As the Executive Director of the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA), Jess Maurer leads a broad, multidisciplinary network of more than 135 organizations, businesses, municipalities, and community members working to ensure we can all live healthy, engaged, and secure lives as we age in our homes and community settings, including diverse older Mainers. She leads a dynamic team and an engaged board to initiate and support data-informed policy change efforts through direct advocacy with federal, state, and municipal leaders. Recent successes include increased pay for direct care workers and significantly increased eligibility for the Medicare Savings Program in Maine. She creates shared-learning opportunities for community, social service, policy, and healthcare leaders across Maine and Northern New England. She collaborates with members and partners to convene processes and events geared toward action on issues related to ageism, equity related to all forms of bias, poverty, housing, transportation, food security, social inclusion, workforce, community development, and care across all settings. The MCOA has committed to ending ageism in Maine by 2032 through conversation, education, and action. Jess co-designed the first of its kind initiative called the Leadership Exchange on Ageism, a program that is helping Maine’s leaders take action on ageism. A licensed Maine attorney, Jess worked for 17 years in the Maine Office of the Attorney General. As Executive Director for the Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging, she co-founded the MCOA in 2012, and became its first Executive Director in 2018. She graduated from the University of Maine School of Law and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.  Contact Jess.

Krista George joined the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA) in January 2019 as Operations Director, and in 2023 expanded her role to Director of Strategic Initiatives, Culture, and Community. In her role at MCOA, Krista leads member coordination and community outreach, oversees the organizations strategic initiatives, programmatic offerings, management of communications, and aids advocacy and state-wide initiative efforts that support health and economic security of all Mainers. Krista’s passion for caring and advocating for others has driven her career into non-profit management where she has been working the past 15 years within both health care and early education organizations. Krista has many years of direct care experience from assisted living, in home care, and hospice settings. She holds a CRMA, PSS, and Educational Technician certifications and studied Business Administration at the University of Maine. In addition, she currently serves as a facilitator of the Maine Leadership Exchange on Ageism (LEA) and was a graduate of the first cohort of LEA. Contact Krista.

Jessica Fay joined the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA) in October 2024 as Policy Director. She is a former Maine state representative. During her eight years in the Legislature, Jess worked on passing bills that improved the lives of older Mainers including positive changes to Medicare eligibility and to reimbursement rates for essential support workers. She has been honored for her work with older Mainers, for her work on behalf of victim/survivors of domestic violence and on behalf of Maine’s environment. Jess has owned her own flower shop and volunteered in her local library as well as with Age-Friendly Raymond. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence and for Raymond Waterways Protective Association. Jess graduated from Simmons University in Boston with a degree in sociology. She is a member of the Leadership Exchange on Ageism Cohort 3.

Jessica and her husband Kevin reside in Raymond where they were caregivers for Kevin’s mother as she lived with dementia. In search of life balance, Jess also spends time cooking, gardening, walking in the woods with and training and her 2 Labrador Retrievers. She also enjoys swimming, sailing and kayaking at her family camp. Contact Jess.

Kathy Willette joined the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA) in October 2023 as the Project Manager for the Tri-State Learning Collaborative on Aging (TSLCA). Over the past ten years, Kathy worked in non-profit leadership positions for organizations focused on increasing the capacity of Maine families to live healthy and fulfilled lives. This included creating systems to prevent the financial exploitation and abuse of older people, developing high-quality early childhood education programming, and overseeing implementation of family visiting support programs. Prior to these leadership positions, Kathy worked in direct service for several years supporting families and young children both in homes, and in community-based centers. Kathy is a graduate of the University of Maine School of Law, the Muskie School of Public Service, and the University of Maine, Orono. Contact Kathy.

Laurie Gilman joined the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA) in 2023. Laurie has spent much of her career at L.L.Bean. Her work included customer satisfaction, grants and community relations, and event coordination in Freeport. Laurie also worked at Maine Audubon as a project and event manager, and at the Harraseeket Inn as sales and marketing manager. Her passion for working with older adults led her to Stroudwater Lodge where she worked in resident engagement. She also volunteers for two town committees, Maine Audubon, and with her chorus, Women in Harmony. (Photo credit: Sharyn Peavey) Contact Laurie.

Maureen O’Connor joined the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA) in November 2023 as Power in Aging Project Director – and as a proud member of the Leadership Exchange on Ageism (LEA) Cohort 8. Having participated in multiple MCOA Summits, membership meetings, and committees since relocating to Maine in 2017, Maureen values MCOA as a catalyst for change. Maureen has served numerous nonprofits since the 1990s, aiming to deploy her expertise for meaningful impact. Most recently she worked as senior grants consultant for Maine’s second largest and most rural health care system, and as director of resource and membership development for Maine’s statewide association of federally qualified health centers. Previously she was president and principal of a successful Chicago-based consulting firm serving nonprofits; director of corporate and foundation relations for the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, a $70 million organization with 33 centers; and development director for Erie Neighborhood House, a $1.5 million community-based social service agency. Maureen is past president of the Association of Consultants to Nonprofits. Contact Maureen.

Don Harden is a founding Board Member of the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA) and has worked on the Power in Aging Project, MCOA’s anti-ageism campaign, since its inception. He is one of the designers of and is the lead facilitator of the Leadership Exchange on Ageism, the first of its kind participatory, peer-learning leadership development experience for executive business, policy, research, and community leaders. Prior to joining the MCOA team, Don worked for Catholic Charities Maine for over four decades, leaving that organization as the Director of Aging Services. He was co-convenor of the Maine Aging Initiative’s Workgroup on Workforce and the Economy and served on the Legislative Commission to Study Long-term Care Workforce Issues. He serves on the Southern Maine Agency on Aging Advisory Council, as Chair of the Elder Abuse Institute of ME Board, volunteers for the University of New England as Geriatric Education Mentor for medical students, and as Legacy Scholar at the UNE Center for Excellence in Aging and Health. He served as care partner with his mother who lived in her own home with age-positivity through the age of 101. Contact Don.

Valerie Jackson joined the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA) in April 2024 as  Power in Aging Facilitation Specialist. As a proud graduate and facilitator of the MCOA Leadership Exchange on Ageism (LEA), she brings three decades of experience spanning both public and private sectors from manufacturing to private, public, and large healthcare systems. Valerie’s expertise lies in developing and delivering facilitation, coaching, and training programs that empower individuals and teams, while her passion for performance improvement drives her commitment to enhancing outcomes. Valerie’s certifications include DEIB Facilitation, Dartmouth Clinical Microsystems Performance Improvement Coaching, AHRQ TeamSTEPPS, and Serious Illness Conversations Facilitation. Valerie also holds a certificate in Management & Leadership from the University of New Hampshire and studied Business Administration at Franklin Pierce College. Inspired by her learnings through the Maine Council on Aging, Valerie has transformed her view of her own aging from “denial to design” and is thrilled to be part of the MCOA team, where she can contribute to creating an age-positive culture, ensuring that we all live healthy, engaged, and secure lives as we age at home and in our communities. Contact Valerie.

Katlyn Blackstone joined the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA) in September 2024 as Education Coordinator. A native Mainer, Katlyn began her career as a social worker and has been working in the non-profit sector on issues affecting older adults and caregivers for over 25 years. Throughout her career she has developed, nurtured and expanded innovative programs designed to improve the lives of older adults. She has been a passionate proponent of age and dementia friendly communities and has worked to end elder abuse, neglect and exploitation. She is inspired by the work being done on the both state and national levels to end ageism and is excited to be part of the amazing team at MCOA. Katlyn holds a Master’s degree in Adult Education with a concentration in Gerontology from the University of Southern Maine. Contact Katlyn.

Becca Howes is the Development Director at the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA) and the Tri-State Learning Collaborative on Aging (TSLCA), a project of MCOA. She is thrilled to have joined the MCOA in 2023 where she will focus on sustainable funding through donor and sponsor engagement and grant tracking, among other fundraising initiatives. Becca has two decades of experience in the development sector. She was lucky enough to be assigned to Jamaica when she joined the U.S. Peace Corps in 2001, where she secured her first grant to fund a student-driven peer mediation program. Her experience as a volunteer in the Peace Corps solidified her passion for community service, and she sought out roles throughout her career to help people and organizations reach their full potential. Becca is a graduate of Tufts University where she majored in International Relations. Contact Becca.

Kathy Vezina joined the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA) in March of 2021 as Advocacy Coordinator and has since transitioned to the project lead for the Equity & Healthy Aging Initative.  This Equity and Healthy Aging Initiative seeks to help aging services providers and community volunteer organizations understand the social health needs of diverse older people in Maine, the barriers diverse older people face in meeting these needs, and to integrate these needs into the Maine Council on Aging’s network of advocacy efforts.  Kathy is a Registered Nurse and a Maine attorney and has worked in leadership roles in a leadership development organization, community behavioral health, reproductive justice, and in private practice in a health law firm.  She is a graduate of the University of Maine School of Law and the University of California San Francisco in Nursing.  She has been active in efforts to promote health equity in Maine and volunteers as a nurse in various organizations. Contact Kathy.

Brenda Peluso joined the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA) in July of 2024 as the Coordinator for the Essential Care & Support Workforce Partnership. The Partnership is a broad partnership led by MCOA, the Maine Center for Economic Policy, and PHI, working to increase access to quality direct care and support in Maine by changing the way we value workers and the work they do. Prior to her work with MCOA, she had a 20-year career with the Maine Association of Nonprofits (MANP) and spent 5-years in philanthropy. In 2019, she started her consulting business and has served as the interim director for Maine Children’s Alliance, Foundation for Portland Public Schools, MaineShare, Cultivating Community, and the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center. She brings her lengthy experience in management and advocacy to the role as well as her curious nature and belief that social change happens when people are in authentic relationship with each other and value what each person brings to the work.

Prior to moving to the nonprofit sector, Brenda was a high school math teacher and traveler. She is passionate about her family, especially her two adult children, her circle of good friends, and her amazing colleagues in the nonprofit sector. Contact Brenda.

Leslie Roberts joined the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA) in January of 2023. Over the span of her more than 35-year corporate communications and marketing communications career, Leslie served in management roles at leading healthcare, financial services, telecommunications, and high technology organizations. Her experience helping her mother to navigate aging in place, followed by serving as her primary in-home care partner for two years, gave Leslie a passion for addressing the challenges Mainers face accessing the appropriate resources to live their lives to the fullest.  She earned a BA in Art History from Wheaton College in Norton, MA. Contact Leslie.