About Us

PRESIDENT

A graduate of the University of Maine, Orono, Andrea taught high school and then traveled through Europe before settling for over a decade in Berkeley, CA, where she owned Lighting Studio and Lalime’s Restaurant. She then moved to Florence, Italy for 12 years before returning to Maine. Andrea is a Special Education teacher at Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, where she also serves as faculty leader of the Model UN program. She and her family normally live part of their summer in Armenia. At one time they spent an entire academic year in Armenia, and Andrea initiated Armenia’s Model United Nations Conference program. Andrea has been on our board since 2009, and currently serves as Secretary.

TREASURER

An attorney with law offices in Bath, Don came to Maine after graduating from the University of Richmond in 1974. In 1979 he began an apprenticeship in traditional wooden boat building at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, a career that expanded into custom home building, cabinetry and architectural woodwork. He and his wife Ruth, who led our executive committee in its strategic planning several years ago, bought a home in Bath in 1981 where they raised two daughters. Don is a graduate of the Maine School of Law. He has served on several non-profit boards, including the Southern Mid Coast Chamber of Commerce. Don has served as Vice President since 2019.

BOARD MEMBER

Catherine, an Advisor to the Board last year, is employed as a policy analyst with the Maine CDC Policy and Compliance Unit. Prior to this she worked as the State Refugee Coordinator for the Maine Refugee Resettlement Program at Maine DHHS. Catherine is an ardent advocate for equality and justice; she has a wide range of experience working with refugees, immigrants, and other minorities. Catherine is a graduate of the Muskie School of Public Service, at USM. She started out as a teacher in Ghana (her homeland), then Nigeria and Turkey, before coming to the US. She has 3 grown children and lives in Auburn with her husband Bruno, also a member of our board!

BOARD MEMBER

Born in Ghana, Bruno served for many years as the English Language Learners (ELL) Coordinator at Deering High School, Portland. He has taught English at high school and college levels in Africa, Europe, and North America. As a Model UN Moderator for over 20 years, he helped Model UN students develop skills of negotiation, collaboration and consensus building. He has Master’s degrees, in English and in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. He holds a variety of certificates in education: Graduate Study in Nonprofit Management; Advanced Study in Educational Leadership, ESL, English Language Arts, Adult Education, Curriculum Coordination, and Building Administration. Bruno is a member of the Education Committee of the World Affairs Council of Maine; the Advisory Council of Community Financial Literacy; and is Secretary to the Board of the Portland Community Health Center. Bruno joined our board in 2016 and served as Membership Committee in 2016-2017.

SECRETARY

Elizabeth is a Professor of Anthropology at Bates College, where she has taught for over 30 years, including terms as Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Chair of Women’s Studies. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Bryn Mawr College, and earned her Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Social Anthropology from Harvard University. She has traveled and written volumes about African culture, and has extensive teaching and consulting experience on issues as varied as Somali immigrants in Lewiston; Gender and Culture; and Cinematic Portraits of Africa. She has one adult son who lives in New York City.

BOARD MEMBER

Tim joined our board in 2016, after he became the director of the Maine Model United Nations Program (MeMUNC) at the University of Southern Maine (USM) where he is also Lecturer of Political Science in the Department of History and Political Science. He previously taught at Dartmouth College, Smith College, and Arizona State University. Professor Ruback teaches courses on the U.N., on U.S. Foreign Policy, and an introductory course on International Relations. Other courses he has enjoyed teaching include: Border Politics, Global Terrorism, International Theory, and The Global Politics of Soccer. A graduate of Bates College, Class of ’98, he earned his M.A. in 2000, and his doctorate in 2008 from Arizona State University.

BOARD MEMBER

Rev. Frank Strasburger has devoted most of his 45-year career as a teacher and priest to young people. He spent more than a decade as the Episcopal Chaplain at Princeton University. He has served in a number oflocal Episcopal parishes, including St. Mark’s, and was interim rector at St. Andrew’s in Newcastle, ME. He is co-founder and emeritus president of Princeton in Africa, a fellowship organization that provides college graduates unique opportunities to serve in developing nations. He was also a founding board member of Healthy Learners, which is dramatically expanding access to health care for school-aged children in Zambia. Now retired, he serves on a number of nonprofit boards both locally and internationally. He is the author of Growing Up: Limiting Adolescence in a World Desperate for Adults.