Board of Directors
The school is independent, non-profit, tax-exempt and is governed by a board of directors with a wide range of business, legal and educational experience. Over 50 percent of the Board members are active attenders and members of a Quaker meeting.
Naomi Beal, Board Member, attended Portland Friends Meeting as a child and studied at Quaker schools during high school and college. She graduated from George School, Newtown, Pennsylvania , where she was a boarding student, and received her B.A. from Earlham College. She lives in South Freeport with her husband, Josh Olins, and their children, Jasmine and Yacob.
Jennifer Cummings grew up near Lake Placid, NY and attended George School, a Quaker boarding school in Newtown, PA. As an undergraduate, she studied veterinary science and received a BS in interior design from Washington State University. For over 20 years, she has operated her own company, Full Circle Landscaping, in Falmouth, ME, where she lives with her husband, Tom Kruzshak. Jennifer has two grown children living in the area. She has done a variety of volunteer work, including seal rescue with Marine Animal Lifeline.
Andrew P. Grannell, Board Member, grew up in Rumford, Maine. Earned a BA from Earlham College, MA from Princeton Theological Seminary, Masters of Divinity from Earlham School of Religion, and PhD from Boston University (1977). While both were attending Princeton, Andy and Dorothy Stempel married in 1965. First as co-pastors (1969-1973) and later in a variety of professional and volunteer roles, Andy & Dorothy continue to serve New England Yearly Meeting of Friends. After a professional career as pastor, youth worker, theological professor, social justice/peace activist, and higher education administrator, Andy & Dorothy relocated back to Maine in June 1999. Daughter Susan and granddaughter Kiana live close by in Portland, while son Kyle lives in Southern California. Kyle is a graduate of Moses Brown School (1990) and of Bowdoin College (1995).
Anne Harwood is a member of the Portland Friends Meeting who worked for several years in child protective services, family support, and community mental health. She was recently a partner in the mediation practice Harwood & McDowell, Portland. She earned BA degrees from Vassar College in English and Education, a BS from Sonoma State University, Sonoma, Calif. in sociology, and a Master of Social Work from University of New England. Anne has been a member of Portland Friends Meeting since 2001. Stewardship of the natural environment is one of her passions. She recently moved from Falmouth to Hiram, where she is enjoying life on a working farm with her husband.
Robert H. Levin, Clerk (chairperson), earned a B.A. degree from Haverford College and a J.D. from New York University of Law. Rob is a Maine attorney who specializes in land conservation and nonprofit organizations law. He has helped dozens of Maine organizations incorporate and apply for 501(c)(3) status. He is also a member of Portland Friends Meeting. Rob currently serves as Treasurer of Portland Trails. He lives on Munjoy Hill in Portland with his wife, Sarah Cushman, and they can often be seen walking around town or kayaking on Casco Bay.
Liz Maier, Secretary, grew up in Pennsylvania and graduated from Westtown Friends School. After receiving a BA in English from Brown University, she taught 4th grade at the Park School in Brookline, MA for two years. After earning a Masters in Library Science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Liz worked as a librarian for Waynflete School in Portland for 22 years. Liz and her husband Jim live in Scarborough, and attend Portland Friends Meeting. They have three married children and six (going on seven) grandchildren.
Jane Mullen grew up in Holland, PA, very close to George School’s campus. She majored in Economics at Smith College and went on to receive her MBA from the Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College. For the past 25 years, Jane has been involved with institutional development, marketing, and project management for a variety of organizations in Maine, beginning with Tom’s of Maine, then moving on to the New England Women’s Center, Huntington Common, and the Alzheimer’s Association. Jane has also done independent consulting and community service.
Jeffrey Peterson was born in Colorado and grew up in Kansas City. While attending the University of Kansas, he attended a Mennonite congregation and became familiar with the peace churches. Jeff met his wife Sarah, who grew up in Portland Friends Meeting, while completing residency in pediatrics in Providence, RI and has lived in Maine since 2004. Jeff practices pediatrics with Intermed in Yarmouth. His professional interests also include improving access to mental health services in Maine, as well as broader health policy. Jeff, Sarah and their daughter Farris live in Portland and regularly attend Portland Friends Meeting.
Regina Phillips was born and raised in Portland, Maine. She graduated from Waynflete School and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Curry College in Milton, MA. Regina is the Program Coordinator of the City of Portland Refugee Services program and the Education Chair of the Portland Branch of the NAACP. She lives in Portland and with her husband, Walter Phillips, and their three children, Walter D, Nicholas, and Kelsey.
Kim Simmons is the mother of two FSP students. Kim holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Minnesota and teaches in the area of social movements, social justice and women's studies. She has formerly worked as director of the Civil Rights Team Project and as a research consultant for the VAWA project and conducts workshops on diversity-related topics. Kim also serves on the board of the Maine Women's Policy Center and authors a blog on peace education.
Samuel P. Solish, Assistant Clerk, is a graduate of Brooklyn Friends School which he attended from 9th-12th grades. He joined Friends Meeting at Cambridge in 1986 and currently attends Portland Friends Meeting. A graduate of Brown University and Tufts University School of Medicine, Dr. Solish practices ophthalmology. He is a partner with Eyecare Medical Group in Portland.
Nolan Thompson is a Clinical Social Worker in private practice with an office in Windham, Maine. He has worked half of his 30 year career as a community based social worker, organizing in St. Louis, Washington, D.C., and Boston. He has extensive conflict resolution experience serving as the Ombudsman at the University of Southern Maine for 10 years. He is also a certified mediator. Nolan received his BS from Clark University in 1976 and his MSW from Washington University in St. Louis in 1980. He currently is a board member of the Maine Civil Liberties Union and a lay person member of the Board of Overseers of the Maine Bar Association.
Tom Welch, Treasurer, was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and growing up followed the peripatetic path of a faculty brat from Princeton to New Haven to Philadelphia. He attended Germantown Friends School, and through parents, children or siblings has ties to Friends Central, Plymouth Meeting Friends, Haverford Friends, and Friends School (Maryland). Tom was trained as a lawyer, and has variously been an attorney in private, corporate and government practice, and served for twelve years as chairman of the Maine Public Utilities Commission. He currently works in Portland, and lives in Portland and Hancock Point.
David E. Wilson, Board Member, grew up in St. Louis, MO and New York City and earned a BA from Trinity College in CT in Classics and History and a M. Div. from Union Theological Seminary in NYC. David and his wife, Elise spent 35 years in Brooklyn, NY. Their son attended Brooklyn Friends School for 3 years of high school. After a professional career as teacher, counselor and administrator in independent secondary education, community mental health, small business, and public higher education, David and Elise relocated and retired to Portland in 2005. Since moving to Portland, David has joined the board of the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization, serves as a mentor for Portland High School and is a history docent with Greater Portland Landmarks.
