YCE Program Key
Maine Youth Transition Collaborative
Youth Leadership Advisory Team
Gateway to Opportunity Program
G2O
MYTC
Ahmen Cabral
(She/her/hers)
Ahmen provides leadership for the Youth Leadership Advisory Team, engaging youth leaders in the foster care system in advisory committees, policy and practice change, and training. Ahmen joined the YCE team in 2005 and her work has focused on youth development, mentoring, facilitation and promoting practice and policy change in the child welfare system. Ahmen is committed to providing skills and opportunities for young people to share their experiences to promote systems change. She is continually inspired and energized by youth leaders and community partners who demonstrate a strong commitment to support all young people successfully achieve their aspirations.
Email: ahmen.cabral@maine.edu
Email: lily.maass@maine.edu
Lily Maass
(She/her/hers)
Lily Maass joined the YCE team in August of 2019 after studying Child Development and designing and implementing teen programming in a variety of direct-service 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 unique perspectives to enact change. You will find Lily facilitating YLAT meetings across the state, developing curriculum and activities for trainings and YLAT groups, and creating social media content. Outside of work, Lily loves to try new recipes, relax on the beaches and in the woods of Maine, and spend time sitting on the porch with friends listening to old music.
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
(She/her/hers)
Upon joining YCE in 2011 as a BSW intern, Shannon knew she had found her niche working with young people in the child welfare system. After graduating with her Master's Degree in Social Work, Shannon was approached to continue working with YLAT as a group facilitator. Currently, Shannon designs and facilitates YLAT meetings statewide, panel presentations and trainings for young people and their adult partners. Shannon is the voice behind YLAT's social media pages. She is continually awed and inspired by the courage of young people who use their voice and their personal experiences in foster care to promote positive change not only for themselves, but for future generations of youth in care. As someone who is adopted, Shannon feels personally invested in the importance of providing a space where youth are connected to people and places where they feel supported, understood and that they belong. Shannon feels lucky to be strengthening her connections with youth and adult partners to create a larger voice and to develop sustainable change.
Sheri Foster
Email: sheryl.foster@maine.edu
(She/her/hers)
Sheri joined the Youth and Community Engagement Team in 2014 specifically as a Team Member with Portland Empowered. She currently provides administrative, logistical, and design support for the Young People's Caucus (YPC) and the Youth Leadership Advisory Team (YLAT). "I believe the voices of young people need to be heard; youth voice is imperative in the enactment of systems and policy changes that affect them most in our state. Youth need to feel heard, worthy, safe, and successful in the world and in their communities. Both the Young People's Caucus and the Youth Leadership Advisory Team are powerful platforms to foster their success."
In addition to YPC and YLAT, Sheri provides logistical, administrative, and design support for other YCE events as needed.
Sheri loves listening to music, kayaking, hiking, golfing, and spending time with her 3 precious grandchildren.
Tara Chabot
Email: tara.chabot@maine.edu
(She/her/hers)
Tara joined the Cutler Institute in July of 2016. She is a Policy Assistant supporting several projects. She is honored to be part of these teams working to make a better world for the people of Maine. She spends her spare time greatly enjoying the outdoors of Maine.