Our Board
Andree Appel
Andree Appel is a mostly retired Physician Assistant who has been with MCNMG since its inception. Prior to retirement, she spent many years at Oasis Clinic, first as a volunteer and later as its first Executive and Clinical Director. Having moved around the country and lived in Germany as a child, and having lived and worked on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico, in Alaska, and with the Peace Corps in Cape Verde, W. Africa as an adult, Andree learned to value the beautiful diversity of people and cultures and would like to see that diversity celebrated in our community as well.
Carol Kalajainen
Carol Kalajainen has been a part of Mid Coast New Mainers since 2017. She is a retired ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) teacher, having taught English to children, university students, and adults in Malaysia, New Jersey, France, and Maine. She has an MEd in Language Education from Rutgers. Past non-profit board experience includes organizations for the arts, children’s issues, education, and cultural adjustment. Carol has two daughters and four grandchildren. She moved to Brunswick in 2003 where she now lives with her husband and their communicative cat.
Diana Krauss
Raised in Philadelphia by recent immigrants, DIana first came to Maine to attend Colby, but left the state for a graduate degree at BU and a career in theater in various backstage positions. After returning to Maine, she embarked on a 30 year second career as a high school English teacher. Now as the Adult Literacy Services Coordinator at Midcoast Literacy, and a new member of this Board, she is able to combine her experience growing up with her love of language and be of service to Maine’s immigrant community.
Georgianna Wright
Georgie lives in Bath with her husband and two children, ages five and seven. She has been working with the Mid Coast New Mainers Group since 2019, both as a member of a Family Support Team, and as a board member. She is currently taking time to be with her children and work with Midcoast New Mainers Group, but prior to this she spent ten years as an elementary teacher and three years as the Director of Lower School at a private school for children with language based learning difficulties in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has a bachelor’s degree in Education, and a MA in Education: concentration in Language and Literacy.
Joanne Rosenthal
Thirty four years ago, Joanne Rosenthal moved to Maine from the Midwest to begin her social work career and start her family. Never looking back on that decision, Joanne has had the privilege of working in human services with diverse populations. As the descendant of refugees, Joanne has always been tuned into the immigrant experience, and in 2017 she was a founding member of the Midcoast New Mainers Group. She is energized by cross cultural exchanges and transforming communities where everyone experiences health, safety and belonging.
Karen Armstrong
I moved to Maine in 2020 after a thirty year career in information technology. I have always been interested in the history of immigration to the US. In 2013, it became personal. My daughter was able to adopt a baby boy from Ethiopia. As I watched her go through the immigration process with her son, I became concerned about the many hurdles that the Government had put in place to prolong this process, to collect thousands of dollars in fees, and to cause all sorts of worries for people like my daughter. Our grandson finally was able to become a US citizen when he was 4 years old. Once retired, I looked for a way to get involved with the immigration situation in Maine. My involvement with MCNMG has shown me ways volunteers like us can help the new Mainers coming to our state find a place in a community and a path toward citizenship.
Nadine Twagirayezu
Nadine has been a board member since 2020. She first heard about Midcoast New Mainer’s support group from one the members in 2019. She got interested right away about the support that was being offered to newly arrivals in the Brunswick and Bath area and started to participate in the group meetings. An immigrant herself, she is passionate about social justice and want to assist in welcoming other immigrants who want to integrate in Maine. She is an accredited representative at Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project where she mostly works with asylum seekers.
Odette Zouri
Odette Zouri moved to Maine with her family in 2016 from their home country of Burkina Faso. Prior to emigrating, Odette worked for the Ministry of Environment in wetlands protection. Currently, she is a Certified Nursing Assistant at Midcoast Hospital while she pursues a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Maine at Augusta. Odette lives in Bath with her two children, ages 16 and 11. She joined the Board of Directors to be an inspiration for new Mainers, their voice at the table, and a reflection of what the result of MCNMG work can look like.
Odette Zouri
Country of origin: Burkina Faso
Previous career: Working for the Ministry of Environment in wetlands protection
Moved to the U.S.: 2016
Family: Mother of two, 16-Y-O daughter and 11-Y-O son
Activity: Certified Nursing Assistant at Midcoast Hospital
Education: Master Degree in French Literature- Certificate in Local Government of Wetlands- Pursuing a Bachelor’s in Sciences of Nursing
Community: member of IHP since 2017; board member of Midcoast New Mainers Group since 2020.
Roberta (Robbie) Lipsman
Roberta (Robbie) Lipsman received an MSW in 1978 and spent almost 40 years working for Federal and State agencies and then several non-profits in Greater Portland. Foremost were Community Counseling Center, United Way and the Opportunity Alliance. As a project manager, she helped establish several specialty behavior health programs and the 2-1-1 system for the State of Maine. She lent her skills as a board member to several other organizations including the development of Furniture Friends, which led to her contact with the early beginnings of Mid Coast New Mainers Group (MCNMG). A MidCoast resident at the time and about to retire,
helping immigrants and asylum seekers find a home in Maine was an appealing use of her newly found free time. Now residing in Denver, Colorado, she continues to consult with MCNMG and service on the Finance committee.
Sara Namwira
Sara Namwira is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and says, “I chose to be a member of the New Mainer’s board, to help New Mainers integrate into the community like I did.”
Vanessa Mayer
Vanessa Mayer joined the board in 2022 and is a member of the finance committee. She is the business manager for Now You’re Cooking and has served on the development committee at Patten Free Library. Vanessa has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She lives in Bath with her husband, two children, and their golden retriever. Having grown up in Bath, Vanessa is thrilled to share her love of this great community with new Mainers and assist in making their transition easier.
