Evening for Environment
A Celebration to Benefit Maine Conservation Voters and Maine Conservation Alliance
Thursday, October 26, 2023 • 6:00-8:00 PM • UNE’s Innovation Hall in Portland, ME
Our community will come together for an exciting night to honor the Maine that we all love.
For 21 years, the Evening for the Environment has brought together community advocates, legislators, business leaders, environmental visionaries, and philanthropists to celebrate the bold work done by MCV, MCA, and our allies.
Join us as a host, a business sponsor*, or attendee by registering with Maine Conservation Voters today!
Nonprofit sponsors** or hosts who would like to direct your support to Maine Conservation Alliance, register here.
Click here to learn more about being a *business sponsor or a **nonprofit or foundation sponsor.
Business Sponsors
Foundation Sponsors
Featured Speaker
Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist, policy expert, writer, and Brooklyn native. She co-founded and leads Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank for the future of coastal cities. Recently, Dr. Johnson co-edited the bestselling climate anthology All We Can Save, co-created the Spotify/Gimlet climate solutions podcast How to Save a Planet, and she co-authored the Blue New Deal, a roadmap for including the ocean in climate policy. Previously, she was executive director of the Waitt Institute, developed policy at the EPA and NOAA, and taught as an adjunct professor at New York University. She will join the environmental studies faculty at Bowdoin College in fall 2023.
Dr. Johnson earned a BA from Harvard University in environmental science and public policy, and a Ph.D. from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in marine biology. Her writing has been published widely, including in The New York Times, Washington Post, and Scientific American. She serves on the board of directors for GreenWave and Patagonia, on the advisory board of Environmental Voter Project and on the steering committee for the Ocean Justice Forum. Recent recognitions include, the Schneider Award for climate communication, the Time 100 Next List, and appointment to the Secretary of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board. Dr. Johnson’s forthcoming book on climate futurism has the working title What If We Get It Right?. She is in love with climate solutions.

Safiya Khalid
SAFIYA KHALID is the Founder and Executive Director of Community Organizing Alliance. She is a former elected politician who created history when she was elected to the Lewiston City Council as the first Somali-American and youngest person in 2019. She is a graduate of Lewiston Public Schools and the University of Southern Maine, with a Psychology major and minor in Business Administration. Safiya served on many state, municipal and non-profit boards and committees. She is currently attending Northeastern University getting her Masters of Public Administration and focus in public policy. She is an avid advocate of social justice, community organizing, and youth leadership. She envisions a world that is just, fair and is equitable. With COA, we can accomplish these goals by creating and supporting a community that is united and organized to support issues that are important to their daily lives.
Host & Organizing Committees
Premier Hosts
Elizabeth and Brad Coffey
Dan Crewe
Bill Ginn and June Lacombe
Karen Harris and Rob Gips
Brigitte and Hal Kingsbury
Catherine Lee and Bob Moyer
Jennifer Melville and Alex Abbott
Bonnie Porta and Bobby Monks
Jo D. Saffeir and Kristian Carr
Linzee Weld and Peter Milliken
Karen Young and Paul Robie
Super Hosts
Dan and Joan Amory
Penny and Dirk Asherman
Roger Berle and Lesley MacVane
Anna Brown and Colin Cheney
Kevin Carley and Ellen Grant
Joni and Bob Daly
Barbara Gauditz
Fiona Gordon and Stuart MacNeil
Nancy Grant and Mike Boyson
Brad and Patty Hager
Karen Herold and Mark Isaacson
Nancy Heselton and Jeff Clements
Suzanne and Cornelius McGinn
Bo Norris and Cathy Houlihan
Beth and Tony Owens
Kathy and Chuck Remmel
Sarah Russell and Joseph Reynolds
Joan Tilney
Kate Williams and Evan Adams
Carol Ann Wishcamper
Host Committee
Beth Ahearn
Tom and Diana Allen
Mike Belliveau and Dr. Dianne Kopec
Laura and Wyman Briggs
Sandy and Sissy Buck
Holly Burbank and Ken Languedoc
Jenn Burns Gray
Kim Caldwell and John Lambert
Ned Claxton
Philip Conkling
David Costello
Phil Coupe and Alexia Pappas
Martha Davis
Beth DeTine
Evelyn deFrees
Grace DeGennaro and Jerry King
Maureen Drouin and Matt Scease
Tom Duffus
Elizabeth E. Ehrenfeld
Maye Emlein and William Sedlack
Lynne and Jay Espy
Sally Farrand
Anna Fincke and Bryan Wentzell
Peter and Jean Ann Garrett
Tim Glidden and Kathy Lyon
Stacie Haines
Ruth Hennig
Alicia Heyburn
Daniel Hildreth
Kathleen and Herb Janick
Tom Kittredge
Buzz Lamb
Juliet Lamont and Phil Price
David Littell and Monique Bouffard
Chris and Sue Livesay
Diane Lukac
Eric Marshall and Deb Claflin
Kathleen and Ari Meil
Roger and Margot Milliken
Bob Moore
Willard Morgan and Jenn Barton
Mary P. Nelson
Daniel Oppenheim and Layne Gregory
Jeff Pidot
Susanna Place and Scott Stoll
Caroline Pryor and David MacDonald
Molly and Peter Ross
Frank and Susan Ruch
Jon Ruterbories and Anne Sedlack
Peggy Schuler
Maryann and Jeff Sedlack
Rani and Jeremy Sheaffer
Katie Mae Simpson
Kate Sinding Daly
Kenneth Spirer and Joan Leitzer
Jym St. Pierre
Gary Stern and Demetrios Karabetsos
Didi Stockly
Nat Thompson
Anna Marie Thron
Wolfe Tone and Lani Toscano
Eliza Townsend
Barbara Trafton
David Vail
Desi Van Til and Sean Mewshaw
Ted Walworth
David Wennberg
Susan and Doug Williams
Lisa C. Wilson