Ainsley Morrison, Community Resilience Working Group

Ainsley Morrison (she/her) is a Senior at Bowdoin College, pursuing a coordinate major in Environmental Studies and Government/Legal Studies, with a minor in Psychology. She has been a member of the Community Resilience Working Group for since 2023, contributing to updates in Maine Won’t Wait while gaining connections, opportunities, and knowledge. Beyond her education, she is deeply connected to the great Maine outdoors, performs in multiple music groups, and is committed to various social justice issues, including LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive justice. She is passionate about increasing equitable access to sustainability education, widespread youth engagement, and building psychological resilience to climate change impacts. 

Amara Ifeji, Maine Climate Council & Equity Subcommittee

Amara Ifeji is a National Geographic Young Explorer and internationally awarded leader in climate and environmental justice. Her academic research examines the intersection of climate change and gender justice, aiming to illuminate the experiences of Indigenous women as they grapple with extractive climate mitigation projects on the African continent. As a policy practitioner, she leverages grassroots advocacy and participatory justice to advance research-driven policy solutions at the local, state, and federal levels. Such efforts include mobilizing a youth-led legislative campaign that spearheaded Maine's $2+ million climate education program. She holds a B.A. with honors in Political Science from Northeastern University and is pursuing an MSc/PhD at the University of Oxford's School of Geography and the Environment as a Marshall Scholar. 

Audrey Hufnagel, Energy Working Group

Bethany Humphrey, Natural & Working Lands Working Group

Catherine Lajoie, Community Resilience Working Group

Catherine Lajoie is currently taking a gap year in Ohio after graduating from Gardiner Area High School in 2025. A youth representative for the Community Resilience Working Group, she is passionate about environmental justice and sustainability, and believes that young people's voices deserve to be heard and respected. Cat loves to dance and row, and hopes to use her role as a youth representative to advocate for rural communities. 

Dakota Doyle, Transportation Working Group

Dakota Doyle is the youth representative for the Transportation Working Group, and is senior at Scarborough High School. She has always had a deep passion for climate action. Growing up along Maine's coast and as an avid hiker, Dakota's appreciation for Maine has deep roots. She is a member of her school's environmental club and is excited to be a youth representative in the Transportation Working Group. 

Dillon Jenkins, Scientific and Technical Subcommittee

Dillon Jenkins is a youth representative in the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and is a junior at Scarborough High School, where he is President of the school's environmental club. Through volunteering with the Audubon Society and the Scarborough Land Trust, Dillon has become passionate about climate justice. Since he was young, he enjoyed hiking and camping with his family, which sparked his interest in protecting the environment. Currently, Dillon is volunteering as a phenologist with the nonprofit COBALT's Team Zostera to track the reproductive cycle of Maine's carbon-sequestering seagrass meadows. He recently received his SCUBA diving certification and has plans to obtain his scientific diving certification. 

Edge Venuti, Coastal & Marine Working Group

Edge Venuti attends the University of Maine and is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Ecology and Environmental Sciences. Edge joined the Coastal and Marine Working Group in their first semester of college and is always excited to be working on various climate initiatives across the state of Maine. Edge utilizes her experiences in rural grassroot organizing, interdisciplinary research, and leadership to bring fresh perspectives to decisions being made at the state level. In her free time she is probably exploring the beautiful coast! 

Ivy Hammer-Gumbrell, Buildings, Infrastructure and Housing Working Group

Ivy Hammer-Gumbrell attends Hamilton College, where she majors in Environmental Studies and Hispanic Studies. She is a youth representative for the Buildings, Infrastructure and Housing Working Group. Ivy found her motivation for climate advocacy while studying sea level rise impacts on the coast of Maine and cases of climate justice in Utica, New York, near her college. She has channeled her passion for climate action into her work with the town of Kennebunk as a community development and planning intern and into leading community conversations with The Climate Initiative.

Kaethe Rice, Natural & Working Lands Working Group

Muhammed Drammeh, Scientific & Technical Subcommittee

Ren Kauffunger, Coastal and Marine Working Group

Ren Kauffunger is a senior at Morse High School in Bath and a youth representative for the Coastal and Marine Working Group. He is incredibly passionate about the environment and climate, and serves on both the RSU1 Climate Working Group and the Arrowsic Shellfish Conservation Committee. He has used his interests in conservation and art to fuel multiple large-scale community art projects with a focus on the reuse of salvaged marine debris. Ren is an avid hiker and climber, and can often be found struggling up talus fields in Camden. Ren aims to continue using his passions for art and creative expression to bring communities together and educate about climate-related issues.

Sadri Mohamed, Buildings, Infrastructure and Housing Working Group

Sadri Mohamed is a sophomore at Smith College and a youth representative for the Buildings, Infrastructure and Housing Working Group. Climate action has always been at the forefront of her interests, as she's learned over time that  humans are not separate from it and therefore have the responsibility to honor it. Sadri's previous experience in the climate sphere includes climate education and curriculum development in southern Maine. She's incredibly excited to develop skill sets in how actionable climate steps can be taken on the state level! 

Sarah Doore, Energy Working Group

Sarah Doore is a senior at Colby College and studies environmental policy and religion. She is a youth representative in the Energy Working Group. Originally from Benton, Sarah has two years of research experience examining offshore wind perceptions and energy justice in the Gulf of Maine, she brings academic expertise and diverse lived experience to her role as a youth representative. Her background living in both rural and urban Maine communities offers valuable perspective on varied regional needs.

Terra Morrison, Community Resilience Working Group

Terra Morrison is a freshman at the Foxcroft Academy and a youth representative in the Community Resilience Working Group. She has been passionate about climate action from a young age; growing up on a farm, Terra has seen the effects of climate change on many aspects of life. She feels obligated to do what she can to help our planet. Being a part of change in her community, and in the state of Maine, is a valuable first step. Terra is so happy to be a part of this working group, and she believes that this is an amazing opportunity.