Speakers

Katie Lisnik is the new Executive Director of the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society.  Prior to joining the GAHS team, she served as the national Director of Companion Animal Public Policy at The Humane Society of the United States, focusing on raising awareness and effectiveness of pet related public policy at the federal, state and local level. During her twelve years at The HSUS, she was also the Maine State Director and national Director of Cat Protection and Policy. 

A Maine native, Katie has worked at another animal shelter in Maine, as an Animal Control Officer, veterinary technician and other several other animal-welfare roles.  She has a Bachelors degree in Animal Science from the University of Vermont and her Master’s of Science in Animals and Public Policy from Tufts Veterinary School.  She currently resides in Auburn with her husband and two cats.  

Jill McLaughlin is the marketing and education coordinator for ReVision Energy. Originally from New Hampshire, she moved to Portland in 2017 from New York City, where she worked in book publishing and volunteered with local environmental activism groups. 

Jamie provides ongoing support and expertise to homeless youth and parenting students by helping them find needed resources. For those with no insurance, Jamie can assist them with getting insurance and other essential supports to help improve their overall wellbeing. Jamie has been a case-manager for almost 10 years and is passionate in helping youth. She often can be found at public speaking engagements sharing her knowledge of homeless youth needs, programs and services and is a volunteer on the Parenting Teen Advisory Board and The Human Trafficking Collaborative.

Jamie is a certified Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper.

Steven H. Marson is the Chief Executive Officer at Martin and Ware Inc., d/b/a Central Maine Pyrotechnics and Pyro City Maine Consumer Fireworks Stores. Steven is responsible for overseeing the complete fireworks display operations as they pertain to all Federal, State and Local permitting requirements and Safety Procedures for conducting a Fireworks Displays for the public in all 6 New England States. Steven is also responsible for overseeing the Pyro City Maine Consumer Fireworks Stores of which he owns 8 of in the State of Maine.

Steven is the Past Board Chair for Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce. Steven is the Past President of the Gardiner Board of Trade and still serves as a board member. Steven sits on the Johnson Hall Capital Campaign Committee.  Steven is a member of the Gardiner Rotary Club.

Sarah Cecil is the Marketing and Development Manager at SeniorsPlus, Western Maine’s designated Agency on Aging, where the mission is to enrich the lives of older people and adults with disabilities.

Sarah is one of fourteen people in Maine and New Hampshire who have been trained in peer facilitation of evidence-based recommendations related to reframing aging and elder abuse by the FrameWorks Institute, a research organization based in Washington, DC, as part of a statewide Reframing Aging Initiative. The goal of this initiative is to inspire a more informed and productive conversation about aging and what it means for our policies, practices, and communities.  A graduate of Brown University, Sarah has many years of nonprofit experience as well as editorial experience, including editing college-level psychology and sociology textbooks for McGraw-Hill.

Slim Andrews, born Leonard Andrews Huntington, Jr. on June 14, 1931, is a Maine country music artist with seven decades of performing at the local and regional levels. He began his music career in 1942 at the age of eleven when he won a talent contest at the Community Theater in New Auburn, ME. He got his first guitar at this time and spent 75 years of his life entertaining throughout the South and Northeast.

In 2017 at the age of 86, Slim Andrews set an all time airplay record for a Maine country music artist. In addition to that, he also set a record for chart appearances by a Maine country music artist on the International Mainstream Country Music Charts.

Slim is, and continues to be, the Chairman of the Induction Committee for the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame. He also serves on the Board of Directors for this organization. He continues to be a major spokesperson for the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame Museum which he helped to establish. The Maine Country Music Hall of Fame Museum is one of only a few museums of this nature in the entire country.