Board and Staff

Advocacy is Melissa's passion. As a retired public defender & private attorney from Kentucky and the current CEO of the Penobscot Bay YMCA, Melissa's career has been steeped in providing a voice to those who often cannot speak or argue for themselves. Melissa has been in the YMCA movement nationally for the past 8 years, where she serves as the current national Vice-Chair of the LGBTQ+ Resource Network. Melissa resides in Rockport.

Emily is a Compliance Manager at First National Bank in Damariscotta. She lives in South Bristol with her husband and children. She is a parent of a transgender elementary school child.

John is an active member of the Lincoln County Midcoast Unitarian Fellowship and professional voice coach and singer. He has served on the Boards of Oratorio Chorale, Hartwood Regional Theater Company and the Midcoast UU Fellowship. John lives in the midcoast with his partner of 24 years.

Jess brings with her a passion for teaching and learning and decades of experience working with youth. She lives in Dresden Maine with her husband and son.

Amy Paine is the Development Chair and brings extensive nonprofit fundraising experience to the OUT Maine board. Amy enjoys working directly as a volunteer with the youth at OUT Maine, helping to chaperone youth overnights and assisting with transportation to events. You can find Amy heading up the table for OUT Maine at the annual summer Bangor Pride Festival. She holds an MPPM from the Muskie School of Public Service, with a focus on indigenous rights. She has strong connections in Waldo county, and has extensive experience working with at-risk youth. She lives in Orono with her partner and dog London.

Will grew up in Stonington, Maine and graduated from Smith College in 2015 with a degree in Sociology. He then drove tractors and tended bar in Massachusetts before returning to Maine in 2019. Now bartending in Portland, Will is passionate about uplifting the LGBTQ+ community and using his hospitality experience to make bar culture safer for everyone.

Maulian is a Penobscot Nation Tribal Citizen and currently serves as their Tribal Ambassador. She represents the tribe in local, state, and federal governments and helps manage government relations and diplomacy for the tribe. Maulian is a graduate of the University of Maine Orono with a BA in Political Science and has a twenty-year career in activism around the harm of racist stereotyping and Indian sports mascots. She feels strongly about taking a stand for marginalized groups and has worked hard to advocate for LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit Maine citizens through her platform as Ambassador. Maulian lives at the Penobscot Nation with her two daughters, Carmella and Layla; her partner Lloyd; and her dog Olive.

Ralph is an educator and one of the founding members of the Watershed School in Camden. He has served on the boards of the Camden Conference and the Coastal AIDS Network. He is the retired rector of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Rockland. He lives in Rockland with his wife.

Vanessa is a forensic nurse examiner working with survivors of sexual assualt, domestic violence and child abuse in Waldo, Knox, and Lincoln counties. She is nearly finished with her Family Nurse Practitioner degree and looks forward to being a gender affirming and LGBTQ+-friendly primary care provider in mid-coast Maine. Vanessa lives in Rockland with her wife, two rescue dogs, and a naughty cat. They are looking forward to welcoming their first human child in October 2020!

Cynthia Turcotte is a former high school teacher for over 20 years and GSA adviser for ten. She has worked with and supported LGBTQ+ youth throughout her teaching career. She loved volunteering at the Rainbow Ball for many years. Since leaving teaching, she has been working with her husband, Tom Fair, at the business they run in Litchfield. Applewald Farm is a produce farm/apple orchard/cider mill/bakery/gift shop which keeps them busy. They are helped at the farm by their two grown sons, one of whom is part of the LGBTQ+ family.

Jeanne Dooley, MSW

Executive Director

(she/her/hers)

jeanne@outmaine.org

Jeanne has extensive experience in organizational development and management through her work as the former state director of Massachusetts Office of AARP and former Director of Strategic Planning for Boston Senior Home Care. She has led OUT Maine's transformation from a small midcoast nonprofit with a local focus to a statewide change agent. Jeanne lives in Waldoboro.

Sue Campbell

Deputy Director

(she/her/hers)

sue@outmaine.org

Sue brings more than 25 years of experience working with school superintendents, administrators and other school staff through her work on local and state school boards. She volunteered with the Trans Youth Equality Foundation in Portland, assisting with support groups. As the parent of a trans son, her first-hand experience in supporting the transition process and working with family issues around transitioning give her expertise that supports both youth and families. Sue lives in South Thomaston with her partner.

Leah Trommer

Youth Engagement Coordinator

(she/her/hers)

leah@outmaine.org

Leah has roots exploring, hiking and nordic skiing with her family in central and western Maine. These beginnings, coupled with a love for working with youth, was a natural path to a degree in Outdoor Education. A former Montessori teacher, Leah spent eleven years as an instructor, mentor and coordinator for Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center’s Open Air Classroom and also taught for the Trans Youth Equality Foundation's camp program. Her personal interests include bicycle trekking, permaculture, dance and restorative practices. She especially loves exploring with her three- year- old.

Grace Hansen

Youth Health Educator

(she/her/hers)

grace@outmaine.org

Grace graduated from the University of Maine at Farmington in 2020 with a BA in Anthropology and International and Global Studies, with a particular concentration in Medical Anthropology. Her past work and volunteer experience has concentrated in youth development, leadership, and community health. She spends most of her free time with her (very large) family or in the mountains, and she is thrilled to get to explore the midcoast as she moves to Thomaston to support OUT Maine’s mission.

Rachel is a 2005 graduate of the University of Maine in Orono with a degree in Business Administration and a minor in Art History. Rachel brings her experience in website development, marketing and event planning to the team. She has volunteered for many local non-profits, including WRFR-LP, Rock Coast Rollers, Penobscot School, Youthlinks, and Aldermere Farm and had been waiting for the right opportunity to join the non-profit world full-time. Rachel lives in Rockland.