Jessica Berry, director of Special Education at St. George MSU and director of Midcoast Community Collaborative, is one of 12 Maine leaders who recently completed the John T. Gorman Fellowship, a yearlong program strengthening their capacity to drive systems-level change for Maine children and families.

Since the program’s launch 10 years ago, five cohorts – now totaling 54 leaders from the nonprofit, advocacy, and government sectors – have completed the Fellowship. Trained in whole-family strategies, this fifth cohort of Fellows focused intensively on strengthening the well-being of children and families. While working among different populations, fields, and areas of the state, the latest Fellows aligned their efforts toward a shared goal of all children in Maine being resilient and ready to succeed.

“Maine children and families deserve leaders who can navigate complexity, work across systems, and drive meaningful change,” said Foundation President and CEO Nicole Witherbee. “That’s exactly what the John T. Gorman Fellowship is designed to support. Over the past year, these 12 Fellows have honed the skills needed to drive improved outcomes for children and families on a statewide level. We’re grateful for their work and excited to see the impact they’ll have as part of our growing Fellowship network.” 

Names and affiliations of the Fellows are below. 

• Mariette Aborn – Special Projects Manager, Child and Family Well-Being, Maine Department of Health and Human Services
• Jessica Berry – Special Education Director, St. George MSU and Director, Midcoast Community Collaborative
• Matthew Dana II – Working Communities Challenge Director, Sunrise County Economic Council
• Michelle Ferris – Chief Operations Officer, Aroostook Mental Health Center
• Dara Fruchter – Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects Manager, Maine Department of Education
• Melissa Hackett – Policy Associate, Maine Children’s Alliance and Coordinator, Maine Child Welfare Action Network
• Alicia Jalbert – Associate Director of Academic Pathways, Northeastern University’s Roux Institute
• Mara Robinov-Moorhead, CEO, Girl Scouts of Maine
• Julia Sleeper – Executive Director, Tree Street Youth
• Marsha Sloan – Executive Director, Family Futures Downeast
• Renee Whitley – Executive Director, Franklin County Children’s Task Force
• Caroline Zimmerman – Director, Child and Family Health, Maine Health 

The John T. Gorman Foundation is a private foundation based in Portland, Maine, with a mission to make Maine a more equitable place where all children and families can thrive. This focus on strengthening children and families reflects the recognition of our founder Tom Gorman that his personal success and achievement were largely derived from the support provided to him by his family and community, as well as his desire to provide those with fewer advantages opportunities to succeed.

More information at www.jtgfoundation.org.