ABOUT US

Dan is a faculty member in the human development and family studies program at University of Maine, part of the School of Educational Leadership, Higher Education and Human Development. His research is focused on family processes such as fathering and parenting. Specifically, he looks at co-parenting relationships and how mothers and fathers influence one another in the raising of children. Daniel’s work centers around theory development and qualitative exploration of these family processes. He is also a Marriage and Family Therapist and has worked clinically with families for the past 15 years. He received a PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy from Florida State University. Daniel comes to the University of Maine with his wife Jane and 3 children, Max, Nathyn, and Jack. He is from Pittsburgh and is an avid Penguins fan and loves to be outdoors.

Shaun is a Maine native and no stranger to issues affecting youth resilience. Despite a challenging home environment, he managed to graduate high school and attend Hamilton College and Vanderbilt University, then to launch a successful career as an educator and educational administrator. During his career, Shaun has contributed to or led Several important efforts to improve outcomes for vulnerable members of his community. Shaun currently serves as Co-Executive Director of Cobscook Institute, a community development non-profit that uses education, the arts, and social connection as tools for positive social change and the promotion of community well-being. As part of the MyT Board, Shaun hopes to build a future where all Maine youth have access to the kinds of supports he had that enabled him to thrive in spite of the circumstances of his youth.

Samantha is a social impact consultant and organizational development expert. She is the co-founder and principal of Marigold Strategy, a woman-owned consulting firm working at the intersection of diversity, equity, and inclusion and organizational development. Marigold works with nonprofits, foundations, companies, and other actors interested in building more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and resilient organizational cultures and structures.

Samantha holds a M.A.L.D. in International Business and Development Economics from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a B.A. in French from Amherst College. She lives in Portland, Maine with her husband and pup Cholula.

Amanda holds a law degree and has been a member of the Maine State Bar since 2017. Additionally, she has a master’s in social work and worked in direct care prior to switching careers. Amanda has always had the goal of using her law degree to create large scale change for disenfranchised populations and struggling communities. She found that working with communities and non-profits to maximize their federal funds did just that. She has helped municipalities and non-profits leverage roughly $500,000 in grant funding in the last year. Prior to starting Methot Method Amanda was the Housing and Community Development Compliance Officer for the City of Portland. She managed roughly $15 million in federal funds and spearheaded the best plan of action for roughly $40 million of COVID recovery funds.

Leslie lived in the Midwest before moving to Maine in 2004. Since 2007, she’s worked at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension on campus in Orono. She earned her PhD in Educational Psychology and her research focused on alternative education for youth at-risk for high school dropout. Her current work in Human Development with UMaine Extension focuses on communication and well-being of farm families and awareness of ACEs and resilience in farms and beyond.

Leslie was a founding member of the Maine Resilience Building Network and served on the Leadership Team before transitioning to Board President. In 2019, she completed her certification in mediation. She loves spending time with her husband and two sons, and practicing communication moment by moment in her precious time with friends and family.

Kristy serves as an Extension Professor, Positive Youth Development Specialist, and Co-State Program Leader for 4-H Youth Development at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. In her role, she leads the onboarding and professional development of Maine 4-H staff, emphasizing positive youth development. Her efforts focus on streamlining initiatives and shaping the vision of positive youth development across all aspects of the Maine 4-H program.

As a native Mainer, Kristy loves Maine for its unique blend of rural charm and innovation, which provides the perfect backdrop for fostering growth, learning, and connection. Kristy lives in Litchfield with her husband and two sons.

Dr. Biddle’s research focuses on ways in which rural schools and communities respond to social and economic change in the 21st century. She is particularly interested in how schools can more effectively leverage partnerships with external organizations or groups to address issues of social inequality and how non-traditional leaders—such as youth, parents and other community members—may lead or serve as partners in these efforts.

Dr. Biddle’s interests are driven by her professional background in community development that leverages schools. Prior to joining the faculty at UMaine, she spent five years as a research affiliate with the Center on Rural Education and Communities at the Pennsylvania State University and two years as the managing editor of the Journal of Research in Rural Education.

Adam Williams is Vice President of Payer Operations and Strategy at Tava Health, where he leads payer contracting, operational strategy, and network expansion across national and regional health plans. He also works with Minerva Health Consulting, advising healthcare organizations on payer strategy, operations, and growth.

Adam brings deep experience across operations and strategy. He is passionate about supporting youth mental health and cares deeply about helping communities create environments where youth can truly thrive. Adam holds a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership and a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from Quinnipiac University. He lives in Union, Maine with his wife Beth, son Everitt, two dogs and three cats.

Chaz is a creative director and advancement professional with over a decade of experience working with community-based organizations. As the founder of Protos Agency, he helps teams connect more meaningfully with the people they serve.

Grounded in both professional practice and personal experience, Chaz is deeply committed to advancing work that fosters resilience, belonging, and a sense of mattering for young people and communities. He lives in Maine.

As CEO of Girl Scouts of Maine, Mara leads a statewide nonprofit with a mission to build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. With over 4,000 girl members and 3,000 adult members, Girl Scouts of Maine is one of the largest youth-serving organizations in the state. Since joining Girl Scouts of Maine as CEO in July of 2022, Mara has focused on expanding Girl Scout programming to support youth mental health and on removing barriers to participation.

Mara has over a decade of nonprofit experience in fundraising and marketing having worked at United Way and Boys & Girls Clubs, both in Southern Maine. She received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Wellesley College and her master’s in social work from the University of New Hampshire. She currently serves on Girl Scouts of USA national philanthropy committee and product program committee.

Lindsey is an undergraduate student at the University of Maine, studying early childhood education and psychology. She is actively involved on campus as a member of the Honors College, student photographer, teacher’s assistant, student government representative, research assistant, and chair of multiple student honors societies. 

Lindsey is committed to the education field through her long-term work as a childcare provider, hoping to become an early childhood teacher after graduation. Her passion for education has led to this mentee board member position, a great opportunity to learn from experts in the field while bringing her own experiences.