Board of Directors and Staff

Barbara S. Mogel was raised in California, but her family relocated to Maryland for two years when she was young. She holds a B.A. in studio arts (Scripps College, Claremont, CA) and a special major M.A. in natural science illustration (CSU Fullerton, CA). She provided science illustrations for college textbooks prior to reinventing her career path to designing science museum exhibitions. Her childhood experience of mid-Atlantic seasonal changes altered her sense of time passing, so half-a-lifetime ago, she moved from San Diego to Boston, and then to southern Maryland. She was an exhibit designer and project management consultant for the majority of her 32-year career, and she was also a staff member within the City of San Diego, the Maryland Historical Trust, and Smithsonian Institution. After retiring from the Smithsonian, she completed the Maryland Master Naturalist program (Chesapeake Bay biogeographical region) before moving to Maine seven years ago.

Barbara understands how the federal government works and hopes to provide effective   strategies to support the mission of the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

David Brakke is a limnologist and environmental scientist who has done research on lakes and watersheds in the Eastern and Western U.S. and in Norway. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. A former associated editor of the journal Limnology and Oceanography, he was a Councilor in the Council for Undergraduate Research for 20 years and wrote a column on Science and Society for The Association for Women in Science Magazine for 10 years. He is Dean Emeritus of the College of Science and Mathematics at James Madison University and Professor Emeritus of Biology and Geology and Environmental Science. His Ph.D. was earned at Indiana University.

Judy and husband Jim retired to Maine in 2015 from Virginia. Judy worked a nonprofit consignment business for over 30 years and loves spending time in the Nature Store at the Refuge Center. She is grateful to be closer to the Hengerer family camp in Kent’s Hill Maine, first built by Jim’s grandfather in the ’40’s.  She loves all things outdoors, especially snow and cold weather after growing up on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Retired Director of Kent County Parks in Delaware, Carl moved to Waldoboro where he practices sculptural arts since 2012. As a Rural Housing Specialist for the Farmer’s Home Administration with an earlier career in construction, he established an Emergency Home Repair initiative with the First State USDA Resource, Conservation and Development Council in Dover, Delaware. During his Parks development and Open Space management career with County government, he co-founded the St. Jones River Greenway Commission and the Kent County Conservancy. He established reforestation and nontidal wetland restoration projects on public and private community spaces throughout the County.  That program planted a quarter million trees and established several riparian buffers.

As a water quality advocate for the Sierra Club, he represented the organization before the Fourth District in a water quality settlement process with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources. Appointed a Delaware Department of Agriculture Nutrient Management Commissioner he assisted in establishing certification and education programs for the DDA until retirement.

Kayaking, fishing, cycling, managing invasive species and sculpture now occupy his retirement life in Maine.

Kate is a GIS specialist who works from home for a consulting firm in Portland OR (the other Portland!). Kate grew up birding on the shores of Cobbosseecontee Lake in Monmouth and the Kennebec River in Gardiner. Prior to her current work with school districts and local governments, Kate worked as a consultant for clients including NOAA and the FWS, and held GIS positions at the Maine Natural Areas Program, The Nature Conservancy in Maine, and the Silent Spring Institute. She has an MA in GIS from Clark University and a BA in Environmental Studies from Wellesley College. In her free time, Kate conducts bird tours for FOMCI, fosters dogs, leads the Rockland Waterfront to Wilderness committee, makes maps for the Georges River Land Trust, and goes on adventures with her dog Stella.

Penney is an island homeowner, dedicated to preserving our natural resources for research, recreation, and especially for future generations. Penney is a real estate professional with years of non-profit fundraising experience. She loves the outdoor activities that are easily accessible year-round in the mid-coast, especially hiking, skiing, fly fishing, and kayaking.