Our People
Admin Team
Drew Dumsch
President & CEO
MA (1993) University of Tennessee, BA (1990) Kalamazoo College (both degrees in English).
Drew has worked as an environmental educator in California, Massachusetts, Tennessee and the Chicago area and since 1991 has been an ecologist, naturalist and educator in Saco, Maine. He co-founded The Ecology School in 1998 and is an active member of the Maine Environmental Education Association (MEEA) and the Nature Based Education Consortium (NBEC). Drew also works closely with the Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA) and the Maine Outdoor School for All Network for Maine (MOSFA)-- to promote the work of environmental living & learning centers nationally and in Maine. When not working to advance the cause of ecology, local food systems and sustainability education, Drew spends his time with his wife, Lisa, and their kids/young adults, Nico and Sophia, on the Nonesuch River behind their house.
Laura Dehler
Business Manager
MBA, Simmons School of Management; AB, Dartmouth College, French & History
Having meandered for several years working in law, academia, and finance, Laura found her preferred niche wearing a variety of hats in community nonprofits and causes, most recently as Financial Officer at York Housing. Previously, she worked in administration at the York Public Library and Kennebunk Land Trust and served as Director of Marketing and Development at The Center for Wildlife and Old York Historical Society. A love of Maine’s land, seascapes, forests, flora and fauna, and gorgeous sunsets drew her to The Ecology School’s important mission and breathtaking campus at River Bend Farm. When not at her desk, Laura enjoys teaching yoga, paddling her kayak, spending time with her kitties, Clarabel and Wolfie, and traipsing through fields, woodlands, and salt marshes with her husband, Frank.
Stacy Faivre
Communications Coordinator
Stacy’s passion for community connection and sustainable living/farming is what brought her to The Ecology School. Originally from New Jersey, Stacy will never get bored of Maine’s natural landscape and loves to enjoy it on land or the water. Stacy became a Registered Maine Guide in 2020 to deepen her knowledge of plant identification and outdoor safety, while also helping others to come as they are and enjoy getting outside. Stacy loves crafting, baking sourdough bread, printmaking, listening to a good record, or going on a hike or paddle with her partner, Craig & their dog, Rey.
Alex Grindle
Director of Learning Experiences
BA (2001) in Environmental Studies & Politics from Oberlin College.
Alex began her career at The Ecology School in the spring of 2002 as an educator and stepped into an administrative position in January of 2004. At The Ecology School, she is responsible for coordinating all aspects of The Ecology School program. She and her husband Peter spend most of their non-work time enjoying the antics of their twin boys. When not totally wrapped up in the day to day of caring for their boys , some of the other things she finds herself doing include: enjoying being outside in just about any capacity (beekeeping and gardening), reading (especially if it is young adult literature or parenting books), or being a sous chef as her husband Peter cooks scrumptious meals.
Meg Edstrom Jones
Director of Educational Partnerships & The Teacher Institute
MEd (2004) in Elementary Education from the University of Maine. BA (2001) in Philosophy and Religion from Colgate University.
Meg has taught in many settings; on mountains, along rivers, in the classroom and at the beach. When not enjoying The Nature, Meg can be found touching her toes, training to be Wonder Woman, or adventuring with her husband, Clay, and their two avid explorers Evan and Clayton Vee. After starting her Ecology School career as an educator in the spring of 2007, she quickly joined the administrative team, coordinating our multi-year curriculum, in addition to summer and vacation camps. Meg can also be found dashing around, presenting workshops at regional and national conferences.
Tori Kleinbort
Business Development Manager
B.A. (2010) Sarah Lawrence College
M.E.M. (2014) in Coastal Environmental Management from Duke University
Originally from Chicago, Tori’s passion for the ocean began during her time in college when she had the chance to spend a semester sailing from the Caribbean to New Bedford, MA on the Spirit of Massachusetts and a semester living in the Galapagos Islands studying environmental conservation. Through these experiences Tori discovered the power of immersive education and has spent the last 15 years of her career developing, implementing and marketing inclusive, immersive and awe-inspiring educational programs for people of all ages taking place in both built and natural environments. Tori started her relationship with The Ecology School in the Spring of 2012 as an educator and couldn’t be more excited to return as the Business Development Manager! Having recently relocated to Maine from Charleston, SC you can find Tori at the gym training for her next PR, singing, baking, writing a new stand-up routine to try out on stage, or enjoying the outdoors with her partner Cody and their dog Riot and cat Figgy.
Rich O'Brien
Director of Operations & Food Services
In 2019, Rich joined our full time staff as our Operations Manager. Prior to this, Rich had been working seasonally as our chef since 1991. In partnership with Pangea Food Service Management, which was established by Rich in 1998, The Ecology School has been able to provide a holistic food experience, sharing the story of food with our participants, and highlighting the connections between food, humans and the environment. Rich now works closely with each member of our Team to ensure that the site runs smoothly.
Alena Shaughnessy
Database Coordinator
Alena brings ten years of non-profit database management experience to The Ecology School. While she enjoys working with data and charts, Alena also appreciates Maine’s many opportunities to explore the outdoors. In the warmer months, she likes working in her garden and checking out local watering holes.
Aviva Shaw
Development Manager
A native New Yorker, Aviva has lived all over Maine since 1994—first moving to the Acadia National Park area as a teen, then Downeast for college as a young adult, and finally settling in Portland. Aviva has founded, served, and worked with non-profits her entire career. This combined with the experience of growing up on a robust backyard farm as a child, Aviva was immediately drawn to The Ecology School and its mission. Along with her dog and three children, Aviva enjoys many activities and interests, such as gardening, painting, yoga, hiking, kayaking, camping, cooking, chauffeuring her kids, traveling, renovating homes, reading, and striving to be as zero-waste as possible.
Marguerite Wiser
Farm Manager
Bachelor of Arts, Honors in English/Environmental Studies, St. Lawrence University
For the past several years Marguerite has enjoyed working on farms and gardens in Maine and beyond. She enjoys spending time outdoors, growing colorful vegetables, and does her very best to not get sunburned! She's excited to join the team at The Ecology School, and can't wait to get growing.
Support Team
Hodete Matussandra - Operations Support Supervisor
Nicole Newton - Operations Support Staff
Ecology Educators
Avi Abraham
they/them
Avi is originally from New Jersey and has been working in education for the past 5 years in the classroom, on the farm, and in the forest. They’re passionate about collaborating with the natural world to facilitate moments of expansion, when we’re able to realize we’re part of a bigger system, or that we’re capable of much more than we previously thought. When they’re not on trail, you can find Avi reading in a hammock, snacking on foraged finds, or playing their guitar.
Hannah Avidon
she/her
Hannah grew up in Washington, DC but has spent the last few years in New England. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 2023 and then lived on a farm in Connecticut where she worked as an outdoor educator. In her free time, Hannah loves to read, play games, spend time outside, do a wide variety of crafts, and pet as many dogs as humanely possible. She is very excited to be teaching in Maine this season!
Mia Cecchettini
she/her
Mia is an aspiring Biology teacher who is passionate about learning to better support adolescents in their science learning journey. She has a background in working with special needs children and teenagers, which she also applies to working with neurotypical children to support them on an individual level. In her free time, she likes to dance, rock climb, and spend time with her family’s foster dogs.
Ayane Garrison
they/them
Ayane is a graduate from Vassar College with a BA in Biology and has a background in wildlife research and fieldwork. They love to be outdoors, work hands-on, and be excited about nature with kids. They are passionate about inclusivity, community, and accessibility in science. In their free time, Ayane loves to go birding, hiking, make art, and look for critters.
Kate Gwatkin
she/her
Kate is originally from Ohio, and her passion for anything related to the outdoors and water started from her time growing up near Cuyahoga Valley National Park. She holds her B.S. in Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Conservation from University of North Carolina Wilmington (2024). Shortly after graduating, she spent time in South Africa where she Kate discovered her passion for marine conservation, research, and connecting others to the natural world through personal discovery. Kate enjoys spending time outside (preferably near any body of water), running long distances, yoga, and music of all kinds.
Ryan Kipnis
she/her
Ryan grew up in the mountains of Northern New Mexico and graduated from Emerson College with a B.F.A in Theatre Education in 2024. She specializes in hands-on experiential learning that promotes community connections, social and emotional development, and trauma recovery. Ryan is passionate about exploring how being in nature helps people connect more deeply to themselves, each other, and the environment around them. When she is not exploring outside, Ryan enjoys good books, live music, and silly theatre games. She is so excited about the opportunity to teach in Maine!
Jake Linck
he/him
Jake grew up in rural Upstate New York, and graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Urban Ecology. He is interested in examining how humans fit into the interconnectedness of the environment, and is excited to share the wonder of the outdoors with his students. In his free time, you might find Jake out for a run, playing soccer, making art, or cooking!
Muhammad Nuruddin
Muhammad grew up in the beautiful country of Indonesia and received his Bachelor’s in Wildlife Biology & Management at the University of Wyoming in 2024. He has a deep interest in human wildlife conflict— particularly through physiology research. His passion and goal is to contribute to his home community through education and other academic means. In his free time, Muhammad loves basketball, reading, walking in the woods, and watching wildlife docs.
Nick Sadenwater
he/him
Nick grew up in Indianapolis, spending most of his time playing a variety of sports, playing in a number of different orchestras and bands, spending time learning skills and developing a love for the outdoors through scouting, and generally copying any other activity his older brother also did. While going to Central Michigan University to study conservation biology and environmental education he found a passion for working with kids, everywhere from working at summer camps to hosting birthday parties at a local rock wall to taking kids on weeklong camping excursions. In his free time Nick likes to rock climb, ski, make coffee and explore new places.
Julia Shields
she/her
Julia is from Pennsylvania. She spent summers in college working for a local outdoor education nonprofit where she fell in love with nature and found a passion for helping others discover and enjoy the outdoors. After graduating from Penn State Behrend in 2023 she joined AmeriCorps and spent several months working with environmental conservation nonprofits in California, Oregon, and Nevada. In her free time she enjoys hiking, knitting, crafting of any kind, reading, and thrifting.
Star Sweet
Star graduated with a degree in Outdoor Education in 2020 and has been working in the field ever since! Most recently, Star was an educator at Camp Jekyll 4H in Georgia, where a lot was learned about coastal ecology. When not teaching, Star enjoys reading, writing, watching anime, hiking, and sword fighting.
Farm Apprentices
Avi Mondak & Jo Ellis (from left)
2024 Student Farm Apprentices
Clayton Coleman
Farm Assistant
Clayton started here as an Ecology Educator in Fall 2019 and is now in his second year on the farm. He grew up in California, but his work in education and conservation has taken him around the globe—from monitoring shore bird hatchlings in New Zealand to teaching marsh ecology in Rhode Island. He loves the community he has found at The Ecology School, and is grateful everyday to work outside where he can observe the changing of the seasons and munch on fresh veggies!