Administrative Staff

Kate Abraham

Program Director - International and Semester

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Started with HIOBS: 2018

Fun facts: Kate is a lover of yoga, exploration, new experiences, new flavors, travel, oceans, mountains, conversation, heavy backpacks, and passion!

Tim Barker

Director of Operations and Safety

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Started with HIOBS: 2019

Fun fact: In his off-time, Tim does his best to learn the skills necessary to call himself a Homesteader.

Andy Bezon

Director of Fleet & Facilities

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Started with HIOBS: 2023

Fun fact: When not working in the outdoors, Andy loves to spend his time biking, boating, fishing, and skiing.

Amber Bolduc

Admissions Coordinator and Course Advisor

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Started with HIOBS: 2017

Fun facts: Prior to joining the HIOBS team, Amber ran after school programs for YMCAs in Vermont and Maine. In her downtime, she enjoys exploring with her adventure pup, Gracie Lou. 

Cindy Brown

Senior Consultant for Custom Programs

Andy Colby

Director of Educational Partnerships

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Started with HIOBS: 2022

Fun facts: Andy is an avid road cyclist and enjoys reading maritime and mountaineering history.

Sarah Cotton

Custom Programs Coordinator & Course Advisor

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Started with HIOBS: 2019

Fun fact: Sarah uses her free time to canoe with her husband and eat home grown tomatoes.

Eric Denny

Executive Director

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Started with HIOBS: 1991

Fun fact: Eric celebrated his 50^th birthday on a HIOBS sailing expedition in the Bahamas.

Lynn Lavertu

Accounts Receivable Manager

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Started with HIOBS: 2022

Fun facts: Lynn’s husband introduced her to Rockland, Maine in 2015, and they moved here in 2017. She loves reading, spending time with her husband, daughter, granddaughter, and dog Bailey, and living and working on the coast.

Rachel Loomis Lee

Development Director

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Started with HIOBS: 2022

Fun fact: Rachel is currently on a quest to bag all 58 Colorado Fourteeners.

John McBride

Facilities Manager

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Started with HIOBS: 1996

Fun facts: John once put a rabid raccoon in a duffle bag. It did not go well. He's cooked over 20,000 lobsters in the last 35 years. Towed Pulling Boats over 150,000 miles in the last 12 years. And he has been riding motorcycles for 40 years!

Suzanne Newsom Pierce

Land Program & Outward Bound Professional Staffing Manager

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Started with HIOBS: 1990

Fun fact: Suzanne was a bank manager before becoming an Outward Bound instructor.

Caroline Norris-Jacobs

Office Manager

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Started with HIOBS: 2024 

Fun facts:  In her free time, Caroline enjoys walking her dogs with her husband, sailing out of Belfast on their sailboat in the summer, and having bonfires with friends. Caroline and her husband live in an old Maine farmhouse that they’ve been renovating for the past 3 years with a large flock of chickens and ducks.

Keith Orlando

Director of Finance & Administration

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Started with HIOBS: 2023

Fun fact: Yes, Keith may be a finance nerd, but he also loves to ski, mountain bike, and boat. Bonus fun fact—Keith is a musician who plays guitar and saxophone and used to be part of the horn section in a Portland based Ska band.

Whitney Pander

Program Director - Wheeler Bay and Florida

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Started with HIOBS: 2016

Fun facts: Whitney is an avid swimmer and will take any chance she can to snorkel in FL/the Bahamas or swim around Ram Island in Maine. In her free time, Whitney loves to cook, ski, and go boating (in any form).

Autumn Pante

Development Coordinator

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Started with HIOBS: 2023

Fun facts: Autumn loves birdwatching and is currently on a quest to befriend several crows that visit her backyard.

Bruce Pierce

Maintenance Supervisor - Newry

Started with HIOBS: 2003

Fun facts: Bruce started working for HIOBS 18 years ago by driving a transport bus with students from Newry to Wheeler Bay. His role at the Newry Base is to fix things that break!

Kim Ratner

Marketing Director

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Started with HIOBS: 2022

Fun facts: Kim lived in six different states by the time she was 10, mostly in the southern U.S., before eventually ending up in California for college. She moved to Maine with her husband and son in 2007 and loves exploring the beauty of the coast and hiking trails throughout the state—often with a camera in her hand.

Nina Shepperson

Marketing Coordinator

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Started with HIOBS: 2021

Fun facts: Nina's favorite pastimes include hammocking in the sunshine, swimming in the ocean, XC skiing, film photography, and cooking for lots of people. Last year she started fostering kittens, and recently adopted one!

Andrew Spofford

Director of Outward Bound Professional

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Started with HIOBS: 2017

Fun fact: Andrew first experienced HIOBS as a teenager on a snowshoe expedition with classmates…and a successful mid-life career correction brought him full circle.

Eli Walker

Director of Talent & Culture

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Fun facts: Working for HIOBS gave Eli the opportunity to merge his passions for social justice, the outdoors, and place-based learning. The staff and students work together to build a community that learns, grows, and has a lot of fun together, which are the primary reasons he keeps coming back year after year.

Chris Wells

Boathouse & Facilities Support

Pronouns: He/Him/His 

Started with HIOBS: 1982

Fun fact: Chris attended Woodstock!

Doug

Office Toy Coordinator

Pronouns: He/They

Hometown: Santa Fe, NM

Started with HIOBS: 2022

Fun fact: Doug's best friend is a 3-legged pit bull named Meaty.

Eleanor "Ellie" Rigby

Paper Shredder

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Hometown: Gorham, ME

Started with HIOBS: 2023

Fun fact: Ellie is a play hard, sleep harder Labradoodle who, as a puppy, flew on a plane all the way from Arizona to Maine to be with her adopted family. 

Gracie Lou

Self-Care Specialist

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Hometown: Puerto Rico

Started with HIOBS: 2018

Fun fact: Gracie’s left eye (aka the mystic eye) doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to, but it does allow her to see ghosts.

June

Field Media Intern

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Hometown: Lincolnville, ME

Started with HIOBS: 2022

Fun fact: June goes by Junie, June Bug, and Junie June.

Korra

Lead Couch Sitter, Wheeler Bay

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Hometown: Portland, ME

Started with HIOBS: 2022

Fun fact: In her free time, Korra loves to chase rodents.

Lewis & Clark

Course Location Scouts

Pronouns: He/Him/His, He/Him/His

Hometown: Topsfield, MA

Year started with HIOBS: 1804

Fun fact: Leading by example, these adventurers model self-care by sneaking in 16-18 hours of sleep per day.

Willow

Staff House Host, Newry

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Hometown: Newry, ME

Started with HIOBS: 2019

Fun fact: After work, Willow loves to go on long walks down the Newry base driveway.