The Resilience Collaborative provides regional support for Maine communities to increase climate resilience. It consists of a network of assistance providers who support enrolled communities, especially rural, underserved, and low-capacity communities, with services to plan, design, and implement climate resilience and natural-hazard risk-reduction projects.
The Collaborative builds upon and expands the recently completed Regional Coordinators Pilot supported by the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF) and includes:
- Ten Regional Resilience Coordinators located at each of Maine’s ten regional councils,
- Three Tribal Resilience Coordinators who serve all five of Maine’s Tribal Governments, and
- Three Resilience Finance Coordinators who provide assistance in understanding and utilizing capital investment planning, municipal/tribal budgeting practices, project finance strategies, and other long-term approaches to implement climate resilience, emissions reduction, and clean energy projects.
Resilience Coordinators work with communities and Tribal Governments to provide project development and management, technical assistance, community engagement support, process guidance, and grant writing and management services.
The Resilience Collaborative is funded through the NOAA Climate Resilience Regional Challenge grant awarded to Maine in 2024 to protect Maine’s communities, environment, and working waterfronts from extreme storms, inland flooding, and rising sea levels. The Resilient Maine proposal supports a shared vision for resilience developed through collaboration across state agencies, regional organizations, tribal communities, municipalities, educational institutions, and NGOs, to build enduring community capacity by providing urgently needed technical assistance to communities adapting to climate impacts.
Resilience Finance Coordinators
University of Southern Maine's Catherine Cutler Institute
A partnership between USM's New England Environmental Finance Center (NEEFC) and the Portland-based Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI).
- Andrea Berry, NEEFC Climate Funding Manager, andrea.berry@maine.edu
- Chloe Shields, NEEFC Deputy Director, chloe.f.shields@maine.edu
- Nikki Yanok, GMRI Climate Finance Specialist, nyanok@gmri.org
Tribal Resilience Coordinators
Mi’kmaq Nation Environmental Department
The positions are currently being staffed and will be based at the Mi’kmaq Nation Environmental Department in Presque Isle, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians Natural Resources Department in Houlton, and the Sipayik Resilience Committee’s office space in Calais and Machias.
The Tribal Resilience Coordinators will work alongside the existing intertribal Wabanaki Sustainable Energy Coordinator and two sustainable energy coordinators recently hired by the Penobscot Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribe.
Androscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford Counties
Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments
Regional Coordinator: Catherine Mardosa, cmardosa@avcog.org
Piscataquis and Penobscot Counties
Eastern Maine Development Corporation
Regional Coordinator: Kristen Settele, ksettele@emdc.org
Cumberland County
Greater Portland Council of Governments
Regional Coordinator: Gretchen Anderson, ganderson@gpcog.org
Hancock County
Hancock County Planning Commission
Regional Coordinator: Janna Richards, jrichards@hcpcme.org
Kennebec, Somerset, and western Waldo Counties
Kennebec Valley Council of Governments
Regional Coordinator: Grainne Shaw, gshaw@kvcog.org
Lincoln County
Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission
Regional Coordinators: Laura Graziano, lgraziano@lcrpc.org
Knox, Sagadahoc, and eastern Waldo Counties
Midcoast Council of Governments
Regional Coordinators: Meg Rasmussen, mrasmussen@midcoastcog.com; Reed Silvers, rsilvers@midcoastcog.com
Aroostook County
Northern Maine Development Commission
Regional Coordinator: Jared Tapley, jtapley@nmdc.org
Washington County
Sunrise County Economic Council
Regional Coordinator: Tanya Rucosky, trucosky@sunrisecounty.org
York County
Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission
Regional Coordinator: Melanie Nash, mnash@smpdc.org
If you have questions about the Resilience Collaborative, or need assistance finding your Regional Coordinator, reach out to Marina Tomer, Resilience Collaborative Program Manager, at Marina.Tomer@maine.gov or 207-816-2528.