Mollie is the Executive Director of the Cultural Alliance of Maine, a statewide non-profit advancing the visibility and capacity of our diverse statewide cultural sector via collective learning, research, communications, and advocacy. Mollie was born in Calais and raised in the Bangor area. She is a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen with roots in Washington County and St. Stephen, New Brunswick. She holds a masters degree in Arts Administration & Cultural Policy from the Institute for Creative & Cultural Entrepreneurship at Goldsmiths, University of London, and spent 10 years working with cultural organizations in New York, Lisbon, London, and Berlin before returning to Maine in 2019. Mollie serves on the boards of the Mount Desert Island Historical Society and the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor. She lives in Lamoine.

Khristina joined the Maine Arts Commission in 2022 as a Program Director focused on Arts in health and the Literary Arts, overseeing the Poet Laureate, Poetry OutLoud, Creative Aging and Veterans programs. Formerly at Colby College Museum of Art's,  Lunder Institute for American Art, as Manager of Operations and Special Projects. Khristina brings a holistic view of the community arts and culture, Maine's creative economy and workforce development to her position. She holds a B.A in health arts and sciences from Goddard College and an M.F.A in creative writing from Fairfield University. She lives in Pittston, Maine in a historic home on the Kennebec river.

Matthew is an art teacher at Edward Little High School who has worked in the arts for many years and continues to marvel at the healing power of the arts for students. Matthew’s presentation describes how art has the power to heal emotional wounds and his use of art in school and in the studio to make things invisible visible. Expressing the practice of giving students a place to breath into life the complexities that exist in their hearts and heads.

Jessie Laurita-Spanglet, MFA, is a dance and health practitioner and an artist-educator based in Brunswick, Maine. Jessie has taught courses on the topic of dance and health at Colby College and the University of Southern Maine, where she is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Theater. Jessie was named a 2024 National Arts Strategies Creative Community Fellow: New England and used her Fellowship to work towards an arts-based social prescribing program for Maine communities.

Matt & Edwin Cahill, Co-Founders & Directors of Hogfish Hogfish heals the division of our times by cultivating a new genre of Regenerative Arts - stories and artistic experiences that restore the connections between mind and body, individual and community, people and planet. To do so, we have created a 501(c)(3) non-profit production company and residency that works both from the top-down and bottom-up. From the top-down, the production company adapts classics and creates new works that center traditionally under-represented voices. From the bottom-up, the residency supports artists-in-residence to create Regenerative Arts projects from their own perspectives. We are named after the fish with a snout like a pig that lives its life as both sexes. It surpasses our pre-conceived notions and invites us into a lived experience of the world that is authentic, bigger, and better. That is Hogfish. www.hogfish.org

Meghan Scribner is the Arts Integration Specialist at Side x Side. Megan is an interdisciplinary artist and educator with a master’s degree in counseling/art therapy and fine arts. She has always been curious about the interplay between the arts and resilience in education and mental and physical health. Meghan brings a breadth of experience and creative energy to Side x Side. Her work includes curriculum and program development, collaborative teaching, and professional development design and implementation.

Meghan Quigley Graham is currently the Director of Learning & Teaching at the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, Maine. In her role there, she engages with school communities, including students, educators, and administrators. She develops and sustains school partnership programs, including a multifaceted partnership with the Portland Public Schools. She also implements and expands a partnership with the medical community in Southern Maine, mostly with Maine Medical Center, focusing on the connections between art, health, and medical practice. Meghan holds a B.A. in Art History from Wheaton College (Massachusetts) and an M.A. in Museum Education from Tufts University. With nearly 15 years of experience in the museum field, she is deeply committed to arts education and public engagement. www.portlandmuseum.org/magazine/art-literature-medicine

Katharine Doughty (RSMT/RSME) studied visual art and somatics at Hampshire College. She practiced massage therapy for 20 years while continuing her creative work and engagement with somatic movement modalities. From 2015-2019 she attended Tamalpa Institute's expressive arts training program and completed her 18-year series of archetypal portraiture: "In My Own Language “while continuing to navigate metastatic breast cancer. She offers expressive arts and somatic therapies to individuals and groups and works on a second durational project "Finding the Ocean": a 365-piece jewelry journal. www.katharinedoughty.com

Jean Deighan, member of the St Joseph Hospital Healing Arts Commission. The Program was established in 2014 by Katie Schaffer, Deb Dall, Miki Macdonald, NP, and Mary Prybylo, RN. The purpose of the Healing Arts Program is to enhance the healthcare environment and aid in healing and recovery. The program is overseen by the St. Joseph Healthcare Art Commission, a group of volunteers who guide the exhibition and acquisition of art in many different forms: rotating art exhibits, permanent collections, sculpture, music, and performances. The growth of the Healing Arts program is supported by generous donors and the dedication of our amazing volunteers

Jamie Silvestri, Program Director/Art therapist/Founder + Organization at ArtVan. In 2004, Art Therapist Jamie Silvestri founded ArtVan out of a deep commitment to community well-being, relationship building, and an all-inclusive population focused approach. For 17 years, she worked with inner-city youth and in psychiatric care hospitals, and 21 years with ArtVan. She envisioned a program that would bring art therapy directly into neighborhoods with limited access to social services, afterschool programs, and summer activities. ArtVan expanded to additional populations working to empower and strengthen people of all abilities to support their mental health and creative self-expression for healing

Artist, curator, and community organizer Peter Bruun co-founded Studio B in 2022 to use art and story for community justice and wellbeing in Maine. After decades in Baltimore, he relocated to Maine in 2019; in Baltimore he founded the New Day Campaign, tackling stigma around mental illness and substance use—a body of work for which Michael Bloomberg recognized him as one of 10 national innovators at the 2018 Bloomberg American Health Summit in Washington, D.C. This year, Governor Janet Mills presented him the Governor’s Award at Maine’s Opioid Response Summit for Studio B’s 2024 “19 Towns, 19 Stories.” This past summer, Studio B launched the Puddle Dock Village Festival, an innovative month-long series of exhibitions and programs addressing community wellbeing.

Meriah Hope (she/her) is the Age Equity Program Manager Maine Council on Aging. Meriah joined the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA) in January 2025 as an Age Equity Program Manager. She began her career in the world of Interfaith Volunteer Caregiving and quickly found that helping older adults to live their best lives was “heart work” for her. Meriah worked in that world in small rural programs, then at the state and national level, helping the movement transition from its roots with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation into an independent national organization. A special interest in memory care led her to develop a volunteer training program for individuals providing respite to caregivers of loved ones with dementia. She then spent years with the primary title of “Mom,” while teaching dance, doing motivational coaching and flower farming. When Meriah began to learn about ageism through MCOA, she found the intersection of her previous work with older adults and her passion for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. As an Age Equity Program Manager with MCOA, she currently works as Lead Facilitator for MCOA’s Leadership Exchange on Ageism, heads MCOA’s Creative Aging project in partnership with the Maine Arts Commission, and heads MCOA’s Age-Positive Workforce Initiative. Meriah holds a degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of South Dakota.

As Director, Community Resiliency at United Way of Southern Maine, Lee Klarman is dedicated to helping individuals and families thrive during and beyond times of crisis. With more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Lee leads collaborative efforts to ensure that community members with the least access to resources can connect to the care and support they need. Within this framework, UWSM is working to bring a Social Prescription program to Maine. He holds a degree in Visual Arts and maintains a lifelong passion for artistic creation.

Phil Wormuth is a 28-year public school educator, fellow of the Maine Writing Project (2008), editor of Maine Short, Short Stories by "Just Ned" McInnis (2009), and author of Venus Remembered and Other Poems (2015.) Wormuth collaborated with the band BipTunia (2017-20), contributing lyrics and performing spoken-word on 30 commercially available albums. He has been a member of ASCAP - American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, since 2017. Wormuth's work in corrections over the course of 20+ years resulted in the publication of Inside Out: Art and Writing by Residents of the Hancock County Jail (2025.)

Lisa Kuzma spent the first 20 years of her professional life working in commercial banking in Pittsburgh, PA as a lender and ultimately running the credit training program for Mellon Bank, at that time the largest bank in the city. Through her tenure at Deloitte and the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management at Robert Morris University, Lisa developed consulting skills and shifted her financial focus to the nonprofit sector. After collaborating with foundations in Pittsburgh to support their nonprofit grantees, Lisa ultimately joined the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the largest foundation in Pittsburgh. While focusing primarily on human services and economic development, Lisa supported the Foundation’s significant conservation work by providing financial expertise when necessary. Lisa retired in September 2024 from Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services where she developed data analytic tools to provide leadership with real time financial dashboards to inform investment decisions. Lisa also has experience teaching finance for nonprofits at graduate, undergraduate and community setting.

Lisa moved to Maine in 2022 after the death of her son Zack earlier that year and is spending her retirement supporting the nonprofit community here including an effort called Zack Twenty-Five which created a partnership between the arts and human service communities to provide meaningful mentorships for transition aged youth as they exist the foster care system.

Cave is a first-generation college student studying Health Sciences at Central Maine Community College and working toward a future career in nursing. He serves as a YLAT Ambassador, using his leadership to help uplift youth voices and support positive changes across the community. Cave loves skateboarding and learning new skills because they have empowered him to push through tough moments. His biggest motivation comes from the people he meets on his journey and the chance to make them feel supported, welcomed, and heard.

Kate Beever is an experienced and professional advocate for access to arts and healthcare. Her business, Maine Music & Health, was founded in 2011 and has won awards from the SBA and INC Magazine. She works as a music therapist in pediatric palliative care and adult neuro rehab. Beever created the Creative Health Conference and co-founded Expressive Wellness Trainings; both endeavors build relationships between arts and health professionals. She is a fellow in the National Arts Strategies' Creative Communities. Beever is also a performing percussionist, having toured and recorded internationally.

Ron Capps is a memoirist, songwriter, and playwright. His plays have been staged by community and regional theaters, colleges, and at U.S. and international festivals. His 2014 memoir, Seriously Not All Right: Five Wars in Ten Years, was a finalist for the Books for a Better Life Award. Ron studied creative writing at Johns Hopkins and Fairfield, and songwriting at Berklee College of Music. He is a disabled combat veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the founder of the Veterans Writing Project, a non-profit that provides free writing workshops for veterans. In 2017, the Johns Hopkins University awarded Ron the Anne Smedinghoff Award for, “a life dedicated to service, social justice, and a commitment to others.” Ron is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild. He lives in Maine.

Since 2021, Matt Aelmore has served as the Grant Coordinator at Mid-America Arts Alliance for the Creative Forces® Community Engagement Grant Program which has awarded over 100 grants to arts projects benefiting military-connected communities across the country. Matt is a non-profit professional who has spent his career working to build the capacity of community organizations. As an AmeriCorps volunteer, he provided classroom support to students in a communities-in-schools initiative in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood. Prior to joining M-AAA Matt served as Compliance Director at Pittsburgh’s workforce development board where he led an initiative to help community organizations develop sustainable administrative policies. While working on Creative Forces, Matt collaborates with prospective grantees, current grantees, and NEA partners to build a community of practice for military/arts program providers.

Outside of his work as a grant administrator, Matt is an accomplished musician who has recorded and performed with a wide variety of artists including funk legend Betty Davis and Indonesian dangdut superstar Rhoma Irama. He holds degrees in music theory and composition from Wichita State University (BM), Manhattan School of Music (MM), and the University of Pittsburgh (PhD).

Lori Bryant is a Maine-based visual artist and U.S. Army Veteran whose work explores emotional landscapes and the healing power of art. Her paintings often reflect the layered experience of living with PTSD and the role art has played in her own recovery. Lori is the facilitator of the Healing Art Program at the Maine Veterans Project, where she guides Veterans and their plus-ones in using art as a grounding, restorative practice. Her trauma-informed and community-centered approach reflects her belief that creativity offers connection and meaningful pathways to healing for military connected individuals. Is this ok or would it be better if I make it more personable? I’m not sure what would work best for MVP. I would really like them to get this grant. They help so many Veterans. They have helped me.

Amber Walker is a Maine-based artist, clinical social worker, and veteran. After earning her MSW from the University of New England, she served ten years in the U.S. Air Force. She continues her uniformed service today as the Lead Behavioral Health Officer in the Maine Army National Guard. Her passion for art in her clinical practice led her to become a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist in 2024. For over two decades, Amber has immersed herself in art journaling and has expanded into workshops for veterans, students, and trauma survivors. Her mixed media work, including her 2022 series of 365 dresses have been exhibited in art galleries across Maine. She has also been featured in Studio Visit Magazine and more than fifteen issues of Stampington & Company’s Art Journaling magazine. Her body of work is intuitive and often incorporates themes of women and the pursuit of freedom.

Phil Wormuth is a 28-year public school educator, fellow of the Maine Writing Project (2008), editor of Maine Short, Short Stories by "Just Ned" McInnis (2009), and author of Venus Remembered and Other Poems (2015.) Wormuth collaborated with the band BipTunia (2017-20), contributing lyrics and performing spoken-word on 30 commercially available albums. He has been a member of ASCAP - American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, since 2017. Wormuth's work in corrections over the course of 20+ years resulted in the publication of Inside Out: Art and Writing by Residents of the Hancock County Jail (2025.)

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Maya Williams (ey/they/she) is a religious Black multiracial nonbinary suicide survivor who served as Portland, ME's seventh poet laureate for a July 2021 to July 2024 term. Maya has a MSW in Social Work from University of New England and a MFA in Creative Writing from Randolph College. Eir debut full length poetry collection Judas & Suicide (Game Over Books, 2023) was selected as a finalist for a New England Book Award. Their second full length poetry collection, Refused a Second Date (Harbor Editions, 2023), was selected as a finalist for a Maine Literary Award. They won two chapbook prizes: What's So Wrong with a Pity Party Anyway? won Garden Party Collective's Chapbook Prize in 2024 selected by Mónica Teresa Ortiz; and Feminine Morbidity won The Headlight Review's Chapbook Prize selected by Olatunde Osinaike in 2025.

Chris Appleton is the Founder and CEO of Art Pharmacy, a social prescribing company that works with partners in healthcare, education, and workforce management to address the dual mental health and loneliness crises in the United States. Chris holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management with a Certificate in Healthcare Leadership. Appleton and his work have been featured in the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, CNN, Forbes, ABC, CBS, NPR, TEDx, Fast Company, and more. Appleton’s strong commitment to servant leadership, family, and civic engagement has led him to be bestowed numerous awards and honors, including the Americans for the Arts National Emerging Leader Award, Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Inaugural Healthcare Champion Award, Emory Center for Creativity and the Arts Community Impact Award, Atlanta Business Chronicle 40 Under 40, Georgia Trend’s 100 Notable Georgians, World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers, New Leaders Council Alumni Award, 2019 Class of Leadership Atlanta and Outstanding Atlanta Class of 2014.

His service includes is his role as a member of the Board of Directors with the Foundation for Social Connection and the Grady Hospital Ambassador Force Advisory Board, creating awareness and providing vital support for the Grady Health System. Appleton has served on numerous additional boards including the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Affordable Housing Advisory Board, Americans for the Arts Emerging Leaders Council, Atlanta Celebrates Photography, Alliance Theatre Advisory Board, Health Connect South Advisory Board and more. At the heart of Chris’s life’s work, he believes that lasting, sustainable change happens when people work across boundaries and barriers. Appleton and his wife, Annie, who works for Sartain Lanier Family Foundation, live in Atlanta with their two young children.

As Director, Community Resiliency at United Way of Southern Maine, Lee Klarman is dedicated to helping individuals and families thrive during and beyond times of crisis. With more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Lee leads collaborative efforts to ensure that community members with the least access to resources can connect to the care and support they need. Within this framework, UWSM is working to bring a Social Prescription program to Maine. He holds degrees in Visual Arts, and Community and Justice Studies from Guilford College, and a master's degree in policy, Planning, and Non-Profit Management from the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine. Lee resides along the Saco River and outside of work, he enjoys hiking to waterfalls with his family & dogs, growing garlic, and maintains a lifelong passion for artistic creation.

Dr. Erik Holmgren has overseen the development and scaling of the Mass Cultural Council’s groundbreaking work in the social prescription of arts experiences, in addition to his work leading the Creative Youth Development and Education team at the agency. His work is founded on the belief that sustainable funding for the arts will not come from the arts sector. Instead, it will come from the sectors we have outcomes in. Prior to his work at the Council, Dr. Holmgren was a concert saxophonist, performing with a diverse group of organizations from the United States Military Academy Band at West Point to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He was on faculty at Columbia University, and his writing has been published in magazines, journals, and most recently, by Routledge.