In her role as a Senior Community Development Officer with the Island Institute, Lia works with our Center for Marine Economy to advance efforts to electrify Maine’s working waterfront–including trials for electric outboards and new hulls.

Lia has spent much of her life engaging in the nonprofit sector, from volunteer and board roles to professional positions. The common thread across these experiences is a passion and interest for building community and opportunities for collaboration and consensus.  Most recently, Lia spent ten years at Colby College, the first eight as the environmental studies program coordinator, and the final two as a STEM advisor. Lia is particularly proud to have played an early and key role as the community outreach coordinator for the precedent setting Penobscot River Restoration Project.

Lia has an M.A. in environmental policy and planning from Tufts University and her B.A. in environmental studies and biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Having grown up in Southwest Harbor, as the daughter of a boat builder, Lia’s youth was filled with gunkholing around the Maine coast under sail and paddle and enjoying the woods of Acadia. Lia lives in Oakland, Maine, with her husband and two teenage children. A perfect day for her involves hiking a summit with her dog or skiing some fresh snow.