Board of Directors

Meet HCCA’s board of directors.

BOARD CHAIR

Sara Grant, LMSW, CES, MHRT/C

Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC) Program Manager, Office of Aging & Disability Services (OADS), Maine Dept. of Health & Human Services

207.592.3505 • sara.grant@maine.gov

Sara is the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) Program Manager at the Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. She has focused her studies and professional career on working with older adults and community-based initiatives to create lasting social change on many fronts. As the Chairperson of the Augusta Age Friendly Committee, Sara manages the Clear Paths volunteer shoveling program and the Sand Buckets program in collaboration with the City of Augusta to benefit older and disabled residents of the capital city. She has also worked with caregivers for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and Related Dementias for over five years and loves her work as Master Trainer for the Savvy Caregiver educational series. Another of Sara’s greatest passions is working to identify and collaborate with various community resources in Central Maine and across the state to assist older and disabled adults with filling gaps in service provision – both before and throughout the pandemic. As a lifelong learner, she is constantly seeking ways to improve processes, promote volunteerism in Maine, and advocate for vulnerable populations within the state. Sara is the proud mother of two smart, beautiful girls and Nonna to her handsome grandson. Sara has yet to formally partner with HCCA, but believes the work of many hands makes challenging tasks that much easier to accomplish and would like to help with age friendly and livable initiatives that benefit people of all ages and abilities.

BOARD VICE CHAIR

Ashley Tetreault, MBA

BOARD SECRETARY

774.230.3382 • ashley.l.tetreault@gmail.com

Martha Poliquin

Maine Food Systems Specialist

207.650.7630 • marthapoliquin@gmail.com

Martha Poliquin is a retired school nutrition director with 26+ years experience providing meals for Maine students. Having always been a lover of good food made with fresh ingredients and having 3 children who would come home talking about their school lunch experience, it was a natural move for her to jump into the school lunch world to see how it could be improved for all children. It didn’t take long to see that a Maine grown apple and potato is far superior nutritionally and has a much smaller impact on the environment than produce shipped to Maine from across the country. Other leaders in the farm to school movement inspired and influenced her and Martha was fortunate to work for school districts that also valued local food for our local children. It is a world she finds great community in, a opportunity for self-improvement, and a movement in Maine that can contribute to making sure no child goes hungry. Martha has partnered for several years with HCCA’s farm and sea to school efforts and was instrumental in launching the Maine Farm and Sea to School Institute.

MaineGeneral Proposals & Grants

A native of Massachusetts, Ashley holds a Bachelors in Business Economics from the University of Maine at Farmington and an MBA with a concentration in Project Management from Southern New Hampshire University. Ashley is qualitative researcher who is well-versed in culturally and linguistically appropriate health communication. As a former athlete and director of youth sports programs, Ashley believes in working with partners to build their internal capacity to do evaluation and share their program successes by taking on more of a coaching role. Additionally, Ashley has a wealth of knowledge of the Maine public health infrastructure and related state government agencies. Over the years Ashley has presented at local and national conferences on innovative evaluation methodologies and the benefits of integrating evaluation and communication strategies.

Zachary Roth, PhD

PhD Assistant Professor of Psychology at University of Maine at Augusta

BOARD TREASURER

207.621.3172 • zachary.roth@maine.edu

Zach moved to Maine from the Midwest in the fall of 2022. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Maine at Augusta where he also serves as the Faculty Coordinator for Civic Engagement. His academic and service interests intersect at issues surrounding stereotyping & discrimination and health equity. In his spare time, he enjoys running, sci-fi and fantasy, and tabletop games.

Bobby-Jo Bechard

Senior Program Manager, MCD Global Health

Director Peer Support Programs, Motivational Services

207.622.5736 bobby-jo.bechard@mocomaine.com

207.215.9636 jbeck@mcd.org

Jodi spent the last 25 years working in primary care practices in various roles. She is a passionate advocate for bringing awareness of affordable and accessible community resources to healthcare providers to improve the health of patients and families. Jodi developed a community care management program that consisted of a team of care managers who work with patients with complex medical and social needs. This work involved visiting patients in their homes or communities to assess and address the barriers that prevent them from being successful in caring for themselves. Jodi has extensive experience in quality improvement activities with a focus on chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and preventative care. Jodi is married and has two adult children. When her children were young, she was instrumental in helping to rebuild a school playground for her home community and was active in sports boosters. She enjoys gardening and cooking healthy meals with fresh, local ingredients.

Patricia Clark, MS, CAS

Cathleen Dunlap, MEd, MSW, LCSW

Clinical Director, Paramount Behavioral Services, Inc.

207.660.9124 cathleen.dunlap@paramountbehavioral.com

Cathleen Dunlap is a licensed clinical social worker who serves as the Clinical Director for Paramount Behavioral Services, Inc., based in Waterville, with an outreach office in Hallowell. Cathleen is married and has three adult children and four grandchildren. Cathleen has lived in Augusta all of her life and can trace ancestors to the area pre-Revolutionary war. She is one of five daughters born to parents who loved all of their “girls” joyously until the days of their deaths Cathleen notes that supporting them on their last journeys was a challenging and humbling experience—and a great honor.

Cathleen previously worked as an educator for local Adult Education programs in Gardiner, Hallowell, Turner, and Augusta as well as for the University of Maine at Augusta and Kennebec Valley Community College. She is also a Coach for WW of Maine (formerly known as Weight Watchers). Cathleen has provided support to and advocacy for victims of sexual assault and interpersonal violence as a past employee for the Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Center as well as for the Family Violence Project. Other paid employment experiences included working as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for the Maine Department of Labor and as a social worker assisting veterans newly home from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Cathleen has served on a number of local boards and committees including ones for Motivational Services, Inc., the Augusta Bicentennial Committee, and the Maine Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers–elected twice as their president. Cathleen’s interests include reading, gardening, canoeing, camping, taking care of her small flock of chickens, and watching her grandchildren play baseball, softball, soccer, basketball, and compete in gymnastic events.

Annie Fox, MHA

SHIP/SMP/MIPPA Director for Maine, Office of Aging & Disability Services

781.929.8045 annafox@gmail.com

Annie Fox, MHA is the SHIP/SMP (Senior Medicare Patrol)/MIPPA State Director for Maine. She holds a Master of Health Administration degree from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. Annie currently works in the Office of Aging and Disability Services within Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services. She partners with the Area Agencies on Aging and Legal Services for Maine’s Elder to grow the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), and Medicare Improvement for Patient and Provider Act (MIPPA) programs for Maine. Prior to her current role, Annie worked for a non-profit organization with a focus on broad range of health care quality improvement initiatives for Northern New England. Annie has worked in Healthcare and Healthcare Quality Improvement initiatives for over 18 years. Annie also enjoys spending time caring for her mini farm of dogs, goats, and chickens.

Director of Early Childhood Studies, University of Maine at Augusta

207.685.4101 pclark@maine.edu

Pat is the Director of Early Childhood Studies and a professor at the University of Maine at Augusta, specializing in teaching teachers and social work majors in early childhood, special needs, and family courses. Previously, Pat was an elementary school teacher in grades pre-k through 5 (mostly kindergarten). She works closely with Head Start, served on their board and as a national Head Start Fellow, having worked in the training and technical assistance area for a year in Washington D.C. Pat lives in Readfield and is active in St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Winthrop, is a Readfield Community Library Board Member and Story Time co-coordinator, as well as director of the Playgroup partnership between the Library and elementary school. Her education includes a BA in French and Journalism, BS in Education, MS in Special Education, and higher degrees in Early Intervention and Special Education and Public Policy. Pat connected with HCCA by borrowing and using the Let’s Go! Story Walk at various sites in Readfield, and by having HCCA’s Nan Bell as a guest speaker for her UMA students.

Bobby-Jo is the Director of Peer Support Programs at Motivational Services, where she oversees peer-run recovery centers that support individuals living with mental health and/or co-occurring challenges. With over 15 years of experience and a strong foundation of lived experience, Bobby-Jo is deeply committed to trauma-informed care, community wellness, and meeting people where they are. She serves on several community boards and coalitions, including the Kennebec Valley Community Action Program, United Way’s Impact 32 Health Cabinet, and the Augusta Emergency Overnight Warming Center Planning Committee. She recently completed the Hanley Leadership Institute, where she strengthened her skills in collaborative leadership, systems thinking, and equity-based change. Bobby-Jo is especially passionate about helping individuals often left out of public health systems feel seen, heard, and supported. Her work focuses on reducing stigma, amplifying lived experience, and building bridges between grassroots support and systemic solutions. A lifelong resident of Kennebec County, Bobby-Jo and her husband of 32 years have raised three sons and their 16-year-old daughter, whom they adopted through foster care in 2014. She believes connection is the foundation of change and that everyone deserves a chance to thrive—no matter their starting point.

Jodi Beck, RN

PAST CHAIR

Dawn Kearns

Community Response Specialist, Augusta Police Department

207.242.6504 dawn.kearns@augstamaine.gov

Dawn has been in recovery from substance use disorder for 12 years. Her recovery has given her a second chance at life which she has opted to use in service to others. She has been employed as a crisis clinician in Lewiston/Auburn, an OPTIONS Liaison in Kennebec County, a substance use counselor in both the previously stated communities and most recently, is the Community Response Specialist for the Augusta Police Department. She has been included in the Kennebec Community Collaborative, the planning for the Recovery Games of Maine, and countless other planning groups in the course of her work. She spends much of her time in the community sharing supplies, and educating and encouraging others in their own journeys whether they are seeking housing, treatment, or just connection to another human. She has partners in the unhoused community, education, law enforcement, government, the business community, and within the behavioral health system because she seeks to work collaboratively to support positive change for each individual and for the community as a whole.

Ranae L’Italien

Ranae and KVYMCA are longtime partners with HCCA helping to implement youth obesity prevention and nutrition education programs. Ranae brings a background in early childhood education and organizational management as well as experience planning and implementing fundraising events and building community connections.

Executive Director, Kennebec Valley YMCA

Sue Woods, MD, MPH

Food Is Health Ambassador, Fork Food Lab

207.747.7408 sue@forkfood.com

Sue is a general internist, health services researcher, informaticist, and entrepreneur who is passionate about innovation for healthier communities. Sue founded and directed the Center for Tobacco Independence, a center for excellence in education, research, direct services, and policy to address tobacco use and dependence. She served as Director of Patient Experience at the Veterans Health Administration’s Connected Care Office where she developed patient technology, led national deployment of VA Open Notes, and architected VA’s patient generated data solution. She founded Generated Health, launching automated text messaging in the US. From 2017-2024, she was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Participatory Medicine from 2017-2024, publishing research on patient and public involvement in healthcare and research. Currently the Food Is Health Ambassador at Fork Food Lab, she is also advising startups, Senior Editor of the Journal of Medical Extended Reality, and serves on boards at Maine Technology Institute and the Hanley Center for Health Leadership and Education.

207.622.9622 ranae@kvymca.org

Make a Donation.

HCCA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is funded through charitable donations from people like you. Thank you for your generous support as we work to better local communities in Maine.