2026 Conference Presenter Bios
The Maine Land Conservation Conference brings together talented speakers from across the country with those from right here in Maine. We are so grateful to be working with all of them to bring you this year’s Conference!
Our Plenary Session Panel
Forrest King-Cortes
Forrest King-Cortes is the senior director of community-centered conservation at the Land Trust Alliance. The community-centered conservation department supports land trusts in better meeting the needs of and partnering with communities to improve both conservation and community outcomes. The department works nationally with partners to provide thought leadership, technical assistance and training and resources that advance community-centered conservation across the private land conservation sector.
Forrest has over 10 years of experience working toward a more people-centric and relationship-focused conservation future at local, regional and national scales. He holds a degree in wildlife ecology and management but often says that he learns best from hitting the trails, putting his hands in the dirt and spending time learning from and with communities. Forrest was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois and currently resides in Birmingham, Alabama with his husband, cat and houseplants.
Matt Markot
Matt is the Executive Director at Loon Echo Land Trust, where he has worked since 2018. Matt grew up in a small city in central Connecticut and has lived in Maine for the past 15 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College – Hartford, a graduate certificate in organization development from the University of Southern Maine, and is completing a Master’s Degree in Leadership Studies also from the University of Southern Maine. Matt believes in the power of open space conservation and outdoor access to motivate collective action and support our mutual flourishing. He also has a passion for building organizations that prioritize employee well-being and their engagement in the communities where they live and work. He currently serves on Maine Land Trust Network’s Steering Committee, the Town of Bridgton’s Open Space Committee and on the Board of Directors for Momentum Conservation. Matt is a Registered Maine Guide and lives in Bridgton with his partner where he enjoys biking, skiing, paddling, and traveling.
Ciona Ulbrich
Ciona (she/her) moved into the Community and Government Relations department at Maine Coast Heritage Trust in 2025, with a focus on improving and expanding MCHT’s role in the collective work of conservation, of restoration, and of land return. Ciona represents MCHT on multiple collaborations including on the Conservation Community Delegation and as a Catalyst for cultural access with First Light. Before her recent transition, she worked for over 26 years in the lands department at MCHT based in the Mount Desert Island field office, working with land trusts, local government, state and federal government agencies, and other organizations on conservation and restoration projects.
Our Other Esteemed Presenters
Nolan Altvater
Nolan Altvater (they/them), Passamaquoddy from Sipayik, is the Special Projects Cultural Coordinator for MCHT and the Passamaquoddy Cultural Heritage Museum. Their work seeks to uphold Indigenous Research Methodologies in the development of ethical frameworks for cultural preservation and co-stewardship within Wabanaki homelands.
Erin Amadon
Erin Amadon’s passion for creating access to the natural world through trail work ignited over more than a quarter of a century when she first served as a member of a youth conservation corps, and she has been devoted to trail projects ever since. She is the founder of Town4Trails Services, LLC. With over 20 years of experience in the trail contracting business, Erin has contributed to the completion of numerous significant trail projects. Whether immersed in detailed stonework, constructing machine-built trails, or undertaking backcountry projects, Erin remains steadfast in her dedication to creating high-quality, sustainable trails. She actively contributes to nurturing the next generation of trail builders through her focus on education and training. Erin currently serves on the executive committee and board of the Professional TrailBuilders Association.
Danielle Arroyo
Danielle Arroyo is the Community Outreach Manager in Southern Maine for the Maine Coast Heritage Trust. In the last 2 years they have focused on building more events for queer and BIPOC groups, hosting bonfires under the full moon, managing the Conservation Internship Program, and working with the descendants of Malaga Island. Danielle is an enthusiastic Southern Maine community member who enjoys dilly dallying outside, feeding their friends, making art, and being an advocate for cancer prevention with early screenings.
Lynette Batt
Tatia Bauer
Tatia Bauer is the Marsh Restoration Program Manager for Maine Coast Heritage Trust. She actively manages and coordinates salt marsh restoration projects in the state of Maine and is on the executive committee of the Maine Tidal Marsh Restoration Network. Within the Network, Tatia focuses on providing training opportunities to restoration practitioners and partner organizations.
Doug Beck
As the Outdoor Recreation Program Manager within the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL), Doug leads the Grants & Community Recreation program which includes four focus areas directly related to increasing and or improving conservation and outdoor recreation opportunities in Maine. These include the Maine Conservation Corps, The Land and Water Conservation Fund (State Liaison Officer), the Recreational Trails Program (State Trail Administrator) and the new Maine Trails Program. Doug came to BPL in 2014 after five years as the Physical Activity Coordinator at the Maine Center for Disease Control, which followed twenty years in municipal parks and recreation management. Doug is a past president and executive director of the Maine Recreation and Park Association and past president of the National Association of State Outdoor Recreation Liaison Officers where he remains on the board of directors. In this role he continues to focus on improving stateside delivery of LWCF with the National Parks Service.
Maribeth Canning
Maribeth Canning is the Founder and Principal of Maribeth Canning Consulting. With more than 20 years of senior leadership experience as an executive director, vice president, and chief philanthropy officer at MaineGeneral Health, Lahey Health, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Ms. Canning launched her consultancy in 2019. She brings deep experience and expertise in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors to her clients. Over the course of her career, Maribeth led organizations and built fundraising teams, departments, committees and campaigns that raised over $200 million in the midst of economic downturns, the Great Recession and multiple mergers. Ms. Canning also teaches graduate courses in nonprofit management to the next generation of nonprofit leaders at Northeastern University and actively mentors professionals through the Maine Association of Nonprofits, Boston University’s CFRE program and was recently appointed to the Maine Children’s Trust Board.
Stacey Caulk
Stacey Caulk is Co-Leader of Drummond Woodsum’s Land Use & Conservation Practice Group and Leader of the Environmental and Natural Resources Practice Group. She is an experienced practitioner of conservation law and frequently advises clients about legal strategies to preserve land in perpetuity, ongoing stewardship obligations, and enforcement of conservation easements and deed restrictions. Stacey serves on her town’s Open Space Planning Committee and is dedicated to increasing access to the natural environment.
Lydia Coburn
Lydia Coburn (she/her) is driven by a passion for connecting with others and fostering resilience in individuals, communities, and organizations. Guided by the principle “leave it better than you found it,” she brings sincerity, creativity, and a holistic mindset to her work. Lydia’s diverse, professional background includes outdoor and environmental education, food re-distribution, marketing, communications, wildlife care, event management, and operations. She holds a BA in Conservation Biology & Environmental Sustainability from Hampshire College and a graduate certificate in Food Studies from the University of Southern Maine. Since joining Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust in 2021, Lydia has found joy in relationship building and storytelling, blending her love for the environment, local food, and community engagement. Originally from Massachusetts, life has brought her to Rhode Island, Vermont, North Carolina, and Australia. She now calls Maine home with her partner, dog, and two cats.
Dan Coker
Dan Coker is the long-time Spatial Scientist with the Maine Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. He is responsible for all spatial data analysis, management, and publication within the Maine chapter. In recent years, one of his concentrations has been providing spatial data and analysis to partner organizations and the public to help inform better conservation decision-making. When not at his desk wrestling with a software or coding issue, you can find Dan on a bike, trail, or short-track speed skating. Dan holds an M.S. in Wildlife Biology.
Betsy Cook
As Trust for Public Land’s State Director for Maine, Betsy Cook is committed to ensuring all Mainers have equitable access to the outdoors. Betsy joined TPL in 2017 and during her time has worked with communities across the state to create new public lands, trails, parks, and community forests. Previously, Betsy worked with the New England Forestry Foundation, and Triangle Land Conservancy and Duke Forest, both in Durham, North Carolina. Betsy discovered the power of public lands during her summers working in the Appalachian Mountain Club’s backcountry hut system. Betsy holds a BA from Cornell University and Master of Environmental Management and Master of Forestry from Duke University, where she completed her thesis on community forests. Betsy lives on Peaks Island and enjoys exploring all corners of Maine by cross-country skiing, hiking, and paddling with her spouse, Jesse, their two kids, Nora and Malcolm, and their energetic dog, Banjo.
Hadley Couraud
Hadley Couraud is the Aquatic Restoration Manager for The Nature Conservancy in Maine. As anyone from away is apt to do, she moved to Maine to lead field crews assessing thousands of culverts across northern Maine. She is enormously grateful for the several years she then spent working for two local land trusts in western Maine (where she now joyously calls ‘home’!), and carries those lessons with her today after returning to TNC. Her work now is focused on the restoration of rivers and their floodplains through culvert restoration, dam removal, decision support tools, and community risk reduction.
Addison Davis
Addison Davis is the Resilience Corps Fellow for the Town of Chebeague Island, focusing on energy efficiency, coastal resilience, and wildfire mitigation efforts. He has a BA in Environmental History from Bowdoin College, where he researched health outcomes and conservation issues in the aftermath the January 2025 Southern California fires. He originally hails from Los Angeles, California, and has been fascinated by working on fire prevention and coastal adaptation on both coasts.
Sam Deeran
Shoebox Collaborations is operated by Sam Deeran. Sam brings his experiences working in strategy, management, organizing, communications, and fundraising to his work as a consultant. He has worked on national and statewide electoral campaigns, the rapid ascent of a Maine nonprofit, and a fundraising campaign to raise $35M. Sam has worked with tribal governments and organizations, federal and state agencies, colleges and universities, public radio, political candidates, philanthropists, and communities in Maine and New Hampshire. His time performing improv and stand-up has helped a bit, too. During Sam’s time at Friends of Katahdin Woods & Waters, he was fortunate to be a part of the establishment of an International Dark-Sky Sanctuary, and to partner with a Wabanaki Advisory Board on the campaign that provided funds for Tekαkαpimək Contact Station and the establishment of the Wabanaki Community Foundation. Sam’s writing about Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument appeared in Our National Monuments by QT Luong.
Genevieve Doughty
Genevieve Doughty is a Passamaquoddy citizen and is Co-director of Sipayik Climate Resilience Committee, which focuses on energy justice and building climate resilience for Passamaquoddy people in Sipayik.
Alex Drenga
Alex Drenga has a Masters in Natural Resource Management and has been working with Island Heritage Trust (IHT) for 5 years. He focuses on land protection projects on and around Deer Isle while helping to manage IHT preserves and offshore islands. He is currently working with IHT staff and partners to develop Forest Management Plans for properties focusing on wildfire mitigation, forest health, and wildlife habitat. In 2026, IHT will be working with SWCA Environmental Consultants and local partners on a project titled “From Fuels to Firewood: A Community Forestry Model For Deer Isle.’ This project is supported by funding from Project Canopy and hopes to act as a model for more like-minded community projects.
Aaron Dority
Aaron has been the Executive Director of Frenchman Bay Conservancy since 2014. Under his leadership, the FBC team recently completed a comprehensive capital campaign, raising $14 million for land protection, stewardship, and outdoor education. During the past ten years, FBC has grown conserved lands from 6000 to 25,000, launched an outdoor education partnership that reaches all 11 public elementary and middle schools in its service area, and completed significant wetland restoration projects. Genevieve Doughty
George Fields
George Fields has been with BHHT since 2014, as the Associate Director, managing Stewardship, then Land Acquisition, and finally as the Executive Director in late 2024. During his tenure at BHHT he has seen conserved acreage double, staff capacity nearly triple, and the annual budget increase nearly 400%. He has successfully developed an intern program for the future nexus of conservationists, donors, and philanthropists, and still tracks their progress in life
Adam Fisher
Adam Fisher leads the Maine Trails Program within the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, working with towns, nonprofits, and trail organizations to create and maintain trails that bring people closer to Maine’s forests, mountains, rivers, and coastlines. Originally from Southeast Alaska, Adam is happiest exploring the outdoors—running forest trails, skiing across snowy landscapes, or swimming in the ocean. His work is driven by a love of wild places and a commitment to building trails that help others experience the natural beauty of Maine year-round.
David Greenham
David Greenham is an experienced administrator and consultant. David has been involved with non-profit leadership, organizational planning and development, and culture in Maine for more than 40 years. Among other experiences, David was the program director for the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine for nine years, and spent 14 years leading the The Theater At Monmouth, the Shakespearean Theater of Maine. David lives in Gardiner, Maine with his wife, Amie.
In addition to his consulting work, David is currently the Executive Director of Viles Arboretum, part-time lecturer of drama at the University of Maine at Augusta, and a contributing theater reviewer for the Boston-based online newsletter The ArtsFuse. David is a member of the Board of Directors of Capital Area New Mainers, Ladder to the Moon/Amjambo Africa!, and the University of Maine at Augusta Senior College.
Suzanne Greenlaw
Dr. Greenlaw is an ecologist, artist, and children’s book author. Her scientific work has in large part focused on supporting Wabanaki land access, maintaining and re-energizing cultural practices throughout Waponahkik, and advocating for the importance of Wabanaki practices and knowledge in scientific research. Notably, she has worked to foster relationships between Wabanaki communities and the National Park Service in service of restoring traditional harvesting of sweetgrass within Acadia National Park, developing collaborative research to support Wabanaki plant gathering, and actively supporting Wabanaki-led priorities within Acadia National Park.
Olivia Griset
Olivia Griset (she/her) serves in shared leadership and is the Executive Director of the Maine Environmental Education Association (MEEA). Olivia works in collaboration to innovate equitable solutions that build an ethic of care for the planet and increase climate and environmental literacy and action. Olivia is deeply engaged in movement building at state, regional and national scales, holding leadership positions at the North American Environmental Education Association and at the Nature Based Education Consortium. Olivia’s experiences as a fisheries biologist, a rural public high school teacher, and nonprofit leader, lend a unique perspective on environmental education movement-building. When not working you can find Olivia playing music, working in the garden, or skiing with her partner Todd and their daughters Lucy and Charlotte and puppy Cora.
Sean Hagan
Sean Hagan is the Farmland Protection and Climate Project Manager at Maine Farmland Trust. He previously founded and ran a diversified farm in midcoast Maine for many years, bringing firsthand experience in farm operations to his work. He earned an MS in Ecological Design in 2022 and now supports farmers with practical, whole-farm planning that strengthens long-term farm viability and climate resilience.
Sarah Kelemen
Sara Kelemen is a Soil Health Specialist for American Farmland Trust. She worked on diversified vegetable farms for many years before moving to Maine to earn a MS in Plant, Soil, and Environmental Science at the University of Maine in 2021. She is driven by a desire to work with farms of all types towards improved farm resilience in the face of a changing climate.
Cathy Kidman
Cathy Kidman is an experienced organizational development consultant and leadership coach with a strong commitment to equity. She works with organizations and individuals in several capacities, helping teams to shape their culture and function at their best while leading for the future.
Cathy’s happy place is helping individuals and organizations step fully into their leadership, face the real issues – in their work, their lives, and their communities – and manage real change to create a more just and vibrant planet. This is work that Cathy has done and continues to do both professionally and personally.
Trained in Adaptive Leadership, Cathy defines leadership as the activity of mobilizing people to face reality, understanding that leadership is not a position – it’s a way of being, and the actions taken, to keep people focused on the real issues, often the issues people would prefer to avoid. But real change doesn’t happen through avoidance. It happens when people exercise leadership with courage, love, persistence, and, not infrequently, a good dose of humor.
A live storyteller (think The Moth) and sometime stand-up comic, Cathy brings humor and a concise form of storytelling into training and speaking. She also draws comics, which have been known to make an appearance in her work.
Allen Kratz
In western Hancock County, Allen Kratz serves on the Project Administration Team for the Blue Hill Peninsula Community Wildfire Protection Plan — a nine-town collaboration that received Congressionally Directed Spending sponsored by Senator Susan Collins and Senator Angus King. The 18-month planning process, now at its midway point, is designed to help community members understand wildfire risk and collaborate as individuals and as municipalities to reduce risk. Volunteer firefighters, town officials and land-trust managers perform key roles in gathering and validating data about critical infrastructure for analysis by SWCA Environmental Consultants, whose services were competitively procured to guide the planning process. The Maine Forest Service is providing support and resources for the planning process. The plan will culminate in recommendations that towns can use to implement best practices for ensuring public health, safety and wellbeing as their communities face the pressures of new development and evolving climate conditions.
William Labich
I am a nonbinary father of adult fraternal twins, who are the two most important people in my life. I am a lover of the woods, water, and beaches, and when I am there, I feel most connected to myself and to others. Nature often inspires my art, poetry, and fiction-writing. I live in Holyoke, MA, and love how walkable and diverse the city is. I have a great relationship with my parents and my four siblings and their spouses, and I have a circle of friends who know and count on each other. My commitment to collaborative conservation stemmed from a filmstrip in 7th grade that depicted two families picnicking after pruning white pines together. Curiosity as a forester led me to planning school, where my thesis was on RCPs. I’ve been smitten ever since.
Paul Larrivee
Paul Larrivee has been a licensed forester in Maine for 25 Years. As a forester, Paul has been employed as a District Forester and Regional Enforcement Coordinator with the Maine Forest Service, a Procurement Forester for Sappi and currently as a private consulting forester in his own business since 2019. Paul provides forestry consulting for both public and private forestland. Paul is licensed as a Commercial Master Pesticide Applicator in the State of Maine. When not working Paul enjoys managing his 105 acres of woodland with his wife and two boys.
Rob Levin
Rob Levin lives in Portland and has specialized in land conservation and nonprofit organizations since 2002. He represents a variety of land trusts and landowners and has spoken and written extensively on land conservation issues. Since 2005, Rob has written and updated Land Conservation Case Law Summaries for the Land Trust Alliance. Rob has served as the lead author of several amicus briefs on behalf of the Alliance and other land trusts.
Linda Lidov
Linda Lidov is director of communications for Maine Coast Heritage Trust. She has been developing storytelling programs for land trusts and conservation organizations since 2010, and her stories have been used to inform and inspire audiences from donors and funders to legislators, landowners and laypeople.
Kyle Lima
Kyle Lima is a data analyst and ecologist with Schoodic Institute. His work focuses on the intersection of forests, wildlife, and climate change, with an emphasis on translating science into actionable management decisions. Part of his research explores how citizen science can be effectively integrated into natural resource management.
Kiwenik “Kyle” Lolar
Kyle Lolar is a citizen of the Penobscot Nation and is a Cultural Liaison and Indigenous Knowledge Keeper for Wabanaki Youth and Science (WaYS). WaYS is a small nonprofit prioritizing Wabanaki communities to provide experiential learning opportunities for Indigenous youth.
Erik Martin
Erik Martin is a Geospatial Web Application Developer with The Nature Conservancy’s Center for Resilient Conservation Science. He has been with TNC for over 17 years and has focused on spatial analysis and communication to support conservation planning.
Deirdre McGrath
Deirdre McGrath is a PhD student studying Anthropology and Environmental Policy at the University of Maine, Orono where she is affiliated with the Northeast Archaeology Laboratory and the Climate Change Institute. Her research informs historic preservation policy development in land conservation contexts for archaeological sites and cultural landscapes which have been made vulnerable by climate change.
Corinne Michaud LeBlanc
Corinne Michaud-LeBlanc is the Climate Coordinator in the Beginning with Habitat Program at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. As a wildlife biologist and conservation planner, Corinne works to integrate landscape connectivity, biodiversity, and habitat resilience into local, regional, and statewide planning efforts. She earned an MS in Ecology and Environmental Science from the University of Maine, and worked as a wildlife biologist in the northeastern and southwestern US before transitioning to conservation planning. In her role at MDIFW, Corinne helps to coordinate the agency’s efforts to plan for and adapt to climate change, delivers climate-related outreach, and provides technical assistance to state agencies, municipalities, and conservation partners.
Matt Moore
Matt Moore is AMC’s Senior Trails Operations Manager. Matt first started working on trails for AMC in 2004, as an Appalachian Trail Ridgerunner in CT and MA. He then continued to work on trails all over the United States, including many seasons as a Trail Crew member and leader in the National Parks, and more than 10 years with AMC’s trails department. In his current role, Matt employs his trail building and maintenance expertise to oversee AMC’s professional trail crew efforts across New England, and support AMC’s trails department operations.
Kent Nelson
Kent has a Masters in Forestry and has been a Licensed Professional Forester since 2001. He got “bit by the fire bug” in the mid 1990’s and began working for the Maine Forest Service as a Forest Ranger in 2001. After working in the field for four years, he was promoted to Forest Ranger Specialist and focused on wildfire prevention and mitigation for the next twenty years. In 2025, his responsibilities shifted more to wildfire mitigation and administering federal fuel reduction grants. He recently became a Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist by NFPA. He is also a nationally qualified wildland firefighter and Public Information Officer.
Laura Newman
Laura Newman (she/her) is a Nature Based Outdoor Play/Learning Space Consultant, Educator and Advocate who has collaborated with schools to develop outdoor spaces for over 23 years. A former middle school teacher, she ran the School Ground Greening Coalition at Portland Trails from 2003-2018, and has helped prek-12 schools and early childhood sites across Maine with 100+ projects ranging in size from play areas, gardens, trails and outdoor classrooms to entire elementary sites. Laura’s guidebook (free download has been the basis for many trainings, as well as courses at UMF and AUNE. She is currently facilitating a DOE Climate Ed. Grant project at Brunswick’s elementary schools. She lives in Portland with her family, and loves all things winter.
Liz Petruska
Liz joined The Conservation Find as a a Senior Field Representative for Maine in 2025. Prior to joining TCF she was a National Program Specialist for the USFS Forest Legacy Program, and Director of Acquisitions and Planning for the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands. Liz served in land conservation consulting throughout the state and was Executive Director and Land Protection lead for Medomak Valley Land Trust (now Midcoast Conservancy). A Yale School of Forestry grad, Liz brings over 20 of experience and a passion for conservation and life in Maine. Home for Liz is Midcoast Maine where she lives with her husband and two cats and enjoys time baking, gardening and all things outdoors.
Mila Plavsic
Mila Plavsic is an experienced conservation practitioner and the Executive Director of the Falmouth Land Trust. She has a doctoral degree in disturbance ecology from the University of Cambridge (UK), where she was a Gates Scholar and Fulbright researcher. Much of her work has focused on species conservation and habitat management, both in New England and in sub-Saharan Africa. Mila served as a Presidential Management Fellow and Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is currently the Vice-Chair of the Maine Land Trust Network Steering Committee.
Jennifer Plowden
Jennifer Plowden works as the Massachusetts Program Specialist at the Land Trust Alliance and is the founder of Plowden Consulting LLC. Through her consulting work, she provides critical services to organizations seeking to increase capacity, strengthen leadership, and build sustainable governance and strategy. Previously, Jennifer led the New England Program of the Land Trust Alliance and served as a Senior Conservation Economist at The Trust for Public Land. Jennifer also researched conservation awareness and forest ecology at Boston University, served on the board of the all-volunteer Orono Land Trust, and worked in membership and development at Blue Hill Heritage Trust. Outside of work, Jen volunteers on the Development Committee of her local land trust, Essex County Greenbelt Association. Jen is a mother to two school-aged children and enjoys outdoor time with her family and dogs.
Arianna Porter
Arianna (Ari) Porter, M.S. (she/her), is a Lead Project Manager – Disaster & Resilience at SWCA Environmental Consultants and a wildfire planner supporting landowners, land trusts, and municipalities with practical wildfire risk reduction and restoration work. She has over eight years of experience in natural resources project management, public outreach, technical writing, and field operations. Ari specializes in wildfire risk assessments, hazardous fuels reduction planning, wildland–urban interface (WUI) mitigation, and restoration project planning, implementation, and post-fire monitoring. Her background in ecology and natural resources management includes collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, state forestry agencies, and community partners across Maine, the Northeast, and the U.S.
Darren Ranco
Darren J. Ranco, PhD, a citizen of the Penobscot Nation, is a Professor of Anthropology, Chair of Native American Programs, and Faculty Fellow at the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine. His research focuses on the ways in which Indigenous Nations resist environmental destruction by using Indigenous science and diplomacies to protect their natural and cultural resources. He has published extensively and teaches classes on Indigenous intellectual property rights, research ethics and methodology, environmental and climate justice, and tribal governance.
Anne Reed
Heather Rogers
Heather (she/her) is the Land Protection Program Director at Coastal Mountains Land Trust. Heather has worked at CMLT for over 12 years, and has a Masters Degree in Community Planning with a focus on Land Use from the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Policy.
Nora Sackett
Nora Sackett is AMC’s Trail Volunteer Programs Manager. Nora began her career in trail work in 2017 leading teen trail crews for the Appalachian Mountain Club. Since then, she has gained experience working for several different conservation organizations across the Northeast and Intermountain West, leading and facilitating trails and restoration projects. She currently manages AMC’s volunteer trail work programs throughout the northeast, including open-enrollment volunteer events, several youth employment programs, an adopt-a-trail program, training programs, and more.
Justin Schlawin
Isaac St. John
Isaac J. St. John is currently the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) for the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, as well as a Master’s student at the University of New Brunswick at Fredericton. He is currently practicing traditional tool making and “experimental” archaeology as a revitalization of past cultural practices and land stewardship.
Jed Talbot
Jed Talbot is the owner of OBP Trailworks, LLC, a Maine based company that offers design, construction, and education-based services for all types of recreational trail projects. Hallmarks of OBP include technical stone work, rustic timber joinery, naturalistic accessible trails and challenging backcountry rigging systems. Jed’s passion for understanding and developing safe and creative practices is complemented by his desire to teach and inspire others. He has facilitated over 140 workshops on trail building techniques to various groups across the country and beyond. Jed is a Past President and current board member of the Professional TrailBuilders Association and a board member and Treasurer of the Pan American Trails Network/ World Trails Network.
Helena Tatgenhorst
Helena’s work at The Nature Conservancy in Maine (TNC) focuses on implementing TNC Maine’s coastal strategy. This strategy identifies coastal restoration and adaptation opportunities that provide the co-benefits of increasing biodiversity, providing blue carbon storage, and protecting Maine’s coastal communities from impacts of climate change. Prior to working at TNC, Helena worked as an English language teacher in Bulgaria and Assistant Director of Admissions at Tufts University, Public Health Programs. Helena holds a Master of Science in Coastal and Marine Environments from the University of Galway and a Bachelor of Arts in Geosciences from Smith College. Outside of TNC, you can find her playing the fiddle, swing dancing, XC skiing, or hiking around Maine.
Leah Trommer
As Learning Landscapes & Community Events Director at Coastal Mountain Land Trust in Camden, Maine, Leah Trommer (they/them or she/her) leads community events and Learning Landscapes, a program which conserves land next to schools, creates outdoor classrooms and supports teachers in moving their curriculum outside.
Carey Truebe
Carey Truebe (she/her) is the Education Programs Manager at Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust. She has over 25 years of experience in education in a variety of settings throughout the country including nature centers, residential programs and educational farms. She also taught 4th grade at Hussey School in Augusta, which gave her an even greater appreciation for public school teachers. When not tromping through the woods with a group of energetic students, she can be found gardening, canoeing, skiing or hiking with her own family. She lives in Bowdoin with her husband and two children.
Kyle Warnock
Kyle Warnock has dedicated his career to fostering community belonging and accessibility across Maine. He is an American Sign Language Interpreter, the Executive Director and Founder of Queerly ME, and a documentary photographer. Across his many fields of work, Kyle is guided by his passion for resource sharing, interpersonal connection, and storytelling. In 2021, Kyle founded Queerly ME, a nonprofit helming the creation of a robust statewide community network where LGBTQIA+ can develop critical support networks and share affirming resources while accessing the restorative power of the outdoors. Queerly ME is uniquely positioned as the only LGBTQIA+ nonprofit in Maine offering in-person programs in every county. Through partnership with local organizations, businesses, and community members, Queerly ME identifies existing resources and fulfills unmet community needs everywhere they go.
Deirdre Whitehead
Deirdre Whitehead has worked with the land for over 45 years. A Washington County Land Steward for MCHT since 2009, she came to the area from the Midcoast in the 1990’s to work for the Passamaquoddy Tribe and fell in love with the region. In 2021 she moved into the role of Wabanaki Community Liaison and is honored to be working to increase and improve relations between Wabanaki people(s) and MCHT. In her spare time, she gardens and plays music.
Erin Witham
Erin Witham (she/her) serves as the coordinator of Downeast Conservation Network (DCN), a regional conservation partnership based in Hancock and Washington Counties. Erin is driven by DCN’s mission to strengthen communities and land conservation through collaborative action in Downeast, Maine and has worked for the Network for the past six years along with other regional conservation partnerships across the state and Northeast. Erin has a master’s degree in sustainability science from UMass-Amherst with a focus on water sustainability and climate change. Prior to joining DCN, she has worked for and with conservation organizations doing everything from bookkeeping to cartography, but found her passion working to develop and sustain collaborations and partnerships.