In 2019, Governor Mills established the Elder Justice Coordinating Partnership (EJCP) by Executive Order (PDF). The Partnership assembled private sector and public sector experts representing a wide array of disciplines to develop an Elder Justice Roadmap to address Maine’s response to and prevention of elder abuse in all its forms. A grant from the John T. Gorman Foundation provided funding for a consultant to support the process of developing the Roadmap.
It is estimated that one in ten older Mainers experience abuse. Of those abuse cases, only one in 24 is reported. Recognizing the value of a multi-disciplinary approach and Maine’s proven track record of success with multi-disciplinary efforts, Governor Mills constituted the Partnership to combat this growing health, justice, financial, and social crisis.
In 2019, the Partnership was tasked with:
- Identifying challenges to the prevention of, detection of, and response to elder abuse;
- Developing strategic priorities across the public and private sectors to prevent and respond to elder abuse; and
- Making recommendations regarding direct services, education, public policy, and data collection and evaluation, including legislative changes, if any.
In December of 2021, the Partnership issued Maine’s first Elder Justice Roadmap, a comprehensive and visionary set of recommendations to advance elder justice goals in Maine. Maine’s original Roadmap can be found here. The EJCP continued to meet quarterly to chart progress on the Roadmap recommendations. In the summer of 2025, the Partnership began a strategic planning process to update Maine’s Elder Justice Roadmap. In this process, members assessed progress, prioritized and refined existing recommendations as well as added several new recommendations. Maine’s updated Elder Justice Roadmap will be publicly available soon.
Partnership Membership
Private Sector Co-chair
John Brautigam: John Brautigam serves as Executive Director of Legal Services for Maine Elders (LSE), a nonprofit legal services organization that provides free, high-quality legal services to Maine's socially and economically needy older people aged 60 and over. John has a wide background in public policy and legal advocacy with a focus on health coverage and consumer protection. John formerly served as Assistant Attorney General and was elected to two terms in the Maine legislature.
Public Sector Co-chair
Elizabeth Gattine: Elizabeth Gattine serves as a Senior Policy Advisor and Coordinator of the Governor’s Cabinet on Aging. Prior to her current role, Elizabeth was a Senior Policy Associate specializing in disability and aging issues at the Catherine Cutler Institute at the University of Southern Maine. Among other roles, Elizabeth also served as Maine's Legal Services Consultant for Maine’s Office of Aging and Disability Services to help coordinate and promote the state's legal and advocacy services for older adults.
Current Members
- Sara Gagné-Holmes, Commissioner, Maine Department of Health and Human Services
- Gina Googins, Associate Director, Adult Protective Services, Office of Aging and Disability Services
- Karen Mason, Associate Director, Aging and Long Term Care Services and Supports, Office of Aging and Disability Services
- Jesse Devine, Securities Administrator, Department of Professional and Financial Regulation
- Alicia Hunter, Violence Prevention Program Manager, Office of Child and Family Services
- William Montejo, Director, Division of Licensing and Certification
- Marissa Romano, Program Manager, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention
- Michael Sauschuck, Commissioner, Department of Public Safety
- Charles Boyle, Assistant Attorney General, Maine Office of the Attorney General
- Elizabeth Ward Saxl, Executive Director, Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault
- Francine Garland Stark, Executive Director, Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence
- Patricia Kimball, Executive Director, Elder Abuse Institute of Maine
- Brenda Gallant, Executive Director, Maine Long Term Care Ombudsman Program
- Megan Walton, Executive Director, Southern Maine Area Agency on Aging
- Sheriff Joel Merry, Sagadahoc County
- Officer Candice L. Simeoni, Elder Justice Investigator, Kennebunk Police Department
- Kathryn M. Slattery, District Attorney, York County
- Andrew McCormack, Assistant United States Attorney and Elder Justice Coordinator
- Jill Randall, Maine Council for Elder Abuse Prevention, Legal Services for Maine Elders
- Chief Andrew Booth, Maine Council for Elder Abuse Prevention, City of Bath
Partnership and Roadmap Updates
Since the release of the 2021 Roadmap, Maine has made significant progress advancing priority recommendations through statutory and regulatory changes, new program development, enhanced training initiatives, and other investments in elder justice. Some highlights include:
- The Elder Service Connections program, a partnership between Elder Abuse Institute of Maine (EAIME) and APS that connects Adult Protective Services clients to services with an Elder Advocate at EAIME, has expanded significantly and funding for the program was made permanent in the 2023 State budget.
- In 2025, Maine launched a grant-funded, pilot project to hire an Elder Justice Investigator. This position is supporting law enforcement officers in Central and Southern Maine with education and case investigations while gathering real front-line data. This addresses a Roadmap recommendation to develop a Hub and Spoke system to increase specialized investigative resources for law enforcement and improve the response to elder abuse.
- In 2023, a training requirement regarding individuals mandated to report abuse, neglect or exploitation was added into law. This law states, “A person required to make a report under subsection 1, paragraph A shall complete at least once every 4 years mandated reporter training approved by the department. Title 22, §3477”
- Legal Services for Maine Elders introduced bill LD 1027, “An Act to Strengthen the Law Regarding Relief for Improvident Transfers of Title.” This bill was enacted in June 2025.
For more information about the Partnership, please contact Elizabeth Gattine at elizabeth.gattine@maine.gov or John Brautigam at jbrautigam@mainelse.org.