2024 Fellows
Meet the Fellows
Jenna d'Arcy
South Portland Sustainability Fellow (City of South Portland)
Jenna grew up in New Fairfield, Connecticut, but now resides in the city of Dover, New Hampshire. From an early age, Jenna participated in Girl Scouts of America, which helped her discover her passion for being a community leader, helping others, and ensuring the earth is well cared for. She achieved a bachelor's degree in Community and Environmental Planning with a dual in Sustainability at the University of New Hampshire. Jenna has since devoted herself to a variety of sustainability-focused careers: Working as an environmental educator, zero-waste shop clerk, social action volunteer in Germany, and a sustainability and waste fellow at Swiss chocolatier company Lindt USA’s headquarters. Outside of her career endeavors, Jenna lives an easy-going life drawing cartoons, painting, playing guitar, cooking plant-based foods, and seeing live music. As a Resilience Corps Fellow, Jenna is excited to help the City of South Portland achieve its sustainability goals, create connections with other fellows, and learn more about the greater Portland community!
Morgan Glynn
Community Science Fellow (Gulf of Maine Research Institute)
Morgan is from Middleton, MA, but grew up visiting Deer Isle, ME. She recently graduated from Boston University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Earth and Environmental Science, a minor in Film & Television and was a captain on the rowing team. From her time as an undergraduate research fellow, Morgan was able to merge her passions for the ocean and fighting climate change using remote sensing techniques. Morgan is looking forward to learning more about the effects of sea level rise on coastal cities, specifically cities in a state she considers home. In her free time, Morgan enjoys running, scuba diving, and cooking. She cannot wait to learn about all the positive change and innovation happening at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute during her time in the Resilience Corps.
Emerson Goodrich
Planning and Data Fellow (GPCOG and Town of Scarborough)
Emerson is from San Francisco but split her time across Northern California while growing up. She recently graduated from Brown University where she received bachelor’s degrees in Public Health and International & Public Affairs and served as a captain on the varsity rugby team. Emerson cultivated an interest in planning through work on the Urban Transition Historical GIS Project, mapping patterns of neighborhood change, and with BAE Urban Economics, focusing on community economic development. As a Resilience Fellow, Emerson is eager to explore the intersection of community health, resilience planning, and placemaking while serving at both the municipal and regional level. Emerson looks forward to camping, snowboarding, trail running, walking on the beach, and generally enjoying time outdoors as she gets to know Maine.
Caitlyn Hanley
Climate Action Planning Fellow (GPCOG)
Caitlyn is excited to return to her hometown of Portland, ME, to join the Resilience Corps. Caitlyn’s passion for ecosystem conservation, soil health, and community involvement was first piqued when she was younger, working part time at small, organic farms. Focusing on the intersection between environmental science and public health, she graduated from Bates College in May of 2023 with a bachelor's degree in environmental studies. She spent the summer in Carrabassett Valley working as a GIS Technician for Sugarloaf’s Mountain Bike Park and the fall working as a barista in Vermont. In her new role with the Resilience Corps, she hopes to learn how to combat issues of environmental degradation at an a local level. In her free time, Caitlyn loves to bike, ski, knit, swim in the ocean, and paint. She is excited to build a new community and learn about her hometown from a different perspective.
Larz von Huene
Regional Trails Fellow (GPCOG and Portland Trails)
Larz grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, where they grew a love of parks and plants. They attended Smith College, where they largely were involved in the Botanic Garden. They graduated with a degree in Biology and Landscape Studies and continued post-graduation to research atmospheric science and ecology in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Living and working close to the summit of Mt. Washington, they spent a lot of time hiking and exploring the beautiful mountain trails. Outside of work, Larz likes to climb, make art, and do crosswords. They are excited to learn more about the planning, maintenance, and development of urban trails in their new position as Resilience Corps Fellow.
Lexi Merchant
Maine Clean Communities Fellow (GPCOG)
Lexi was born in Michigan and received her BS in Biology from Central Michigan University. After graduation, she worked for an environmental nonprofit in Los Angeles, CA. The experience working with communities around the issue of sustainability drove her to pursue her Masters in Sociology at UNH. There she focused on Environmental Sociology and wrote a thesis on the homesteading or back-to-the-land movement in Maine. She fell in love with the east coast and now calls Dover, NH home. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and making craft cocktails. Lexi is excited to be a Resilience Corpse Fellow because it combines her environmental and philanthropic interests in a state she loves, Maine.
Oona Molyneaux
Falmouth Resilience Fellow (Town of Falmouth)
Oona grew up on a homestead in Machias Maine, spent many winters in Sonora, Mexico, and now calls Portland, Maine home. Since attending the Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki, a school dedicated to sustainability and place-based learning, she discovered a passion for conservation through policy and fostering resilient communities. During her gap year she worked on olive farms in southern Spain through the Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms community. She applied her farming and organizing skills in her roles at FarmDrop and Cultivating Community. As the Maine Clean Communities intern at the Greater Portland Council of Governments, she expanded her knowledge of data organization, stakeholder and community outreach and municipal planning. In her free time, Oona enjoys cooking, adventuring with her puppy and beginning knitting projects which tend to remain unfinished. As a Resilience Corps Fellow, Oona is thrilled to assist the Town of Falmouth in the implementation of their Climate Action Plan.
Emma Morgan
Long Island Resilience Fellow (Town of Long Island)
Emma grew up in North Stonington, a small town in southeastern CT. She attended the University of Connecticut where she studied Environmental Science with a concentration in sustainable systems. At UConn, she had the opportunity to work on a coastal restoration research project. This experience sparked her interest in coastal community conservation and land management. Prior to moving to Portland at the beginning of 2024, Emma spent the previous year living in New Zealand where she worked as a baker, hiked every weekend, and swam in every body of water that she saw. Emma is excited to explore Maine next and to continue to work on the challenges of conservation and land management through her position with the Resilience Corps.
Maya Shyevitch
Chebeague Resilience Fellow (Town of Chebeague Island)
Maya is originally from West Newton, Massachusetts. She recently graduated from McGill University with a degree in environmental sustainability and a minor in geo-information science and remote sensing. She is drawn to the way that geospatial analysis brings together science and art by combining a diverse array of data sources, including data sourced by citizen science projects, to create nuanced yet visually appealing displays. In college, she completed an honors thesis on wildlife habitation patterns and range shifts in southern Arizona and had the honor of presenting her research at the 2023 American Association of Geographers conference. Her interest in anthropogenic change, climate resilience, and place-based work was fostered during her time working as a naturalist intern in southern Utah for the Canyonlands Field Institute and as a backcountry naturalist and ecology researcher for the Appalachian Mountain Club in northern New Hampshire, where she has worked in various roles since 2019. As a Resilience Corps Fellow, Maya is excited to bring her geospatial skills from the world of ecology to municipal sustainability planning and to learn about coastal Maine through the lens of climate resilience and local action.
Kayley Weeks
Portland Sustainability Fellow (City of Portland)
Kayley grew up in Windham, ME. She recently graduated from the University of Southern Maine, where she received a B.A. in Environmental Planning and Policy. While in school, Kayley served as the Executive Board Chair of USM’s Outdoor Adventure Board, providing equitable outdoor recreational opportunities to collegiate students. She completed her internship at Rbouvier Consulting, where she engaged in data management and analysis for projects related to the environment, economics, and sustainability. Post-graduation, Kayley worked as an administrative assistant at Hancock County Planning Commission, where she managed communications, membership dues, and other administrative tasks. She is a member of the Kappa Alpha Omicron Honor Society within the Interdisciplinary Environmental Association, a growing community dedicated to furthering the understanding of environmental challenges. During her free time, she enjoys trail running, indoor cycling, reading, and coffee. Kayley is excited to bring her passion for social justice and sustainability to her role, actively contributing to positive change in the community.
Kaya Williams
Energy Navigator Fellow (Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission)
Kaya grew up in Buxton, Maine on an alpaca farm but now calls Portland home. She attended Colby College where she earned a bachelor's in environmental policy. During college she focused on marine science and policy, studying abroad at the School for Field Studies in the Turks and Caicos. After graduation she worked in the environmental education sector, first at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute as a LabVenture educator; and then teaching seventh grade science at Waynflete School. She is currently transitioning from education into advocacy and policy work. She is also working towards her Master’s in Environmental and Climate Policy from Vermont Law and Graduate School. She’s hoping to focus her degree on Environmental Justice. As a Resilience Corps Fellow, she’s excited to support communities in southern Maine as they adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. In her free time, she enjoys crafting, such as knitting and sewing. She is also an avid reader, with horror and mystery novels being her favorites!