SPEAKERS

Aaron has been an owner of Grandy Organics for over 20 years and became the sole owner in 2022. During his career as an entrepreneur he has proudly built sustainable partnerships with customers, vendors, local businesses, his local bank, and his team. He is also proud of he and the company’s commitment to renewable energy. In 2015 Grandy Organics installed 288 solar panels to power their facility. In 2017, he won the EPA Merit award for revitalizing a vacant school in Hiram Maine. Since moving into the facility over 8 years ago the company has doubled its employment and its revenues. In 2020 he won the SBA Maine business of the year award. He loves growing a business in rural Maine with his team and plans to continue to do so moving forward.

A multi-talented artist and dramatic performer known as Firefly, Jason Brown is a member of the Penobscot Indian Nation, one of five traditionally-allied Wabanaki tribal nations in the Atlantic Northeast. He grew up on Panawamskek (Indian Island), a village in the Penobscot River, which runs through his ancestral homeland in central Maine. Jason is an innovative artist who creatively draws on his Wabanaki cultural heritage. With live performance, Firefly is helping to situate Indigenous people in a modern context. As a traditional music keeper of the Wabanaki communities, he has performed for many years throughout Maine and much of the country. Some career highlights are The Kennedy Center, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Maine Cabin Masters and The Bangor Symphony Orchestra.

Sarah leads climate policy planning and climate-related programs to support Maine communities. Prior to GOPIF, Sarah most worked for the Maine Development Foundation, where she served as Program Director for Forest Opportunity Roadmap (FOR/Maine), a collaborative effort by industry and community stakeholders to strengthen and grow Maine’s forest products industry and reinvest in rural communities impacted by recent mill closures. Sarah has extensive community and economic development experience working with Maine communities and non-profit organizations. From 2007-2016, Sarah worked as a consultant with Planning Decisions, Inc. a Maine-based research and planning firm. She has a master’s degree in community planning and development from the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine.

Ashley Flowers offers a variety of outdoor yoga adventures that invite people to break free of expectations and embrace their authentic selves. From playful sessions like Goat Yoga and Horse Yoga to community-driven events supporting local causes, her classes blend movement, mindfulness, and nature. Whether practiced on a farm, in a salt cave, or in the park, Ashley’s all-level experiences create a joyful, restorative space to connect with both the body and the outdoors.

After growing up in Maine, I left the state for several years for college, graduate school, and to work abroad. As motivated as I was to leave, I was equally determined to return. After earning a dual Masters degree in International Education Management and Public Administration and working in Central America for a global startup, I was ready to return to Maine. Currently, I’m an International Trade Specialist focused on economic development with the Maine International Trade Center

Bio coming soon.

Polly Mahoney is co founder and owner of Mahoosuc Guide Service now entering it's 35th year in business. Polly grew up in South China, Maine and left to go north to Alaska and the Yukon at age 20 and stayed there living a semi subsistence lifestyle throughout her 20's and became a passionate dog sledder. In 1989 Polly came back to Maine to work for the Outward Bound School in Newry and met Kevin Slater and they formed Mahoosuc Guide Service. Polly loves being outdoors, meeting new people, all animals but especially her sled dogs. Polly and Kevin have been partnering with Cree, Inuit and Wabanaki for over 30 years to offer Indigenous Cultural Trips in their ancestral homelands. Polly and Kevin are the first couple to ever receive the Legendary Maine Guide Award. When not guiding Polly enjoys riding horses in remote areas of the world.

Bio coming soon.

Carolann was named the first director of the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation in 2018. As of June 1st, she will take on the role of the Director of Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Film for Maine. A graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, her career has included time as a whitewater guide, outdoor resort operations manager, restaurant chef/owner, and from 2010-2016 the Director of the Maine Office of Tourism. Carolann is a board and/or advisory committee member with the Maine Sports Commission, Maine Trails Coalition, University of Southern Maine’s Tourism & Hospitality Program, University of Maine Outdoor Leadership Program and is currently co-chair of the Confluence of States. She is a ski, snowmobile, hiking and paddling enthusiast, working on her fishing and hunting skills, and an avid traveler.

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

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LINDSAY BETH CURRIER IS A DEDICATED MOUNTAIN BIKE SKILLS INSTRUCTOR BASED IN KINGFIELD, MAINE. WITH A CAREER THAT BEGAN IN 2000 AT HER LOCAL BIKE SHOP, LINDSAY QUICKLY BECAME INVOLVED IN LEADING RIDES, WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON SUPPORTING AND ENCOURAGING WOMEN IN THE SPORT. IN 2012, SHE EARNED HER CERTIFICATION FROM SHAUMS MARCH, THE FOUNDER OF THE INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN BIKE INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION. LINDSAY HAS SINCE TAUGHT MOUNTAIN BIKE SKILLS TO INDIVIDUALS OF ALL AGES AND BACKGROUNDS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. HER EXPERTISE HAS BEEN SHOWCASED AT PRESTIGIOUS EVENTS SUCH AS THE TREK DIRT SERIES, LADIES ALLRIDE, MIDWEST WOMEN’S CLINIC, AND SHINE RIDERS COMPANY, IN ADDITION TO PRIVATE BOOKINGS. BEYOND EVENT INSTRUCTION, LINDSAY HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACADEMIC SIDE OF THE INDUSTRY, TEACHING MOUNTAIN BIKING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE FARMINGTON. SHE HAS ALSO PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN ORGANIZING COLLEGIATE RACES FOR USA CYCLING, TRAINING RIDE LEADERS FOR VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS, AND COORDINATING AND LEADING RIDES FOR A LOCAL SUMMER CAMP IN MAINE

Selene of Maine, born the year famed Rangeley fly tyer Carrie Stevens died, is an accomplished fly tyer dedicated to practicing traditional methods of fly tying, as well as originating new patterns to closely replicate the naturals found on her home waters of Maine. Selene was a featured fly tyer at the American Museum of Fly Fishing, Manchester Vermont as part of “A Graceful Rise” exhibit that featured influential women to the world of fly fishing of the past, present, and future. At present she lives near Gardiner, Maine and owns Selene's Fly shop in downtown Gardiner at the confluence of the Kennebec River and Cobbosseecontee Stream where fish abound at the Waterfront Park just a block from the shop.

Bio coming soon

As MITA's Program Director, Brian oversees the organization's landowner relationships and volunteer stewardship activities. He has a Masters degree in Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment and a BA in biology and environmental studies from Bowdoin College.

Bio coming soon.

Based in South Portland, Maine, Jordan Kendall Parks/DJ kenEco blends visual art, sound flow with a deep focus on the natural world. Their work explores the intricate ways we interact with our environment, capturing the essence of movement and connection found in nature. Through a creative approach that invites reflection, each corner of Jordan’s work offers a unique exploration of art, ecology, and our role within the global ecosystem.

Chris Riley is president of the Central Maine chapter of New England Mountain Bike Association. NEMBA is a primarily volunteer run organization that works with landowners and municipalities to advocate for, maintain, and build trails for bikes and multi-use recreation.

Kevin Slater is co founder and owner of Mahoosuc Guide Service, now entering it's 35th year in business. Kevin feels fortunate to be able to make his living as a full time year round wilderness guide. Aside from Maine he has guided in Canada, Alaska, Colorado, Wyoming, Scotland and Peru. Polly Mahoney and Kevin Slater began partnering with Cree, Inuit and Wabanaki 30 years ago to offer Indigenous Cultural Trips in their ancestral homelands. Kevin and Polly are the first couple to ever receive the Legendary Maine Guide Award in the state of Maine.

Dr. Danny Twilley is the Assistant Vice President of Economic and Community Development at West Virginia University. In this role he and the team utilize asset based economic development by investing in people and place to support talent attraction and retention programs including the remote worker initiative, community and economic development, asset development and enhancement, business and workforce programs, and research all to make West Virginia the premier place to live, work, play, go to school, and do business. He approaches this work by engaging developing effective collaborations and partnerships across the University, state and local governments, non-profits, industry, and related groups to stand-up and advance initiatives. Through his and the team’s work he has helped secured over $50 million in external funding through federal, state, and philanthropic partnerships. Additionally, he has supported partnering organizations in applying, receiving, and executing $20+ million in funding.

Meranne has an expertise in consumer psychology and behavioral analysis as it pertains to brand communications. She has guided the strategic vision for bands across the outdoor industry, travel & tourism, consumer packaged goods, food & beverage, healthcare, and finance. She is a Co-Founder of Words From The Woods, a strategic advertising agency in Portland, after a career in New York City building campaigns for Aruba Tourism, Delta Air Lines, Royal Caribbean, got milk?, among a few. Meranne and her husband/Business Partner moved to Maine in 2015, to live and work where they wanted to play. WFTW opened its doors in 2018, and prides itself on partnering with some of Maine's iconic beloved brands, including Saddleback Mountain, Aroma Joe's, MaineHealth, The Nature Conservancy in Maine, Androscoggin Bank, TruChoice FCU, Dimillo's Yacht Sales, and Hancock Lumber. She is also on the Board of Directors at the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust. Meranne is a Portland resident, a mom to Maple and Beckett, a loyal Saddlebacker, a Bayside Bowler, and a lover of all things outdoors.

Patrick Caron, based out of Mount Desert Island, Maine, is the founder of Move Free, an internationally reaching outdoor brand offering consciously crafted activewear and movement experiences for athletes and adventurers. He launched the popular Move Free Run Club, bringing together runners around their shared passion for movement and community. Move Free also curates and hosts multiple running retreats around the region, focused on cultivating community and showcasing New England's gorgeous landscapes. For the last several years, alongside competing professionally in events around the world, he has worked closely with numerous running clubs and event organizers to support them through race directing, media coverage, podcast hosting, live commentating, coaching, outreach, fundraising, and more.

Kelly Davis has more than 25 years of experience in Market Research including 11 years as the Director Research for SnowSports Industries America, and 4 years as the Senior Director of Research for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. In addition, she has worked with the Cross-Country Ski Areas Association, the Winter Wildlands Alliance, and the Stand-Up Paddle Industry Association. Kelly is a methodologist with innovative leanings, she is always looking for more effective ways to gather and apply insights. Kelly likes to share interesting findings and insights and has been a featured speaker at industry events like the Snow Show. The focus of her work is helping industry stakeholders understand mechanisms that affect their markets. She has helped many brands understand and target participants more effectively, track their customers’ journeys, build clearer views of potential customers, and design products. Kelly has also helped many start-ups to find their footing in a variety of markets and she has helped businesses find their way when times are tough. When Kelly isn’t working, you will most likely find her outdoor skiing, running trail, biking, hiking, longboarding, walking with her dogs, fly fishing, SUPing…this list goes on and on.

Justin directs the Analytics & SEO teams at Miles, ensuring that website activity is being properly measured, while also working to improve their presence in search engines. When he's not working, he can usually be found working on his home, socializing with neighbors, and tearing up the streets of Arvada on his 49cc scooter.

Jenny took the helm of MOB in 2019, bringing over a decade of experience working with outdoor-focused non-profit organizations in government and public relations, strategy and organizing. Her work as executive director allows her to lead a powerful and expanding network of businesses united around a clear objective: to create a thriving local outdoor recreation economy. Prior to working at MOB, she served at The Wilderness Society in Washington, D.C. and in Maine. There she directed advocacy campaigns and led coalitions to protect outdoor areas across the country and take meaningful action on climate change. She serves on the board of Maine GearShare and the Outdoor Industry Association’s Recreation Advisory Council. She takes the ferry to Portland from her home on Peaks Island in Casco Bay where she lives with her husband and son pursuing adventures both big and small.

Bio coming soon.

Jen Natyzak grew up in central Virginia, where her passion for climate action took root. Her undergraduate research at the University of Virginia expanded the institution’s carbon and nitrogen footprint to include a water footprint, highlighting the impacts of university energy operations. Jen moved to upstate New York to work in sustainability in higher education, where she cultivated student programs for trails, gardens, composting, and engagement; co-founded and taught a campus sustainability class; and championed campus and community partnerships. In spring of 2024, Jen joined the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) as their first Director of Sustainability to shepherd forward the organization’s Net Zero by 2050 goal. Jen's work emphasizes science-driven decisions, energy efficiency, electrification, and leveraging grant and donor funding to accelerate progress.

Tracey brings diverse experiences and deep passion to her role at the Katahdin Collaborative. Raised in a military family with Maine ties, she explored the region's natural wonders in her youth and as a University of Maine student. Her indigenous roots and global perspective, gained from living across the U.S. and internationally, inform her unique approach to community building. Mount Katahdin, holding deep cultural significance, has called Tracey home. She's dedicated to fostering positive community networking and sustainability, working with community members, businesses, government agencies, municipalities and nonprofits to create an inclusive environment where impactful solutions emerge. She and her husband have raised four sons and are now devoted to two rescued Rottweilers. Tracey is excited to empower individuals and drive collective action towards a brighter future for the Katahdin region, balancing community development with environmental stewardship.

Simon Rucker is the Executive Director of the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust, an organization dedicated to conserving the A.T. region in Maine. He serves on the City of Portland Land Bank Commission and is a trail maintainer on two sections of the A.T.

I have been a forester for the past 25 years based out of Ashland Maine for Irving Woodlands. Managing all aspects of private industrial forestland. I have been a snowmobiler since I was a kid, and brought up as an active club member which I continued when I left home. I am active in my local club and became more active in the MSA in 2019.

Sarah Woog is the Director of Resource Development at Four Directions Development Corporation. Four Directions’ mission is to improve the social and economic conditions of the Native American tribes in Maine- the Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot- through education and investment in affordable housing, tribal business ventures, and Native entrepreneurship. Sarah came to Four Directions from a career in education, serving primarily in Wabanaki communities in Maine. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and American Studies from Trinity College in Hartford, CT, and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from the University of Maine at Orono. She is certified by the Maine Department of Education as a Math Teacher (7-12) and Building Administrator (K-12). Sarah lives in Bangor, Maine, with her 13-year-old daughter Madisyn and their dog Sherman. Madisyn, Sherman and enjoy walks around Bangor, the beach in the summer, and sharing their home with family and friends.

Luis Benitez is the emerging face of the outdoor industry's political movement. The son of an Ecuadorian aerospace engineer and an American primary school art teacher, Benitez is a former international mountaineering guide. In 2001, he guided famed blind mountaineer Erik Weihenmayer to the summit of Mount Everest, and has led more than 30 expeditions to the highest peaks on every continent.In 2015, Benitez was appointed director of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office by Colorado governor John Hickenlooper, a significant step in what many see as a political career leading to the Colorado governor's office and beyond. In 2019, he became vice president of governmental affairs and global impact for VF Corp. Today, Luis is the Chief Impact Officer for the Trust for Public Lands, a nonprofit organization that works across sectors to ensure that everyone will have access to the benefits and joys of the outdoors for generations to come.

Travis grew up in rural Maine, but didn't fall in love with cycling until after he left for the big city of Boston and became a bike commuter. After spending several years in the Pacific Northwest exploring the Cascade Mountains, he's back in Maine and has been with the Bicycle Coalition of Maine since 2022.

Enock was born with Spina Bifida and had to learn to do things differently. With the use of adaptive equipment and help from friends and family, he has become an avid skier, rock climber, and hiker. He also participates in many other sports, including tennis, basketball, paragliding, and skydiving. All of that as a lead up to his most recent accomplishment: a 5-day ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Because of all these experiences, he has made it his life's mission to speak to anyone and everyone about never saying, "I can't," and instead always asking, "How can I?" He is a blogger and now travels the world doing consulting work to make amazing outdoor spaces available to everyone by improving access to people who might otherwise miss out. Enock is now on a mission to get people of all abilities outdoors in Maine where he lives now, and well beyond!

Joel Hartter is an educator, an entrepreneur, and a sustainable business strategist with over two decades of global experience across public, private, and non-profit sectors. He is the founder of Parallel Labs, an impact agency that helps ambitious leaders elevate their brands, evolve their organizations, and activate sustainability for growth and impact. Joel is committed to bridging the gap between higher education and career readiness, driving workforce development, innovation, and industry partnerships. He has developed and led some of the largest professional education programs in the US, including the Masters of the Environment and Outdoor Recreation Economy programs at the University of Colorado. He has also led partnerships with organizations like the Outdoor Industry Association and National Geographic Society, and numerous startups, Fortune 500 companies, federal agencies, and non-profits. He teach 20,000 people annually through university courses, master classes, and seminars, and serves on the Sustainability Advisory Council for Volkswagen.

I have been at L.L.Bean for over 30 years and have spent most of my career in Human Resources. In my current role I am responsible for strategy, program development, and leadership of multiple HR functions including Leader and Employee Development, Sr. Leader Development, DEI, Talent Acquisition, Peak & Volume Hiring, and HR Business Teams.

In Portland, Moon works as the Wellness program manager where she oversees Peer counseling services for MANA, the Maine Association for New Americans. In this position, she helps asylum seekers, especially children, who need pathways to mental health services and safe spaces where they can speak about past and present traumas. She recently developed an outdoor program for immigrant youth called #weoutside. Through this program immigrant youth are able to engage and enjoy the outdoors of Maine without the barriers or transportation, representation or lack of preparation.

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

Phil Shettig is an experienced leader in product development and technical innovation, with a strong focus on sustainable design in outdoor products. With an extensive expertise in raw material supply chains, Phil has spearheaded efforts to transition companies toward safer, more sustainable materials. As Vice President of Product + Marketing at Vertical Supply Group, he has been instrumental in developing strategies to phase out PFAS within the recreational climbing work at height industries. I am passionate about human-centered design that is accountable to our scarce resources and the need for a circular economy. I leverage my experience and knowledge to create and manage design processes that optimize the environmental, social, and economic impacts of our products and operations.

Having been involved with MOB since the beginning, Brian was hired full time in March of 2021. As a climber, paddler, skier, backpacker, adventure photographer and a nonprofit aficionado, Brian brings valuable experience to connecting and promoting brands. He sits on the advisory board for Baxter State Park and recently joined the board of Rippleffect in hopes of ensuring wild places stay wild and anyone and everyone can access the outdoors. Brian lives in Portland with his wife and stepson and can often be seen frequenting the Fore River Sanctuary in his backyard.

As the newest Economic Recovery Corps Fellow, Courtney is excited to help incubate and develop small businesses in tribal communities while helping them generate jobs and build generational wealth so they can continue to live and work in their tribal communities. Having grown up in a small, rural, and marginalized community herself where good jobs required a significant commute, she aspires to build up and enrich communities so residents don’t have to resort to moving away.