Lynn Alley

Jonesport

Chair

Lynn is a founding Board member of DEI and has helped lead the organization for more than 20 years. She was a local high school science and math educator for 35 years and was instrumental in bringing the Eastern Maine Skippers Program to Jonesport-Beals High School. Lynn graduated from UMaine in 1977 with a B.S. in Education, with a concentration in math and science. She participated in a research fellowship at Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor in 2000 and completed a Masters Degree in Science Education in 2008.

Dr. Sherrie Sprangers

East Machias

Vice Chair

Dr. Sprangers graduated from University of Wisconsin – River Falls with a B.S. in Chemistry, followed by a Ph.D. in Reproductive Endocrinology from Marquette University.  She moved to Maine in 1990 to begin a career as part of the biology faculty at the University of Maine at Machias. As is typical at a small university Sherrie teaches a wide array of courses in the Biology, Marine Biology, and Environmental Studies programs.  Dr. Sprangers joined the board of the Downeast Institute in 2003.  Her professional interests are focused on diadromous fish and their freshwater habitats.

Jonathan Alley

 Addison

Clerk & Treasurer

Jonathan graduated from the University of Maine in 2010 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management.  He worked at a local elementary school before joining Machias Savings Bank in 2011.  In 2015, Jonathan was promoted to branch manager, being the youngest employee in that role at the time.  Originally from Beals, he was happy to take on a leadership role at DEI because of his interest in our education program, both as a former educator, and a dad of two.

Jason Alley, Jonesport

Jason is a local clammer and lobsterman.  He began fishing at the tender age of eight. After obtaining a marine engineering degree from Maine Maritime Academy and gaining experience as a merchant mariner, he has invested in sustaining the fishing industry. He volunteered for a position on DEI’s board after his children attended our summer camps.   Besides being a patient and active board member, Jason contributes to our research and education efforts in many ways, including giving up work days to help collect experiments with his boat, and bringing us touch tank critters.

Jane Hinson, Machias

Jane is retired from a long time position at UMM leading their Office of Special Programs.  In this capacity, she edited and polished the first grant that funded DEI’s work (then BIRSH).  She was a founding board member of DEI, and has used her wealth of experience from a career in media, industry and higher education to champion DEI’s mission.

Dr. Brian Beal, Machiasport

Dr. Beal is a professor of marine ecology and director of the Marine Science Field Station at the University of Maine at Machias (UMM). A native of Jonesport, Dr. Beal graduated from UMM in 1979 with a B.S. degree in biology and went on to earn an M.S. degree in Marine Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He obtained his Ph.D. in Marine Bio-Resources from the University of Maine, Orono.

Dr. Beal helped create the public clam hatchery in 1987 known as the Beals Island Regional Shellfish Hatchery, as well as the first public lobster hatchery in Cutler in 1986. He was a 2000-2001 Fulbright scholar at the National University of Ireland, Galway where he worked with Irish fishermen and researchers on ocean-based lobster nurseries.

His published research most often appears in the Journal of Shellfish Research, the scientific journal of the National Shellfisheries Association, which presented him with the first ever Bourne-Chew award in 2015, in recognition of outstanding contributions to education, outreach, extension, aquaculture or shellfisheries.

Wendell Bradford, Beals

Wendell serves the shellfish industry as a quality control officer at AC Inc., a local shellfish distributor with 31 employees.  He graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in Zoology, and began his career at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine where he authored several scientific papers.  He followed that with a career in forestry before moving to Beals upon his “retirement”.

Samuel Chapman, Waldoboro – Board Member Emeritus

Sam Chapman is widely regarded as one of the leading experts in hatchery shellfish culture in the state of Maine.  He ran the Aquaculture Development Laboratory and shellfish hatchery at the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center for 20 years, helped establish hatcheries in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Washington, and helped design seven marine laboratories in Maine and New Hampshire.   Sam was responsible for the early research and organizing that resulted in Dr. Beal’s first BIRSH research effort.  Another founding board member, his passion for shellfish aquaculture is unrelenting, and the expertise he generously shares with DEI has contributed to our success.

Dean Girdis, Washington DC

Dean has over 25 years of experience in venture development, specializing in clean energy. He founded several energy development companies and worked extensively with entrepreneurs, private equity investors, venture capital, energy producers, infrastructure owners, and financing institutions on originating, structuring, developing, and financing energy-centric companies and projects. Dean is also a member and on the Board of Potential Energy DC, a clean tech-centric angel investor, and Blue Angels Investment Group/SeaAhead in Boston, which invests in companies and technologies focused on the marine environment.

Tom Haslett, Milbridge, Maine and Lincoln, Massachusetts

Tom is an investment manager who splits his time between Milbridge, Maine and Lincoln, Massachusetts.  His career of nearly 40 years in this field has led him to develop interests in marine enterprises, and he has spent 20 years in social development investing. His current role as Partner – CIO of TILT Investments enables him to specialize in helping endowments and investors manage public equity mandates. Tom and his wife Emily are active farmers in Narraguagus Bay growing oysters and thinking about soft shell clams as partners in Pemetic Sea Farms.

Dr. Gayle Kraus, Machias

Dr. Kraus is a Professor of Marine Ecology at the University of Maine at Machias. She regularly teaches Marine Mammals and Pelagic Birds, Oceanography, Ichthyology, Invertebrate Zoology, Ornithology, Skeletal Preparation, and General Ecology. Gayle loves fieldwork and service learning which she incorporates into her classes. Gayle and her students have participated in the Marine Mammal Stranding Network for over a decade, assessing the status of numerous Harbor Seal pups, Grey Seal pups and juvenile Harp Seals, rescuing and performing triage on various seals and collecting basic data from a variety of dead whales, dolphins and seals. Gayle was a licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator for over twenty years. She earned her Ph.D. Zoology University of Rhode Island.

Blaine Grimes, Cape Elizabeth

Blaine Grimes is the President of Ocean House Consulting and is a veteran of the ocean economy for 20 years. She is currently working to establish a Center for Blue Economy in Maine to house and build regional R&D capacity, entrepreneurial ventures, workforce development, commercial partnerships and collaborations across the North Atlantic Rim.

Blaine founded and built Gulf of Maine Ventures, the entrepreneurship and innovation arm of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) to create, scale, and invest in blue economy companies that solve global ocean challenges. She is a partner in Bold Ocean Ventures, a blue economy impact investment fund based in Portland, Maine.

Her passion is reimagining the future of our ocean-dependent industries and in
particular finding a pathway for sustainable seafood industries to increase productivity and profitability, reduce waste and welcome new technologies to enhance growth, sustainability, and well-being.

Blaine’s expertise is in leveraging private sector opportunities with regional scientific knowledge and industry networks. Her work today focuses on enabling technologies in six major areas of the blue economy: sustainable seafood, ocean products (value add), ocean renewable energy, ocean data, marine shipping and climate adaptation/resilience.

William (Bill) Nunan, Jonesport

Bill Nunan brings decades of experience in business leadership and development to the Downeast Institute’s Board of Directors. A seasoned executive, Bill has built a successful career leading and advising software companies in the telecommunications, automotive, aviation, field services, real estate, and public safety markets. His strategic insight and practical approach to problem-solving have earned him a reputation as a trusted advisor and collaborator helping businesses succeed while achieving both financial performance and their mission.

A native Mainer with a lifelong connection to the coast, Bill is passionate about supporting organizations that strengthen local communities and preserve Maine’s working waterfronts. His service on the Downeast Institute board reflects his commitment to advancing research, education, and sustainable aquaculture that benefit both people and the environment.

William M. Borer, M.D., M.S., Jonesport and New Mexico

Dr. Borer’s interest in aquatic systems and ecology began early on at The
La Crosse Fish Health Center in Wisconsin. Further studies in chemistry
and biology led to an academic medical career specializing in chemical
pathology. Bill’s involvement with Maine also began early with visits to
friends and mentors who lived in the state. Numerous vacation trips to the
coast and the interior (including canoeing both the Allagash and St. John
Rivers) resulted in his (and his wife Mary’s) choice for a retirement location in
Jonesport. He has been a frequent visitor to and supporter of the Downeast
Institute.

Maine Department of Marine Resources (Ex-Officio)

Vacant.