Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I N O. X X I I I O C T O B E R 6 , 2 0 2 5 16 4 0 U N D E R 4 0 AWA R D Lightbulb moment: Throughout my career, we have seen safety issues for people using our transportation network and recently we have seen a big spike in pedestrian injuries and fatalities. This data and my own experiences feeling unsafe on the roads while running and biking inform my design and drive me to improve our transportation infrastructure. Influential book: "A Man Called Ove," by Fredrik Backman Favorite movies or TV show: Anything from "Guardians of the Galaxy" to "Once" to "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" Personal hero: My personal heroes are the women who make up the Maine chapter of WTS [originally Women's Transportation Seminar]. I don't often have the opportunity to see women in leadership in my field and seeing so many influential leaders in transporta- tion in WTS has been enormously helpful to my career. Favorite Quote: "Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet." — L.M. Montgomery Best way to recharge: I have been enjoying participating in tri- athlons. You can o f t e n f i n d m e swimming, bik- ing and running in Maine's beauti- ful outdoors. Maine's biggest challenge: From a transportation perspective, Maine's biggest challenge is also one of our biggest assets, our rural nature and large natural spaces. We are so lucky to have beautiful forests and coastline, b u t t h i s a l s o means we have a lot of miles of transportation infrastructure to maintain. Dinner par ty guests: I would invite Megan Rapinoe, Michelle Obama and Maggie Smith, three influential women from three different industries. Helping address food insecurity in Maine Shannon Coffin, 39 Vice president of community partnerships, Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine Greatest achievement: Helping grow Maine's school food pantry network from concept to reaching 5,000 families at 150 schools across every county — while centering under-resourced and rural communities and building genuine partnerships grounded in dignity, trust and mutual respect. Passion project: I've always loved creative writing and uncovering the untold (or half-told) stories of women. Lately, I've been weaving both into a novel about five generations of Maine matriarchs navigating family, identity and agency. It's been a labor of love for years, and I'm now three-quarters through a first draft. Lightbulb moment: Early in my career, I realized that food bank- ing isn't just about moving food — it's about changing sys- tems. That shift from "char- ity" to "justice" changed how I approach every- thing: from policy work and grantmaking to how I show up in my community. Influential book: "Sacred Instruc- tions," by Sherri Mitchell. Sherri is an Indigenous attorney, activ- ist and author from the Penob- scot Nation whose work reshaped how I think about jus- tice, community and interconnectedness. Favorite TV show: " L o o t ," s t a r r i n g Maya Rudolph as a famously wealthy divorcee philanthro- pist, turns into a nonprofit workplace comedy — and it was such fun to see our sector reflected with humor and heart. Personal hero: My mother, who believed in me so thoroughly I grew up never questioning I could be whatever I wanted to be. Favorite quote: "Women should be allies, not com- petitors." — Ani DiFranco Best way to recharge: I write, read voraciously, explore Maine's trails and lakes with my family and experiment in the kitchen with local, seasonal foods. Maine's biggest challenge: Our sys- tems continuously under-invest in youth — particularly in rural communities, communities of color and families facing generational poverty. That lack of investment hurts us all and will continue to compound until we choose to do better. Dinner party guests: Isabel Allende, bell hooks and my Meme — to hear the conver- sation that unfolds about what it means to love with every- thing you have. Bridging the gap between schools and families Helen Cohen, 33 Co-founder and CEO, ReachMyTeach Greatest achievement: My greatest achievement is grow- ing ReachMyTeach from sup- porting a few districts in Maine to more than 40 here in the state, hundreds of schools nationwide, and international schools as well. We built ReachMyTeach out of neces- sity to solve a communica- tion gap we experienced as teachers. Today, schools are reaching amazing levels of family engagement, with mul- tilingual families engaging at even higher rates than their English-speaking coun- terparts. It's so validat- ing to see what worked for us, work for others. It shows me that when we design with universal access in mind, communication really can work for everyone. While I am proud of our national reach, it means a great deal to me to see the platform in use here in Maine by the educators and families I know personally. Passion project: I love teaching adult ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) with the nonprofit In Her Presence, which offers language instruc- tion, leadership development and com- munity support for immigrant women in Maine. Lightbulb moment: During my years in the classroom, I realized one of the most effective ways to support students is by strengthening school and family partnerships. Taking care of families is taking care of kids, and I want educators to have simple, intuitive tools to make that possible. Influential book: "Edge: Turning Adversity into Advantage," by Laura Huang Favorite TV show: "Call the Midwife" Personal hero: Edna Adan. When I taught AP Human Geography, I introduced stu- dents to her work as an advocate for women's health. I was, and continue to be, blown away by all she has accom- plished and the impact she has made, and she continues to inspire me. Favorite quote: "You make the road by walk- ing." — Antonio Machado B e s t w a y t o recharge: Enjoying my neighborhood, going on walks with my friends or my husband and read- ing in a hammock. Maine's biggest challenge: Bal- ancing local con- trol with equitable state and federal support. This bal- ance shows up in so many spheres: education, hous- ing, transpor ta- tion, etc. Maine is a large state with diverse needs. M u n i c i p a l i t i e s under stand their communities well and need tools and resources that go beyond what local governments can provide. Dinner party guests: Michelle Obama, because her stories are always inspiring and she's so personable; Nina Totenberg, for her perspective and wit; and my grandmother, because she could talk to anyone and would love being part of this group. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 1 8 »

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