Board and Staff

Finn Bondeson is a civil and environmental engineer interested in providing public, private, and municipal clients with solutions which improve the built environment for humans and for natural systems.  His initial interest in the human-environment interface, and his understanding of the important roles that small town Maine is gifted with, was borne from his first job on his parents’ farm and greenhouse business in Woodland, Aroostook County.  In his current role as project engineer with Acorn Engineering and previously with the Sewall Company (both Maine-based companies), Finn has been dedicated to ensuring Maine’s future, by virtue of its infrastructure and schemes of development, continues to be informed and built by those who call our wonderful state home.

Finn holds civil and environmental engineering degrees from The University of Maine (BS) and The University of Vermont (MS).  Through academic and career work over the past decade, Finn has served Maine and New England in the renewable energy, aviation, site civil, watershed analysis, infrastructure improvement, and agricultural research sectors.  It is Finn’s assertion that change and growth are best achieved through conversation, connection, and understanding of community identity and community needs.

When not at work, Finn can usually be found outside; on cross country skis, in running shoes, on most any type of bicycle, or in a kayak.  His favorite book (or at least the most worn out) is the Maine Gazetteer.  Finn currently lives in Falmouth, enjoys visiting friends and family throughout Maine and beyond, and can make most anything in the King Arthur baking cookbook when he gives himself the time

Jon Boynton is the City Planner for Belfast. As City Planner, Jon works with Developers to help guide them through the Planning Board permitting process. Jon also works with various local and regional organizations on planning issues such as the housing crisis, active transportation, and climate change.
Jon grew up in the Moosehead Lake Region during the permitting review for the controversial Plum Creek Concept Plan. After studying Geography and Economics at the University of Maine at Farmington and working for Eastern Maine Development Corporation, Jon saw how a lack of land use planning plays a detrimental effect on the economic vitality of our rural communities. Jon and his partner split their time between Bangor and Jon’s hometown of Greenville. Jon and his partner like to visit friends, travel, hike, and ski during their free time.

Jean Claveau is Vice President, Senior Business Relationship Banker, at Machias Savings Bank.  Jean has 25 years of experience working with business owners on their lending needs throughout the state of Maine. Jean moved to Maine in 1994 and started his career in economic development working for not-for-profit agencies (Penquis CAP and Coastal Enterprises, Inc.) involved in non-traditional financing.  Jean is the past co-chair of Synergy, the Augusta young professional group, a Kiwanis and Elks Lodge member, and treasurer of the Augusta Kiwanis Scholarship Foundation.

Jean obtained a certificate in Political Sciences at Laval University in Canada and his masters in business administration from Thomas College in Maine.  He enjoys reading, traveling on the East Coast, and spending time with his family. Jean lives in Hallowell with his wife, daughter, and their dog.

Tony Carter is a Western Maine Native and currently the President of Pennacook Falls Investments LTD a holding company for Best Western Rumford Falls a new 63 room hotel that was opened in May of 2022. He was instrumental in bringing 29 local investors together in raising the capital required. Also employed by Oxford County Commission as manager of Oxford County Regional Airport and Manager of the Unorganized Townships of Oxford County. He has retired from the pulp and paper industry holding many managerial positions in multiple locations across the country. An entrepreneur with many additional businesses (e.g. Auto parts, rental properties, etc) in the past. Also past involvement in local government, growth councils and economic development.

Tony lives in Dixfield, and enjoys his place in Eustis as well with his wife. He has 4 children, 9 grandchildren and a new great grandson.

Elizabeth Frazier

grew up in and around her family’s Maine-based small business, working on all aspects of business growth and management. She has an intimate understanding of the realities and requirements of running a business in Maine. She focuses her professional practice on government relations, lobbying, business advocacy, and environmental and land use policy at Pierce Atwood LLP.

Elizabeth was engaged early with the work of the Maine Climate Council and has worked with clients from diverse sectors of the economy to navigate this emerging policy arena, including real estate and development; industrial and manufacturing processes; municipal land use; and energy infrastructure. As a former staff member of Maine’s First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, Elizabeth understands what resonates with Maine policy makers and how to shape a legislative strategy to achieve her client’s objectives.  

In her personal life, Elizabeth is active in Maine Democratic politics. She recently joined the Board of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce. Elizabeth also serves on the board of Maine’s Architecture, Construction, and Engineering (ACE) Mentor Program. Elizabeth resides in the heart of Portland’s Old Port – living and working on the waterfront.

Larissa Holland is an infrastructure sustainability professional with cross-sector experience in stakeholder engagement, community development, and project/energy management. In addition to working as an Aviation Sustainability Consultant with C&S Companies, Larissa serves as the Development Advisor for JustME for JustUS, a youth-led and rural-led nonprofit ensuring young people in rural Maine have their voices heard throughout our state, especially around issues of climate, environment, and economic opportunities. Larissa was the first in her family to attend college and has since graduated from Smith College with a degree in Environmental Science & Policy (ES&P) and Architecture. She thoroughly enjoys helping necessary projects become critical solutions to complex, urgent problems, as well as hosting dinner dress-up parties, riding her second-hand road bike, and hiking Maine’s coast.

Eric is the Executive Director of E2Tech, an energy, environmental, and clean technology business and economic development organization.  His career in the environmental and energy world began in 1990 at the IUCN’s Environmental Law Center in Bonn, Germany, and since then he has managed institutional partnerships, memberships, and programs for institutions such as Maine Wood Products Association, Northeastern University’s College of Engineering, Academy of Board Certified Environmental Professionals, Maine Center for Innovation in Biotechnology, Benchmark Environmental Consulting, and the U.N. Information Unit on Climate Change. For three years, he worked with college and university leaders on campus decarbonization initiatives and for ten years, he was the founding director of the Fulbright Academy of Science & Technology, a global network for alumni of the Fulbright Exchange Program.

Eric grew up in Massachusetts, with many trips to New Hampshire and to Belgium to visit his bi-national family. His academic background is a B.A. with honors in Geology from Wesleyan University and a M.E.M. with a focus on environmental policy from Duke University. When he was turning 50, he returned as a part-time student at Northeastern University to earn a Doctorate in Education with a focus in organizational leadership studies and the knowledge-sharing practices of entrepreneurs. Eric had fellowships with the US EPA-Region 2 in New York City, World Wildlife Fund in Washington, and the Institute for Agricultural Policy at the University of Bonn.He is also a 4th generation steward of a 500+ acre tree farm in New Hampshire.

Mehuman means, “The Faithful One.” Artist,  activist, advocate, adventurer and true to her ancient name, Mehuman’s songs invite the listener into her fearless transparency. Veteran SESAC songwriter, Mehuman’s signature sound, “folk hop for hip folk” is Affrilachia – Americana, is rooted in the traditional rhythms of Gospel, Jazz, and Blues. With keening spirit-filled melodies enveloping folky lyricism Mehuman sings from her soul with a sacred conviction that lovingly ministers to troubled and despairing hearts with one tested truth, “There is always Hope.” In times when the world needs more grace, and a lot more love, both are found in rare abundance in Mehuman’s way of life and music. In addition, Mehuman was a hand selected, juried artist who participated in the 2023 Music To Life Changemaker Accelerator Program, resulting in the founding of The Gourd and the launching of an annual event, GourdFest: Celebrating of Making Music & Growing Food Together! A community effort to raise awareness of the intersection of local arts and agriculture and their resources.

“MY LIFE IS LIKE A PHOENIX ON FIRE AND I’VE FOUND BEAUTY IN THE ASHES MAKING IT WORTH THE BURNING.”

Zoe Miller, MPH, has 20+ years of experience building healthy, equitable communities through inclusive engagement and collaborative strategies. As Principal of Zoe Miller Strategies, she provides planning, engagement, and organizational development services that are grounded in inquiry, trust, and inclusion. Her areas of expertise include transportation and land use planning, community public health improvement, and public involvement. Zoe is Facilitator of the Moving Maine Network, a statewide coalition focused on improving transportation access. She worked for the Greater Portland Council of Governments from 2017-2021 as a Project Manager and then the Director of Community Engagement. Before that, she worked at the Opportunity Alliance as a Healthy Maine Partnerships Coalition Director. Zoe lives in Portland and walks or takes the bus for transportation whenever possible.

Lauren grew up in the green rolling hills of Vermont. She fell into farming and food production in college and the lifestyle that surrounds it. Her undergraduate degree from St. Lawrence University made her appreciate the communities that produce quality local foods and a Master’s Certificate in Food Studies from the University of Southern Maine made her want to pursue a career in the food system and work with and in rural communities. 

Lauren developed her love of good food in Maine by working various agriculture jobs and by creating freelance graphic designs for farmers and food producers. She then decided to pursue a position as a Local Foods Marketing Extension Educator in Northern New York, supporting small business owners with their marketing and business needs. Currently Lauren is a Communications Manager with the Maine Food Convergence Project, a network or networks that develops relationships and trust for an equitable and thriving food system in Maine. When she’s not working you can find her camping most weekends, sewing up naturally dyed textile goods under the name thymelineprintco.com or playing with her dogs and exploring western Maine.

Lynne Seeley is a community-planning consultant with 30+ years of experience in comprehensive planning, public participation, and land use assessment of transportation projects. Lynne is working on the New Ruralism: We Know it When We See It project, researching rural planning initiatives for the Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning Association (NNECAPA).  She is involved in community planning work with the Town of Yarmouth, currently leading the efforts to draft a Historic Preservation Ordinance to help protect and strengthen the Town’s historic village area.  She recently led the effort to develop a new form-based code for Yarmouth’s Village and Route One corridor.  The Character-Based Development code was adopted by a unanimous vote of the Town Council.  As a consultant, she provided planning services for community planning and transportation projects for the engineering firm Sebago Technics. For 15+ years Lynne worked for Boston based Wallace, Floyd, Associates (WFA), managing transportation planning projects, conducting Comprehensive Plan projects for communities, and developing and managing multi-dimensional public participation programs.  She established and ran a branch WFA office in Maine for 8 years, focusing on community planning and public engagement.

As a past GrowSmart Maine board member, Lynne chaired the former Education Committee that wrote the original Educational Briefs for GrowSmart on a variety of “smart growth” topics. Lynne was awarded Professional Planner of the Year by Maine Association of Planners in 2018. She is currently Vice President of Maine Association of Planners. She was a member of the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) Regional Transportation Advisory Committee (RTAC) 6 for seven years; she chaired the committee in 1995.  She is a graduate of Colby College, has an M.A. from Tufts University in Urban and Environmental Policy, and is an accredited member of the Congress for the New Urbanism. She has lived in Yarmouth for 30 years with her husband, raising two now-grown sons.

Rhiannon Hampson is the Biden-Harris Administration’s appointed State Director for Maine, USDA Rural Development. She is also the Co-Owner of Grace Pond Farm, an organic (MOFGA certified) pasture based livestock and dairy farm in Thomaston, Maine on Wawenock Tribal Land. For several years Rhiannon has enjoyed working on, and supporting, policy relating to processing and financial support for Maine’s small farms, and continues to advocate for assisting in the sustainability of Maine’s farming community via thoughtful legislation.

Through previous volunteer opportunities, such as creating summer programming for children, facilitating performing arts events for rural residents, and coordinating the use of an historic building in downtown Machias, Maine, Rhiannon has been fortunate to create connections with people from diverse backgrounds, allowing her to deepen her commitment to facilitating cooperation among all of Maine’s citizens, new and old, regardless of socio-economic status. Equity and Inclusion are values that she holds at the center of the work she does.

Rhiannon is a former District Representative for Congresswoman Chellie Pingree with a focus on Agriculture, the Environment, Health Care, and the Arts. She is a graduate of the University of Maine at Machias where she earned a B.A. in Psychology and Community Studies and was a Public Policy Scholar through the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center.

One of the founding board members of GrowSmart Maine, Evan Richert began his professional planning career at GPCOG. Working with South Portland, he eventually left GPCOG to work full-time for the City. In 1981, he formed Portland Research and Communications and, shortly thereafter, joined with Mark Eyerman to form Market Decisions, Inc. (MDI). Together the team grew MDI into a premier consulting practice that bridged the gap between public planning and the development community. Anchoring planning, development, and public policy with direct market research and analysis, Evan demonstrated the importance of data in analyzing planning problems and identifying appropriate policies and strategies to address them.

In 1996, Evan became Director of the State Planning Office and led the State and its professional planners in developing a framework to understand and plan for Maine communities, regions and the state. Under his tutelage and using the that bully pulpit, Evan lead the State in a discussion and focus on the cost of sprawl, the importance and unique stresses of service center communities, and the importance of merging lines between land use, the environment, and the economy, He helped precipitate ongoing conversations about planning issues throughout the State from the Capitol to City Halls and neighborhood assemblies. Collaboration among the various sectors of the state — government organizations, chambers, NGOs, and professional associations – came together in unique ways that continue to affect how planners do business in Maine.

Reaching out to and inspiring professionals, as well as college and graduate students, Evan taught at the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School for many years.

Over the years, Evan has received multiple awards that recognize his contribution to planning. To Maine’s planning community, Evan has been the “mind” of planning in Maine. He represents the analytical side of planning, reminding all that planning is immersed in facts, both hard statistics and scientific assessment, as well as in an understanding of cultural and social values. Evan’s gift is also the ability to translate complicated analysis in a way that not only informs, but touches the reader’s spirit.