TREKKERS BOARD MEMBERS & OFFICERS

John Bragg, President

Gretchen Jordan, Treasurer

Warren – Teacher, RSU 13

I joined Trekkers’ Board at the beginning of the 2006 school year. Aside from my participation on the Board, I also enjoy several of their trips. I have attended the seventh grade trip to Acadia the last two years, and have enjoyed being a part of the 10th grade expeditions to the Pacific Northwest and Colorado the last two summers as well. I've also participated in the From the Hood’ to the Woods program and Leadership Weekends. Being a part of the Trekkers trips allows me the opportunity to get to know students from the high school outside of the classroom. For me, every trip is an exercise in learning about the true potential of my students as well as my own.

I am from Colorado and a graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder. My bachelor’s degree is a BS in Journalism and Mass Communications with a Spanish concentration; I am now working on a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, primarily in Spanish, through the University of Maine. I am the Spanish Teacher at Georges Valley High School, as well as the yearbook and Key Club advisor. My hobbies include visiting the Dominican Republic annually as part of a church mission team, as well traveling to other Latin American countries to do service work and visiting my own family all over the country. My hobbies around here include hiking with my husband and my dogs, kayaking, snowshoeing, reading, laying on the beach in the summer and trying to keep warm in the winter. I spend a lot of my spare time with Trekkers or Key Clubbers and enjoy every minute of it!

Lilli Martin, Secretary

Thomaston – Teacher RSU #13

As a parent and teacher, I initially became interested in Trekkers after hearing about the wonderful opportunities offered to the young people in our district. I joined the board in 2001 when my youngest son, Luke, was in the 7th grade trip to Acadia National Park - a soggy but wonderful experience! In the years since I have been happy to participate in a variety of activities and on a number of committees, as well as enjoying simply being a part of a diverse and stimulating group that works well together and accomplishes great things.

Bethany Yovino









Jan Letourneau

St. George – Administrative Assistant, St. George School

I joined the Trekkers Board in 2002. I was raised in New York, and have a BA in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire. I worked with troubled adolescents before moving to Maine with my husband Alan in 1984. The "office lady" at St. George School since 1994, I enjoy connecting with St. George families, working on my family's old Maine farmhouse, going on 7th grade Trekkers trips and spending time with family. My "dream" is to go on a longer Trekkers trip. My daughters, Kate and Carrie, participated in Trekkers, which gave me firsthand knowledge of how young lives benefit from the relationships and experiences provided by their programs. I am a firm believer in giving young people the opportunity to discover new physical and emotional landscapes in the company of caring peers and mentors.

Rockland – Executive Director, Youth Forum Maine, Inc.

I was on the founding Trekkers Board of three members at its infancy in 1999-2000, serving as President, and have continued to be a member to the present. It’s been a great ride as we’ve watched this project blossom! In 1994, I was lucky enough to be one of four male volunteers that took five boys on the first Trekkers trip for five days of canoeing on the Moose River Bow. With the exception of 2002 when I was on leave with a study grant, I haven't missed a 7th grade trip.

While Trekkers was still under Youth Forum Maine (the organization I direct), my name, along with one other person from YFM board, was on the loan that bought Bessie, the famous Trekkers bus! That was an exciting adventure. What a privilege I’ve had in sharing that bus with students on dozens of expeditions over the years. I cherish the relationships built over the years. Married to Judith, we have a biracial family with four grown children and six grandchildren. I have a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a masters degree in theology.

Joe Higdon
St. George – Community Member

Joe Higdon retired in St. George in 2006 following a long career as an investment analyst with particular interest in the global beverage industry and microfinance in the Republic of the Philippines. During his 32-year tenure with Capital Research and Management Company, Higdon established the firm's Washington, DC office as well as its undergraduate hiring program. He continues in his international business and philanthropic interests as a Director of The Coca-Cola Company in the Philippines; as a Director of International Container Terminal Services; and as Chair of the Grameen Foundation USA Philippine Advisory Committee. Locally, he is a trustee of The Island Institute based in Rockland, Maine. In addition, he is President of Rocking Moon Foundation, the Higdon-Sudow family foundation focused on youth education, economically disadvantaged and at-risk youth, and the needs of gay, lesbian and transgender youth. The family maintains a part-time residence in Washington, DC.

Sam Hastings-Black
Tenants Harbor – Community Member

Sam is an attorney who recently retired from Squire, Sanders & Dempsey.  He was a long-time volunteer and board chair at Lowell School in Washington, D.C, where he helped to found a scholarship program for Latino high-school students, and is on the board of LearnServe, an organization that equips students with the tools of business planning and sponsors them in leading community-based social change efforts.  In his law practice Sam worked with school finance, charter public schools and local economic development.  He is part of the Island Institute’s program to make investments in businesses on the Maine islands and the Mid-Coast.  He and his wife Deb live in Tenants Harbor.

Rob Snyder

Rockland – Executive Vice President of the Island Institute

Rob is the Executive Vice President of the Island Institute, a non-profit based in Rockland, Maine. He is a passionate advocate for rural community sustainability, defined as a balance of strong schools, vibrant resource-based economies, and efficient and attainable housing.

Rob has worked with island and remote coastal leaders to design programs that have become national models in each of these areas. He has been a resident of Rockland, Maine since 2002 and views the opportunity to serve on the Trekkers Board of Trustees as a chance to give back to a community that has embraced his family.

Luke Rector
Thomaston – Student

Luke comes from Thomaston, and is currently a junior at Oceanside High School. In addition to being a Trekker, Luke has been active in student government, is a member of the National Honor Society and has participated in sports, including tennis and basketball. Luke works at his family’s ice cream shop, Camden Cone. Luke is interested in business, and is excited about joining the Board. He feels that becoming a Trekkers’ Board Member is “a great transition to real life application.”

Thomaston – Social Worker

I am a single parent and my involvement with Trekkers began with volunteering when my daughter entered the 7th grade program in 1996. I joined the Trekkers Board in 2001, continuing my commitment to youth in the community. After a 20-year career as a builder, I began a second career as a social worker in 1997. My 14 years in social work bring a valuable social and cultural perspective to the board. Each time I leave a board meeting or a Trekker event, I recognize the critical importance of this work, at this time, in this community. I am grateful for the opportunity to make a small, meaningful contribution.

Ken Oelberger
St. George – Community Member/Retired Engineer

Rosemary McGeady
Thomaston - Student

St. George – Artist/Retired Teacher

I joined the Trekkers Board in 2002, because I had known Don and had watched the way Trekkers was benefiting the students in the St. George community. In the past, I taught art at both the elementary and high school levels for 18 years. Since retiring, I have spent my time being a full-time artist and exhibiting my work at the Caldbeck Gallery in Rockland, Maine. I have a longtime connection to this area, and a deep commitment to the work Trekkers is doing. Although I live in Boston part of the year, I am able to entertain the Trekkers when they come through that area.