Esther Anne, Passamaquoddy from Sipayik, joined the Muskie School of Public Service in 2003 where she works on projects that engage and benefit tribal communities including facilitating the Maine tribal state Indian Child Welfare Act workgroup and creating child welfare resources with the Capacity Building Center for Tribes. She had a primary role in the creation and establishment of the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Wabanaki REACH. Esther serves as Board Chair and for the communications and Development Committee.
Penthea Burns, has served on the REACH Board of Directors since 2018. She is currently the Board Secretary and serves on various committees. Penthea is a volunteer facilitator in REACH community education programs. She is a co-founder of Wabanaki REACH, the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission. She worked at the University of Southern Maine (1999-2024) delivering direct service, advocacy, training and technical assistance, and policy guidance. She established the Youth Leadership Advisory Team (youth leaders in foster care), Camp To Belong Maine (a summer camp program that reunites siblings separated by foster care and adoption), and the Family Engagement Advisory Team (parents with lived experience in child welfare helping to strengthen child welfare services). Penthea enjoys spending time with her adult son who lives in NJ, living with her Chinook dogs, maple sugaring season each year, and writing poetry to make sense of her experiences.
Nolan Altvater, Passamaquoddy from Sipayik, currently resides in panuwapskewihkuk (Orono, ME.). After growing up in Sipayik and what is now Aroostook County, they attended the University of Maine studying education where they helped in research revolving around the Wabanaki Studies Law. Following their undergraduate studies, they spent a few years in what is now known as Cambridge at the Harvard Graduate School of Education where they received a master’s degree in education policy. Upon returning to Maine, they began working for the Passamaquoddy Tribe and Maine Coast Heritage Trust in the ares of Land Return and Cultural Preservation as they are a PhD Student at the University of Maine. . Outside of school and work, they are a visual artist and birch bark canoe mentee.
Steven Holmes is a Passamaquoddy tribal citizen from Sipayik. He is currently the Board Treasurer. Steve lives in Glenburn, he was born in CT and raised primarily by his grandparents Mike and Susan Holmes, who brought him back to Wabanakik after college. He spent almost a decade living out of state before returning home to settle down and start a family. His children, now adults, both live nearby while he has his fur baby Bailey to keep him company.Steven has extensive experience in sales and a degree in Electronic Engineering Technology. He worked for Penobscot Nation Enterprises as an executive with a subsidiary for approximately 7 years and has been employed with Spectrum Cable for the last 7 years where he is currently working to bring broadband access to tribal communities.Steven has been volunteering with Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness since they opened their doors in 1996 as Wabanaki Mental Health Association, always ready to help out with whatever is needed from driving to cooking to moving furniture. He has also worked with Four Directions Development Corporation, the Penobscot Nation Apprenticeship program, the WaYS program, and served as the Passamaquoddy at Sipayik representative to the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission for a year.Steven’s philosophy is that life is all about learning, appreciating how fortunate he has been by giving back to Wabanaki people. He considers food sovereignty and language revitalization as essential to independence as tribal nations.
Juanita Grant, is a Passamaquoddy tribal citizen with a passion for advocating for Wabanaki people. Juanita, has worked with various non-profits where she has been honored to work with Wabanaki people, connecting them with resources and gathering communities. She currently works at Maine Family Planning as the Associate Director of Wabanaki Engagement. Juanita’s experience with REACH includes community organizing during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and story collecting during Beyond the Claims. Juanita says, “I love REACH and everything it stands for: truth, healing, and change. REACH has been part of my own personal healing journey and it’s been an honor to serve our communities.” When asked what drives her volunteerism, Juanita’s response is simple and powerful – “love.”
Becca Kennedy, is a mother, wife, and community member living in Freeport Maine. She works with Isaacson, Miller, on executive recruiting, consulting, and change management with mission-driven organizations. Becca’s commitment, knowledge, and experience has helped REACH in her prior volunteer role and now as a Board member. She says, “I still believe that by volunteering, the world can be a better place and that we can achieve goals by giving of our time and working together.” She has been deepening her understanding of colonization and decolonization for years and has sought to be part of the ongoing work of reconciliation, education, truth telling, change, and healing between Wabanaki and white communities. Becca enjoys gardening, hiking, spending time with my family and pets, and generally being outside.
Tilly Laskey, was born and raised in Brunswick, Maine. She is a museum curator and has worked in museums in Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and South Dakota. Tilly has worked at Maine Historical Society since 2014. Tilly is joining the REACH Board to support truth telling and create transformational change in this territory. Tilly reflects on seeing televised coverage about the Truth Commission in its early days, “even though I studied Indigenous history and had worked professionally in museums for decades, hearing Denise Altvater discuss the harms done in Maine by the state and US government and her hope for healing through reconciliation work ignited something in me.” It focused her museum work to effect change through collaborative curation and Indigenous informed collections stewardship. Tilly lives in Brunswick in the house her grandfather built.