YCE Program Key
Maine Youth Transition Collaborative
Youth Leadership Advisory Team
Gateway to Opportunity Program
G2O
MYTC
Ahmen Cabral
YCE Manager
(She/her/hers)
Ahmen provides leadership for the Youth and Community Engagement (YCE) team at the Catherine Cutler Institute. She is continually inspired by the energy and positive change that is created when strong youth and adult partnerships are developed. “Each YLAT member – youth and adults – bring experience, knowledge, and leadership to create positive change in child welfare.” Ahmen provides leadership to the Maine Youth Transition Collaborative (MYTC) comprised of community members, youth, and providers that aim to increase employment, post-secondary education, community opportunities, and supports for youth aging out of foster care. You will see Ahmen at YLAT meetings, MYTC meetings, and the annual Teen Conference. Ahmen enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, and snuggles with her lab Bode.
Email: ahmen.cabral@maine.edu
Lily Maass
Email: lily.maass@maine.edu
YLAT Youth Engagement Coordinator
(She/her/hers)
Lily Maass joined YLAT in 2019 after studying Child Development and designing and implementing teen programming in a variety of settings. Lily’s passion for working with youth and young adults stems from the belief that all young people hold an inherent ability to strengthen the systems and communities they engage with through sharing their expertise and dreams. As the Youth Engagement Coordinator, Lily develops statewide curriculum, oversees YLAT leadership programs, and connects partner and policy priorities with direct youth engagement. Outside of work, Lily loves to explore Maine with her family, cook complicated recipes, and cozy up on the couch with her cats Miso and Loki!
Melissa Allen
Email: melissa.r.allen@maine.edu
(She/her/hers)
Melissa joined the Cutler Institute in December of 2019. Over the past 20 years, she has been inspired by and supported youth and families in various capacities. For the past ten years, Melissa worked at a Therapeutic Foster Care Agency in Maine, where she had the opportunity to listen to voices of foster care youth and resource parents. Melissa is excited to have the chance to redesign the Resource Parent Training at Cutler. She feels very fortunate to be able to work with youth who experience Foster Care, and strives to impact the child welfare community's changes that will positively affect the lives of youth.
Shannon Saxby
Email: shannon.saxby@maine.edu
YLAT Project Director
(She/her/hers)
Shannon joined the YLAT team in 2011 and has been inspired ever since! Hearing the experiences of young people and what youth in care are currently facing motivates Shannon to think creatively with her partners to create sustainable changes and reforms to the child welfare system in Maine. Shannon often describes her connections with young people as “humbling” and feels truly lucky to be a small part of their journeys.
As the YLAT Project Director, Shannon oversees statewide programming and supports other YLAT staff to deliver content. You’ll see Shannon facilitating in YLAT spaces, providing presentations to providers, and at the Teen Conference. When Shannon isn’t at work, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading a good book, exploring new places, and enjoying all that Maine has to offer!
Tara joined the Catherine Cutler Institute in July 2016. As a Policy Assistant II, Tara is a member of several teams and projects, collecting and tracking demographic data, enjoys riding her motorcycle, fishing, working in the woods, and working and is responsible for logistics for meetings and events with the Youth Community Engagement (YCE), Youth Leadership Advisory Team (YLAT), Maine Youth Transition Collaborative (MYTC), and the Learning Exchange Series (LES). Tara is honored to be part of these teams working to make a better world for the people of Maine. In her free time, Tara enjoys riding her motorcycle, fishing, working in the woods, and working in her yard.
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Frances Kirk
Policy Analyst I
Bangor & Midcoast YLAT
207-780-5006
Frances is proud to be the newest member of the YLAT team, joining in the fall of 2024. She comes from a background of non-traditional education and outdoor guiding, taking young people on hiking, backpacking, sea kayaking, and bike-touring adventures to strengthen their communities and leadership skills and build self-confidence and a sense of empowerment. Now, she hopes to bring the same energy to YLAT. Frances believes that having a strong, compassionate community is the most important pathway to success and most enjoys the time she spends with young people, whether in YLAT meetings, trainings, TCPC, or other events. Outside of work, Frances tries to be active and outside with friends as much as she can. She also loves reading, writing, and crafting.