on eating disorders. She consults to schools and small businesses about staff, peer, and student related issues. Risa moved to Maine several years ago after having maintained a clinical and mediation practice for 25 years in Boston. Prior to her practice, she co-founded and taught at a public alternative school focused on mainstreaming students in grades k-8. She also founded the children's program for IMPACT/Model Mugging, which teaches the art of self-defense to men, women, and children. Risa's other volunteer work has included "Guiding Eyes for the Blind" (a Seeing Eye dog training program) and "Riding to the Top." Along with her husband Richard, she is an avid equestrian, and on her own, an avid snowshoer and reader. Richard and Risa have four children.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Bob has been with The Community School at Opportunity Farm since they opened in New Gloucester and worked at Opportunity Farm for five years. Known as the "Jack of All Trades," Bob fulfills a number of roles at the school. He is a mentor to the students, teaching them all aspects of his job. Prior to coming to Opportunity Farm, Bob lived and worked in Florida. Bob has two sons, one in Lyman and one in York, and two grandsons. His passions, outside of his work, are buying and selling tractors, building anything and everything, and owning and showing antique cars, for which he has won several trophies. His nickname as a young boy was "The Old Car Kid," starting with his first car, a ‘36 Plymouth, and his collection has continued to grow.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER
Sarah, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional,is an associate vice president-investments with The Danforth Group of Wells Fargo Advisors in Portland, Maine. Sarah has more than twenty years of investment management experience in both the United Kingdom and the United States. An accomplished educator, she is a sought-after speaker and has successfully developed and delivered financial education programs to numerous local and national organizations. Sarah is also a frequent guest and financial contributor to Maine's news channel WCSH6 Morning Show. Through appointment by the Governor's office, Sarah serves on the Advisory Council of Maine Centers for Women, Work & Community, a statewide economic development organization. She also serves on the Board of Advisors for the American Friends of Meali Primary School which helps children in the rural area of Karatu Tanzania achieve higher academic and life opportunities.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Staff Member
- Development Office Manager
Sharyn joined The Community School in 2011 and is in the Development group. Sharyn has been involved in development for many years and loves it and the kids it benefits! She really enjoys working with kids and before she joined The Community Schools she worked for a summer camp in Maine with kids from all over the world. She is a California native who has adopted Maine and considers it home. Sharyn lives in Rockport with her husband, son and adopted dog, Barley, and cat, Chloe. Sharyn skis and volunteers at the Camden Snow Bowl, and loves books and volunteering at the Rockport Public Library.
Stephanie has worked at The Community Schools since 2011. She was born and raised in Maine, and graduated cum laude from Colby College in 2010 with a degree in Latin American Studies, Anthropology, and Music. She studied extensively in Ecuador, traveling throughout the country while learning Kichwa, the local indigenous language, and eating exotic and extremely spicy food. When Stephanie isn't cooking at The Community Schools or grocery shopping at the local Hannaford, she works as a full-time AmeriCorps member at Gray-New Gloucester High School. She also plays the tuba, trombone, saxophone, and various other musical instruments, and she believes that music has a central place in life. Stephanie is super enthusiastic about the opening of The Community School at Opportunity Farm, and is excited to see what opportunities the future has to offer!
Summer grew up in small town Oklahoma hiking the plateaus, exploring caves, and playing basketball. She went to school at the University of Oklahoma where she got her BA in Environmental Studies. Summer has worked with children in one way or another, either through coaching, babysitting, or peer tutoring, since she was 13. She came to Maine on a whim in 2007 to do trail work at Baxter State Park, and fell in love. Summer has a BIG love for The Summer Camp, the all-girls camp where she works for several months each year, and is excited to live and work in Maine year round! Summer really enjoys cooking for other people, sharing stories, wilderness adventures of all kinds, mountain biking, reading, drinking tea, watching baseball, and just general merriment.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Susan currently holds the position of executive director of AIA Maine. AIA Maine is a 225 member chapter of the American Institute of Architects. She works directly with the Board of Directors and oversees all activities of the chapter. Prior to this, Susan worked in schools at all levels, from pre-school through high school. Susan holds a BS in elementary education from the University of Maine Farmington and a Certificate in Mediation from the University of Southern Maine. She has served on the Board of Directors of Peopleplace, The Children's Museum of Maine, and as a committee member for several other organizations. A native of Maine, Susan has two grown children and currently resides in Scarborough.
Tim is an AmeriCorps intern in Camden. He hopes to make a positive impact on the students at The Community Schools and to continue the tradition that AmeriCorps has laid out. He serves in multiple roles, including weekend staff support, academic tutor, and counselor. He enjoys swimming and making the students listen to his piano playing.
Job Titles:
- Residential Staff Member
- Art Director and Residential Support Staff
Tom joined The Community Schools in 2010. Tom's background is in both Art History and Fine Art Practice. He holds a BA and MFA in Fine Art Sculpture and has exhibited internationally. Believing that art is essentially a social activity, he brings dialogues and disciplines both modern and traditional to the table. Alternative methods and approaches are discussed and shared to encourage the students to see things in a new way, with the goal for them to create and believe in their own personal visual language. Tom grew up and went to school in London, England and has recently moved to Rockland with his wife, Kate. He is also a huge fan of ghost stories (though has never seen a ghost) and makes an excellent pasta sauce, if he doesn't mind saying so himself.
Job Titles:
- Lead Teacher
- Residential Staff Member
Trevor has worked at The Community Schools since 2011. He comes to the school after teaching in Maine public schools as a therapeutic alternative high school teacher and an autism specialist for elementary aged kids. He got his start in education working with babies and toddlers at the Hampshire College Children's Center where he also earned his BA Trevor then went on to be an instructor for Outward Bound and took some time off to hike the northern half of the Appalachian Trail with his would-be wife. He is now married and has two beautiful children. He received his master's degree in Special Education from the University of Southern Maine and has dreamed of working in an alternative high school since becoming a certified teacher. He now revels in being able to share his knowledge and experience with teenagers as he pursues his personal interests in mountaineering, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and CrossFit.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board