In his role as Senior Community Development Officer at Island Institute, Jeff is part of the Center for Marine Economy, and provides leadership for our work in creating a more resilient coastal economy.

Jeff joined Island Institute after working as CEO at an innovative medical device company, advising investment strategy in renewable energy companies at Elemental Excelerator, serving as press secretary and foreign policy advisor to U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, and co-founding, building, and selling his first startup, hearforward.com. Jeff spent two years in the U.S. Peace Corps helping Maya villagers in Belize start businesses, and he brings his passion for community development to our team.

Jeff is a third-generation Mainer with a family history embedded in Maine’s coastal communities. His grandfather was a lighthouse keeper on Wood Island, Owls Head, and Portland Head Light, and he grew up exploring tide pools along the coast. Jeff holds a M.S. in Community Development and Applied Economics from the University of Vermont and undergraduate degrees in both economics and political science from the University of Maine. He lives in Hallowell, where he spends his winters alpine and cross-country skiing and summers mountain biking and competing in ultra-marathon trail running races.