Courtney Waring, Executive Director

cwaring@islandreadersandwriters.org

As Executive Director, Courtney guides the mission and work of IRW. She holds a B.A. and M.A in Art History and a graduate level certification in elementary education. She has previously worked in the Education departments of the Delaware Art Museum, The Barnes Foundation, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. She loves inspiring others to see books as the spark that ignites both curiosity and creativity.

Kelsey E. Moore Buckley, Director of Communications & Engagement

kbuckley@islandreadersandwriters.org

Kelsey is responsible for capturing and telling the story of IRW’s programming and mission through all our communications. She also serves as IRW’s event manager, designing meaningful program experiences. She brings holistic thinking, imagination, out-of-the-box problem solving, and deep collaboration to her work.

She has previously worked in both communications and development in higher education. Kelsey holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Maine Farmington, and a Master of Arts in English: Writing, Rhetoric, and Media Arts from Trinity College. She lives in Bangor with her husband, their twin daughters, and a one-eared cat.

Lisa T. Herrington, Program Assistant

lherrington@islandreadersandwriters.org

Lisa was born and raised in Hancock County. Her schoolwork took her from outdoor recreation to English literature and finally library science. She has worked as a school and public librarian, at a Montessori school, as a camp director and as a shop clerk and window designer. Her love of flower design and crafts has become an asset to IRW for many events creating centerpieces and decorations.

Lisa lives in Franklin with her artist husband. She keeps busy on the board of directors for Franklin Historical Society and is president of the Franklin Library board.

Alison Johnson, Director of School Programs

ajohnson@islandreadersandwriters.org

Alison oversees all aspects of IRW’s school programs, including planning school visits, seeking new author/illustrator talent, and collaborating with school partners to find just the right fit for their community. She helps plan professional development for educators in the IRW network keeping an ear to the ground for what is needed when visiting schools.

She began her nonprofit work as director of the Schoodic Arts for All Summer Festival and has served on several area nonprofit boards, including the Schoodic Community Fund, the Dorcas Library, and two terms on the RSU24 School board. She has completed the advanced practicum in Visual Thinking Strategies, the Maine State Volunteer Library Certification Program, and is trained in The Whole Book Approach. She and her husband live in Birch Harbor where they spent nearly two decades farming while raising and homeschooling their three daughters. As a daughter and granddaughter of librarians, books are in her blood.

Celine Martin, Communications & Engagement Coordinator

cmartin@islandreadersandwriters.org

As IRW’s Engagement and Communications Coordinator, Celine assists in event programming, communications and in coordinating social media. Before coming to IRW,  she was an educator for 30 years in Washington and Hancock County, teaching many young learners how to read. Literacy and sharing the love of learniing is her passion and she is excited to continue that at IRW.

Celine has a Bachelor’s degree in Education with honors from the University of Maine Farmington. She has three grown children and 2 dogs. When she isn’t busy getting into a good book, Celine and her partner, Toby, can be found exploring Maine in their RV, gardening and kayaking.

Dawn Severns, Information & Data Manager

dseverns@islandreadersandwriters.org

Dawn is responsible for ensuring the flow and collection of information and data necessary for the successful implementation, evaluation and documentation of IRW programs. Dawn works directly with IRW partner school personnel, Executive Director, Director of School Programs, Director of Communications & Engagement and others to ensure effective use of technology to support goal achievement. She is considered the octopus of the company, handling multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.

Dawn has a Bachelor’s degree in Early Education with honors from the University of South Florida. She taught Kindergarten for seven years in Florida and has moved all around the United States during her husband’s 20 year military career.

Dawn, her husband, and son currently live in Iowa where she continues to meet IRW’s mission while pursuing her work remotely.

Jan Coates, Founding Executive Director

jcoates@islandreadersandwriters.org

As founding Executive Director, Jan provided 18 years of leadership and oversight to all things IRW. Prior to founding IRW in 2006, Jan was a senior administrator/Dean at Albion College in Michigan and Hamilton College in New York, then owner and manager of Port In A Storm Bookstore in Somesville.

Jan holds a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve, the Board of Trustees of the MDI Biological Laboratory and is an Aloha Foundation Emeritus Trustee. She resides in Hall Quarry on Mount Desert Island.