Susan Barbay
Executive Assistant
Before joining NRCM in 2008 as Executive Assistant, Susan worked as a paralegal/legal assistant in the areas of family law and elder law & estate planning. Prior to that, she worked at L.L. Bean for many years. Susan is a Maine native, and she and her husband, Chris, and daughter Sarah, live in Wales along with their dog Max, a Pembroke Welch Corgi. An outdoor enthusiast since childhood, Susan and her family enjoy camping, canoeing, hiking, nature walks and various winter sports.
Nick Bennett
Staff Scientist and Watersheds Project Director
Nick is a graduate of the Yale School of Forestry. His professional background includes work in PCB contamination; wetlands delineations; wildlife surveys; and analysis of fish, soils, surface and ground water. Prior to working at NRCM, Nick worked at an environmental consulting firm, the Center for Marine Conservation, and the Marine Biological Laboratories in Woods Hole. Nick resides in Hallowell.
Judy Berk
Advocacy Communications Director
Judy attended Carnegie-Mellon University and holds a B.A. from San
Francisco State University in written and visual communications. Her
past work includes manager of an environmental products store, writer
of "Power Play" (an energy-based newspaper column), co-founder
of Maine's Energy Extension Service, and executive director of the
Maine Solar Energy Association. She has been with NRCM since 1991.
An avid organic gardener, Judy lives in Northport with her husband,
David Foley.
Leslie Burhoe
Bookkeeper/Accountant
Leslie has lived in Maine since 1977 and spent summers here since 1968. She is an avid gardener and worked as one for eighteen years, mostly at private coastal homes. She went back to school and graduated from UMA in 2007. She also volunteers for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) where she has been organizing the Craft Tent at the Common Ground Country Fair since 2002. She lives in Wayne with her partner, Chris, who owns a wooden boat restoration business, and spends the rest of her time with her two grown children and her granddaughter. That is, when she’s not hiking, cross-country skiing, kayaking, camping, sailing, or otherwise engaged in the outdoors.
Everett "Brownie" Carson
Executive Director
For more than two decades, Brownie Carson has served as executive
director of NRCM. He continues to lead the organization's efforts
to make the environment healthier and safer for the people and wildlife
of Maine. His work to protect Maine for future generations has earned
him as well as the organization dozens of awards and honors. He is
a graduate of Bowdoin College and the University of Maine School of
Law. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam. Prior to
coming to NRCM in 1983, Carson spent six years with Pine Tree Legal
Assistance, which serves low-income Maine families. He enjoys sailing,
hiking, and canoeing. Brownie lives in Brunswick with his wife and
twin daughters.
More about Brownie
Leisa Dennett
Advocacy Assistant
Leisa brings over 10 years experience in administrative work, including previous non-profit experience as a Development Coordinator, Legal Secretary for the State of Maine and working for Central Maine Power Company. She was born and raised in Maine. Leisa enjoys spending time with her husband and two children camping, swimming and being on Cobbosseecontee Lake.
Pete Didisheim
Senior Director of Advocacy
Pete came to NRCM in 1996. He holds a B.A. from Williams College in
biology and environmental studies and a master’s in public administration
from Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government. Among numerous
governmental positions, Pete has been chief of staff for U.S. Congressman
George Brown, Jr. (D-CA), special assistant to U.S. Department of
Energy Secretary Hazel R. O'Leary, and executive director of the Secretary
of Energy Advisory Board. Pete has worked for other nonprofits and
serves on the board of the Maine League of Conservation Voters. He
lives in Brunswick with his wife and two children.
Beth Dimond
Public Affairs Coordinator
Beth is a graduate of the University of Maine with a degree in child
development and family relations. Beth taught Head Start before coming
to NRCM in 1996. When she isn't at NRCM, Beth works at Mechuwana,
the United Methodist Camp of Maine. She enjoys
traveling around Maine to photograph the state's wild and beautiful
places. She lives in Winthrop.
Bill Dowling
Information Technology Director
Bill is a native of Augusta, Maine, a graduate of the University of Maine with a degree in U.S History and a minor in elementary education, with graduate courses in media studies and elementary education. He has worked with information technology and audio-visual production for 30 years. Bill is also a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) member and a team leader in the local emergency operations center. He and his wife, Nancy, live in Augusta.
Joyce Gracie
Senior Development Assistant
Before joining staff at NRCM in 1996, Joyce worked for many years
at Bowdoin College as academic department coordinator for Languages
and Social Services. Before that, she worked at Land and Water Associates
in Hallowell. She is a member of several animal organizations that
work to promote more compassionate and humane conditions for all animals.
Joyce resides in Richmond.
Gabrielle Grunkemeyer Rigaud
Grants Director
After living in Texas for most of her life, Gabrielle moved to Maine in 2003. She has a B.S. in wildlife and fisheries from Texas A&M University and graduated with a M.S. in environmental science from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi. She worked for a quasi-state agency in Texas as their Director of Environmental Affairs and has worked as the Director of Mission Advancement for an environmental education nonprofit since being in Maine. Her professional experience includes project planning and management, grant research and writing, and fundraising. Gabrielle lives in Jefferson with her husband, Chris, and enjoys paddling and snowshoeing.
Stacie Haines
Membership and Database Manager
After more than a decade away, Stacie returned to her home state of Maine. She received a B.S. in Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont. Her experiences include a few years in Niger, West Africa , where she served in the Peace Corps, several years in Vermont and Oregon at environmental and educational non-profits, and a teaching position outside Beijing, China. Upon her return to Maine, Stacie landed at Maine Audubon before joining the staff at NRCM. Stacie and her husband, Efrain, enjoy hiking, canoeing, camping, and otherwise introducing their young son, Martin, to the outdoors.
Sarah Hale Krull
Grants Manager
Sarah graduated from McGill University with a degree in English and
women's studies. She moved to Maine in 1992 and managed a retail store
in Brunswick before launching a free-lance writing career with several
nonprofit organizations. She is the author of two mountain bike guide
books: "Mountain Bike! Maine" and "Mountain Bike! Atlantic Canada." Sarah,
her husband, and their two sons live and play in Portland, where they
like to garden, ride bikes, and make art.
Cathy Johnson
Senior Staff Attorney and North Woods Project Director
Cathy attended Yale University, then transferred to College of the
Atlantic where she received her B.A. in 1974. She has worked for the
National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S Fish and Wildlife
Service, as well as for the National Parks Office of Nepal, before
going to law school. She received her J.D. from the University of
Maine School of Law in 1983 and was a trial lawyer in Damariscotta
before joining NRCM staff in 1990. She and her partner, the artist
and illustrator Jon Luoma, live in Alna. They spend their leisure
time hiking and canoeing Maine's North Woods, traveling the less developed
parts of the world, gardening, and playing the violin and viola.
Lisa Pohlmann
Deputy Director
Lisa joined NRCM as deputy director in 2008. She has been managing nonprofits for most of her 25 years in Maine. She was previously associate director for the Maine Center for Economic Policy, where she did policy analysis on livable wages, affordable health care and sustainable development. She also served as executive director of New Hope for Women, a domestic violence project in midcoast Maine. Lisa has a Masters in Public Policy from the Muskie School for Public Service and a Masters in International Administration from the School for International Training in Vermont. She is currently in the Public Policy PhD program at the Muskie School. Lisa is an avid kayaker, cross country skier, and gardener.
Matt Prindiville
Toxics Project Director
Matt joined NRCM in 2003, bringing with him prior experience in community organizing and issue advocacy for non-profit organizations and political campaigns. His professional background includes work to phase out the use of unnecessary, dangerous chemicals in commerce, and promote product stewardship and sustainable design for a green economy. Matt graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Maine with a B.A. in political science and concentration in environmental policy. He lives in Rockland with his wife Sarah, their son Seth, daughter Tula, and golden retriever, Mochi. He and his family enjoy hiking and skiing in the Maine mountains, whitewater canoeing and making pancakes together.
Mathew Scease
Major Gifts Director
Matt studied philosophy, English, and history at Bowdoin College and graduated magna cum laude in 1993. Since then he has worked as a fundraiser, organizer and writer for political and environmental groups in Maine, including as grants associate for NRCM earlier in his career. Matt returned NRCM after serving as development director for Friends of Casco Bay in South Portland. Matt is a Maine native; he grew up in Waldoboro and in Manchester. He and his wife, Maureen Drouin, live in Hallowell.
Emmie Theberge
Clean Energy and Global Warming Outreach Coordinator
Emmie, a Maine native, graduated from Colby College where she studied Environmental Policy and Government. She has interned at the Governor's Office of Energy Independence and Security as well as in Melbourne, Australia for the Department of Sustainability and Environment. Emmie has traveled to and studied in diverse ecosystems across the planet, from the forests of Tasmania and the Andes to the deserts and Himalayan Mountains of India, from the jungles of the Amazon to the unique biodiversity of the Galápagos Islands. She has also experienced the natural wonders of the U.S. and Canada though her visits to many of the National Parks. She enjoys hiking, fly and ice fishing, canoeing, and wildlife photography.
Kathy Thompson
Senior Director of Finance and Administration
Kathy earned her B.A. in Accounting at the University of Maine. She comes to NRCM with 20 years of experience in the non-profit accounting field. For the last 15 years she has worked for the The Chewonki Foundation (a non-profit Environmental Education Center), where she was able to expand her love of the Maine outdoors. Originally from Wisconsin, she has lived in Maine for the last 27 years, along with her husband and two children. She lives in Dresden, and enjoys gardening, kayaking, hiking, and spending time with her family.
Dylan Voorhees
Clean Energy and Global Warming Project Director
Dylan earned a B.A. from Columbia University and a master of public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, where he concentrated in environmental and energy policy. He has worked on wind power for the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs in Massachusetts, and on sustainable land use for the Vermont Forum on Sprawl. Previously he has taught 8th grade and once harbored serious ambitions to become a professional archaeologist. He lives with his wife and daughter in Hallowell, where he commutes to work by bicycle and gets 100 percent of his electricity from clean renewables.
Gretta Wark
Senior Director of Development
Gretta is a native of Caribou, Maine, and a graduate of Bowdoin
College, where she studied psychology. She has devoted the last 20
years to working for charitable organizations, including nearly a
decade as head of the development department at the San Francisco
Food Bank. Family and a love of Maine brought her back to her native
state. Gretta lives in Bath.
Allison Childs Wells
Senior Director of Public Affairs and Marketing
Allison came to NRCM from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca,
New York, where she was communications and marketing director and served
on the boards of other nonprofits. She holds a B.A. from the University
of Maine at Farmington and an M.F.A. from Cornell University, where she later was Lecturer in Writing. Allison is
a widely published natural history writer. She and her husband Jeff,
both native Mainers, are avid birders and musicians. They live in
Gardiner with their young son and two indoor cats.