Our Board of Directors is made up of individuals from many different industries and sectors in Maine.

We pride ourselves on maintaining a diverse group of individuals that can contribute to the capacity of the organization and to the protection of seabirds and island habitat in many different facets. If you have an interest in joining us in this work, please contact us.

FOMCI Board of Directors

david brakke

Vice Chair: David Brakke

Port Clyde

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.

Secretary: Shane Eubank

Union

Shane has a diverse professional background in leadership consulting, project management, and business operations. This experience has spanned from city government, to the renewable energy, digital media, and food and beverage industries. Shane currently works as a project manager at a local renewable energy technology startup in Damariscotta, ME, and is passionate about creating a future that is more sustainable for wild spaces and all of earth’s inhabitants. In his spare time, Shane enjoys paddling the coast of Maine with his partner, Maya, and visiting as many of the Refuge islands as possible.

Treasurer: Lyndsay Vachon

Rockland

Lyndsay brings a wealth of financial expertise with a robust background in finance. She currently serves as a Senior Business Management Analyst at a prominent bank, where she navigates the intricacies of financial landscapes. Her commitment extends beyond the boardroom, intertwining her professional acumen with a fervent passion for community involvement. A driving force behind Lyndsay’s endeavors lies in her ardent desire to sustain the beauty and vitality of Maine. Community engagement is more than a checkbox for Lyndsay; it’s a way of life. Her dedication to giving back is evident through her extensive volunteering efforts, where she devotes her time and skills to various causes. In her spare time, Lyndsay finds solace in nature’s embrace. An avid enthusiast of the outdoors, she finds joy in fishing and hiking, embracing Maine’s breathtaking landscapes. However, her interests extend beyond the wilderness. In her downtime, you’ll often find her in the kitchen, crafting delectable loaves of bread, or reveling in quality time with her two cherished children.

Don Reimer

Warren

Don Reimer is a lifelong birder and photographer who lives in Warren. A Board Member of Mid-coast Audubon, he has led field trips for a variety of environmental organizations and the American Birding Association National Convention.  He has served as a birding instructor for several Road Scholar and adult education programs, and holds a B.S. in Education from University of Maine at Orono.

Don has participated in various citizen-science projects, including Project Feeder Watch, The Atlas of Breeding Birds in Maine, The Maine Owl Survey and The International Shorebird Survey. He has served as Coordinator for the Thomaston-Rockland and Pemaquid-Damariscotta Christmas Bird Counts. Currently he serves as a Regional Coordinator for the 2018-2022 Maine Bird Atlas. His bi-monthly column Birding with Don Reimer appears in the Rockland Free Press.

Judy Hengerer

Rockland

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.

Carl J. Solberg

Waldoboro

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 Doiron

Rockland

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.

Barbara Mogel

Rockland

Barbara Mogel received a Special Major Master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies (visual arts and natural sciences) from California State University, Fullerton, CA, which expanded upon her bachelor’s degree in printmaking from Scripps College, Claremont, CA. Her M.A. art exhibition and thesis were about estuarine ecology and the evolution of depictions about the natural world. For several years she was a member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators providing science illustrations for college textbooks in biology and medical anthropology. Prior to moving to Maine, Barbara completed the Maryland Master Naturalist program for the Chesapeake Bay biogeographical region.
The majority of her 32-year career as a museum exhibit design consultant included projects in San Diego, CA; Phoenix, AZ; Tampa, FL; Raleigh, NC and two exhibitions that opened the Smithsonian’s George Gustav High Center in New York City, NY. Barbara also worked within governments (city, state, and federal agencies) providing planning and exhibit design for projects in California and Maryland. In 2002, Barbara was asked to serve as the project manager for the Smithsonian’s $4.2 M Our Peoples exhibition to open the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in Washington, D.C. During her ten years on staff at NMAI she also managed Listening to Our Ancestors, Windows on Collections, and Games and Toys exhibitions. Several years before Barbara retired from the Smithsonian, she worked with the Smithsonian’s Office of Policy and Analysis that resulted in a new model of what motivates people to go to museums, and an exhibit design methodology to assure excellence in museum exhibit experiences.
Barbara is a perpetual beginning birder as she enjoys the deep dive into what is known about a few species each summer in Maine: this year it is Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets.

Member Emeritus: Penney Read

Tenants Harbor

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.

FOMCI Staff & Support Personnel (paid & volunteer)

Nature Store Manager: Carol Adams

Round Pond

Carol is retired after 30 years in federal service with the Dept. of Army, Minerals Management Service, the US Dept. of Agriculture, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).  Carol spent her first 15 years in federal contracting.  She has a BS in Workforce Education and Development from Southern Illinois University and spent the last 15 years of her career developing and teaching supervisory, leadership, and personal development courses at the USFWS’s National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV. Carol served as FOMCI’s Volunteer Coordinator from 2012 to 2017 and continues to manage the Friend’s Nature Store since 2012. Carol and her husband, Kevin, live in Round Pond.

Tori Tibbetts

Interpretive Guide: Tori Tibbets

Rockland

Tori is a lifelong Mainer passionate about both marine and terrestrial conservation. Tori spent six months living in Australia, learning various conservation strategies for different ecosystems. With a BS in Environmental Studies and a BA in Marine Affairs from the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine, Tori is starting her career in environmental education and outreach. Tori enjoys hiking, softball, reading and playing with her dogs.

The Friends of Maine Coastal Islands NWR is an organization committed to equal employment and volunteer opportunity without regard to age; ancestry; disability; national or ethnic origin; race; religious belief; sex or sexual orientation and gender identity; marital status; political belief; or veteran status.  This policy applies to all areas of employment and volunteer participation, including recruitment; hiring; training and development; promotion; transfer; termination; layoff; compensation; benefits; social and recreational programs; and all other conditions and privileges of employment in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.