Board and Staff

Ethan Boxer-Macomber, LEED AP, has 18 years’ experience in real estate, housing, and community development. During seven years with Avesta Housing, Ethan successfully led multiple large-scale residential development projects across southern Maine. In 2013, he started Anew Development, LLC, a Portland-based real estate development company dedicated to residential infill that provides highest, best community value by adhering to principles of quality urban design, smart growth, and sustainability.

Ethan formerly held municipal planning positions in Davis, California, and Portland, Maine. He earned a BS in natural resources and ecology from the University of Maine and an MS in community planning and development from the University of California, Davis. He is a returned Peace Corps volunteer and was formally certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

Ethan is a passionate advocate for smart growth and regularly volunteers his time to programs and policy initiatives related to bicycle/pedestrian, housing, and land use matters.

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.

Kirsten Brewer is the Climate Corps Coordinator for Volunteer Maine, working prior to that at Kennebec Land Trust based in Winthrop, where she connected with GrowSmart Maine through the Local Wood WORKS program. She has degrees from the University of Vermont (Natural Resources) and Pitzer College (Environmental Studies/Spanish). Her past experiences include working in nonprofits, state government, and education. She is a board member of the Maine Chapter of the Fulbright Association and volunteers with Augusta’s pedestrian  and bike group, CAPITAL (Cyclists and Pedestrians Invigorating the  Augusta Life).  

Jean Claveau is Vice President, Senior Business Relationship Banker, at Machias Savings Bank. Jean has 20 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 and a current Kiwanis member.

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

Maggie Fleming is an administration analyst at the Town of Falmouth. Originally from Mobile, Alabama, Maggie moved to Maine five years ago to serve as a Jesuit Volunteer at Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project. She then worked as Special Assistant to the Dean at the University of Maine School of Law before joining the Falmouth staff. Maggie is a member of the Junior League of Portland, Maine and a volunteer with Just Love Worldwide, a Portland based anti-trafficking organization. She holds a masters in policy, planning, and management from the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine and a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University.

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.

Jeff Levine, AICP, is an urban planner who has worked in New England for 25 years. Currently, he is the owner and principle of Levine Planning Strategies. He is a Lecturer in Economic Development & Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Jeff also serves on the Greater Portland METRO Board of Directors and was the Director of Planning & Urban Development for the City of Portland.

Prior to working in Portland, Jeff served as the director of Planning & Community Development for the Town of Brookline (MA.). He also worked in the City of Somerville (MA), where he focused on transit-oriented development in the new mixed-use Assembly Square district of the city. Jeff has a masters in planning from the University of Minnesota and a bachelors of arts from Wesleyan University. He lives in Portland, with his wife and two children.

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.

Carol Morris is owner and principle of Morris Communications, a communications firm specializing in bringing a clear message to diverse audiences and managing the inevitable conflict around change. The company’s strength is in building strategic outcomes while connecting with a wide range of people. Morris provides a well-developed communications strategy, using the tools that are integral to a good program: understanding of consumer/ business needs and patterns, traditional media and social media, and website and Internet communications.

Carol has an extensive communications background in the transportation and land use arena, working with planning and construction projects for roadways, rail, aviation, and bicycle/pedestrian needs. Over the past 15 years, she has managed communications for a variety of projects where growth, economic development, and quality of life issues were key concerns for the community. Carol also volunteers as an Island Steward skipper for the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust and helps out Biddeford’s Engine with communications services on an ad hoc basis. She and her husband have recently built a small, sustainable, green-roofed house on a stream in Kennebunkport, where they live with their two dogs, cat, and assorted chickens.

Ben Smith (AICP) launched North Star Planning in 2017, following more than a decade as planner in Windham, one of the fastest growing communities in the state. At North Star Planning, Ben works with the public, municipalities and private companies around the state to create and sustain the places that make Maine special. Ben is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners through the American Planning Association. Born and raised in Caribou, Ben loves to explore, fish, bike, hike, kayak, and camp all around northern New England with his family and friends.

Sally Stockwell is a wildlife ecologist with experience in conservation of nongame, rare, and endangered species in freshwater wetlands, coastal beaches and marshes, and northern forests. She has additional experience as an interpretive naturalist, environmental education instructor, and outdoor adventure leader. Sally holds a Ph.D. in wildlife ecology and an M.S. in wildlife management from the University of Maine and a B.S. in biology from The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington.

In 2008, Sally was the recipient of the UMaine Department of Wildlife Ecology Award for Professional Excellence for long-term career service to wildlife conservation. Sally serves on numerous state committees and has been actively involved in town planning, open space planning, and forest management and recreation in her hometown of Cumberland.

As Director of Conservation at Maine Audubon, Sally supervises a staff of six professionals who work on programs to restore endangered piping plovers and least terns on Maine’s beaches; engage citizen scientists to collect long-term population data on common loons, calling amphibians, native brook trout, and wildlife crossing roads; community land use planning; aquatic and terrestrial habitat connections; climate impacts to wildlife; conservation of forest birds; and public policy related to wildlife and habitat.

Galen Weibley is a resident of Chapman, Aroostook County where he serves as Economic & Community Development Director for the City of Presque Isle and a Governor-appointed Loring Development Authority Trustee. Prior to him moving to Maine, Galen served multiple professional roles in Pennsylvania state government including Constituent Outreach Director for the Lieutenant Governor and to a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives before concluding his state service as Constituent & Legislative Director for the Pennsylvania State Senate. During this time, Galen was involved with multiple projects and conversations to expand broadband efforts to rural communities, develop policy solutions to workforce challenges facing the state, write legislation to preserve the state’s rich agricultural tradition.    

Galen became active in understanding smart growth policies as Hellam Township’s youngest elected Township Supervisor and Board Chairman where he led much needed reforms to the township’s Transferable Development Rights Program and local zoning to encourage economic growth where infrastructure existed and preserve the rural character of the community. Galen enjoys gardening, reading, learning languages/history/culture, traveling, and taking in the vast outdoor opportunities with his dog.

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.