Staff

Celeste joined the staff of the Maine Island Trail Association in May 2025. She has over 20 years’ experience working in the field of nonprofit fundraising including 17 years at the Appalachian Mountain Club where she worked to grow the membership, annual fund, and major giving programs and worked to raise significant funds for The Maine Woods Initiative, AMC’s dynamic approach to conservation and recreation in Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness region. She grew up in Cape Elizabeth and lives there today with her husband, two children, and shaggy dog. She earned a BA from Colby College and a Master’s Degree in Management from the Harvard University Extension School. Celeste is grateful for a career that allows her to hike, ski, paddle, and boat with people who care deeply about the stewardship, protection, and enjoyment of Maine’s outdoors.

Kalyn joined the full-time MITA staff in February of 2023, having previously served as a membership associate from 2021-2022. She was born and raised in Maine and has always had a connection to the islands, particularly through her background in canoe and kayak instruction. She received her BA in Biology from Bowdoin and her MA in Conservation Biology from Columbia University, and (fun fact) is also an entomologist. A program assistant at Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association before her return to MITA, she resides in Brunswick with her family and enjoys exploring the ample woods and waters of Maine.

Ben was announced as MITA’s fourth executive director on September 26, 2024. Having grown up on the coast of Maine, Ben feels a deep connection to the land and communities along the Maine Island Trail. Prior to joining MITA, he was the CEO/head of school for The Island School on Eleuthera in The Bahamas since 2020. With over 20 years of involvement in experiential education, Ben is passionate about MITA’s mission of keeping the Maine Island Trail accessible for everyone on the Maine coast.

He graduated from the University of Montana with a BS in forest ecology and wildlife biology, and holds a M.S.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to his time at The Island School, he was the head of upper school at The Derryfield School in Manchester, NH from 2014-20.

Outside (or alongside, in some cases) of his life with MITA, Ben enjoys backpacking, backcountry skiing, mountain biking, open-ocean swimming, sea kayaking, whitewater kayaking, and woodworking! He enjoys sharing these passions with his two children, Finn and Mia.

Greg joined MITA in March 2011, after serving for the last five years as Executive Vice President at Sustainable Harvest International in Surry. Greg has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of several nonprofits here in Maine and nationally. He received a B.A. from Duke University and a Ph.D. from UMass-Amherst. Born and raised on the North Shore of Massachusetts, Greg and his family returned to coastal New England after his career took them to New Jersey and then Ann Arbor, Michigan. Greg and his wife Ginny have two grown daughters, and live in Yarmouth. They love that trips along the coast or to the mountains are both close by. Greg is an avid but not very accomplished XC skier, an organic gardener, and tunes into the Red Sox all season long on the radio.

Christina first joined MITA’s staff in the summer of 2009, working as a caretaker on Jewell Island alongside her sister, Kate. After another summer on Jewell, Christina returned to serve for five seasons as the caretaker on Little Chebeague Island. Christina graduated from the University of Maine with a B.S. in Ecology and Environmental Sciences and has previously spent time in Alaska where she worked as an on-board observer on commercial fishing vessels. Having set roots in Maine, Christina is thrilled to be working alongside the rest of the incredible MITA team as the Downeast Regional Stewardship Manager, helping to engage volunteers and tackling stewardship projects from Blue Hill Bay eastward. When not in a Lund, Christina enjoys fostering community in her home of Belfast, playing ultimate frisbee, building furniture, and spending time in other boats.

Brian began volunteering for MITA in 2004 and was hired as Stewardship Manager the following year. In 2009 he was named Program Director and now oversees MITA’s program activities. He has a Masters in Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment and a BA in biology and environmental studies from Bowdoin College. Brian lives in Cumberland with his wife Melissa and son Everett. When he’s not island hopping in a MITA skiff he most often can be found at an ice rink, at a ballpark, in the garden or in the woods.

Nick joined the MITA staff in February 2022. He grew up in Portland, though much of his time on the water has been spent on Eggemoggin Reach in Penobscot Bay. His first job in high school was on the waterfront at WoodenBoat School in Brooklin, and during his college years he spent summers crewing aboard educational and charter schooners on the Maine coast. Following a nine-year communications career in Major League Baseball, Nick returned to his beloved Maine in 2021 and was quick to begin volunteering with MITA as an island adopter for Sellers Island in Brooklin. Now a part of the full-time staff, Nick is passionate about using his writing and his camera to tell the story of the Trail and those who love it and live it.

Jordi joined the MITA staff in January 2020. A native of Vermont, he spent the winters skiing and summers boating out of Cape Small, Maine, and Mystic, Conn. After receiving his BA in Political Science from University of Vermont, Jordi coached Nordic skiing at Bates College and was the captain of a windjammer sailing off the Maine State Pier. Having spent nine years in software, he kept his connection to the water by starting a small oyster farm in the New Meadows River with the help of his family, Katrina, Aislyn and Sylvan. Jordi has been involved with MITA as a volunteer since 2005 and is excited to be connecting with people that love the coast of Maine full time.

Alex joined the MITA team in the spring of 2025. He brings a passion for building equitable public access
to the natural landscape. Growing up in New Hampshire, Alex’s exposure to the White
Mountains, the Rangeley Lakes, and the Maine coast inspired a desire to explore. He graduated from Fort Lewis College, in Durango, Colorado, with a Major in Environmental Studies and Adventure Education. Alex worked in the mental health field for five years, before devoting his career to creating, enhancing, and protecting public access in the outdoors through developing high school trail programs and running the Trails Program on the Plumas National Forest in California. He is excited to be back to his New England roots, supporting public access to Maine’s coast.

Chris joined the MITA team in 2015. Originally from Illinois and Louisiana, Chris’ passion for the outdoors and the ocean began in his youth through scouting and diving trips with his family. He spent eight years conducting fisheries fieldwork on the West Coast, Colorado, and Alaska. Shifting his focus away from the dryness of data collection, he returned to school earning an M.S. in Ecological Teaching and Learning from Lesley University. After leading volunteer trail crews for Washington Trails Association in Seattle for several years, Chris and his wife, Sarah, moved east to be closer family. In 2014 after a brief stint in Vermont doing farm education, they teamed up as island stewards for Maine Coast Heritage Trust. Following an idyllic summer working on Frenchboro and Marshall Island, they decided to call Maine home. Chris joined the staff in 2015, eager to contribute to the organization’s mission and work alongside MITA’s amazing group of dedicated volunteers.