Our Board

Hamda Ahmed, of Lewiston, became involved with MPA as an intern in 2018 when she was a student studying political science. She was drawn to MPA because she wanted to get involved in direct actions as well as with lobbying for the issues she cares about. She was also motivated to take action because at the time, Trump was serving his first term as president, and many members of Hamda’s community were affected by the hate speech that fueled division, the travel bans against certain countries, and the separation of children from their families at the border. This spurred her to become more active in the community and develop her leadership skills through canvassing, door-to-door outreach, participating in direct actions, lobbying at the State House, collecting signatures, and more. Hamda is now proud to serve as a board member, contributing to the organization’s shared vision and strategy.

A resident of Auburn, Stephen Carnahan moved to Maine in 1998 to take a position as the pastor at State Street Congregational Church in Portland. He has served as a pastor in the United Church of Christ since 1994 and has worked to show that Christianity and conservative politics are not one in the same. Stephen is a Christian who understands that love, compassion and openness to all people are at the heart of the faith. His faith has led him in the direction of progressive politics, and as a pastor, he encouraged his congregations, as well as other faith leaders, to lean toward progressive stances, such as care for the poor, anti-racism, and affirmation of LGBTQ+ relationships. Stephen became involved with MPA in 2020 when he retired and he’s enjoyed writing, speaking, marching, lobbying, and canvassing with the friends he’s made in the organization.

After graduating college into a recession, Katie Coe, of Bangor, ended up falling into social work. While the nine years she spent in this field were the most worthwhile work she’s ever done, it also left her radicalized, burnt out, and so very angry. She realized that almost every single problem she encountered in social work could be solved by legislation at the local, state, and federal level. Now, nearly a decade later, Katie has the stability and time to help. In 2024, she attended MPA’s first meeting of our Bangor chapter and kept coming back because of the hope MPA makes her feel. She’s inspired by MPA’s ability to turn ideas into actions and actions into policy. Katie was elected to the board in 2025.

When Shaun Donnelly was in junior high, his mother joined an evangelical Christian church. He was repelled by much of the new ideology she brought into their home, including opposition to civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ individuals. This experience helped Shaun personally understand how otherwise seemingly good people work to undermine and oppress the rights of others. It also taught him that even though some minds can never be changed, if we organize enough of the folks on the side of justice, we can and will win. During his years with MPA, Shaun, who lives in Arundel, has learned how all social justice issues are connected and equally important. As a board member, he says it has been a privilege to learn how MPA functions and the ways that we can all be a part of building power together.

Roxy Kai was a neurodivergent kid with a strong sense of social justice and it took her awhile to learn how to channel her inner warrior energy. Joining MPA in 2018 set her on a path where she could use her innate sense of justice in an organized and meaningful way. Her first action with MPA was participating in a live press conference on forced arbitration. Since then, Roxy, a resident of Bryant Pond, has led a community conversation to address the substance use crisis, collected signatures for paid family and medical leave, given legislative testimony, and lobbied her legislators. She also is on MPA’s Campaign Vote! committee. Roxy likes that MPA is an organization that makes everyone feel welcomed and gives them a safe space to learn how to become their own leaders in the fight for social justice for all.

When Patty Kidder’s daughters were toddlers, her husband almost died, was in and out of the hospital for a few months, and out of work for six months. Their family couldn’t afford to pay their bills on his disability check and their credit card debt rose. Then, in 2009, her husband lost his job of over 20 years. After his severance package and unemployment benefits ran out, Patty and her family went from middle class to TANF recipients and would have lost their home if not for friends and family helping to pay their mortgage. The following year, they lost their health insurance and were facing a possible housing and health care crisis. It was at this time that Patty, who lives in Springvale, joined MPA and became involved in the fight for MaineCare expansion. She has continued to work on health care over the years, often providing legislative testimony and lobbying her legislators. Patty is grateful to be part of MPA and work with so many wonderful people on so many different social justice issues.

Rafael Macias first got involved with social justice when he found out that the Fair Labor Standards Act allows migrant worker children to be paid less than minimum wage and receive no overtime pay. He became involved with MPA by canvassing for paid sick days and attending lobby days at the State House for a variety of issues, which taught him the value of speaking face-to-face with our legislators. Rafael has since been elected to the state legislature, where he serves as representative for House District 51 in Topsham. He says MPA has been vital in his understanding of how our government and democracy works.

Gina Morin became involved with MPA during Trump’s first term in office because they needed an outlet for the anxiety they felt about the country and about Maine following Paul LePage’s years as governor. They began working on housing issues with MPA by lobbying, where they got to speak directly to lawmakers and realize they could make a difference. Gina, who lives in Auburn, is directly affected by many of the issues MPA works on, including housing, food insecurity, health care, and more. In addition to serving on the board, they often testify and tell their story at the State House, at press conferences, and at actions and events around Maine and the country.

Jennifer Reynolds began working for a better world when she was 17 by volunteering with Amnesty International and a local group fighting to enshrine reproductive rights into law. At 19, she joined the Army to afford college and faced pervasive sexism. She started a family on a military salary and found herself seeking WIC assistance and struggling to afford childcare. After finishing her service and school, Jennifer became a teacher and put her activist energy to work as a union rep and as a mentor to several student groups. Outside of work, she fought for education funding, reproductive rights, immigrant protections, and LGBTQ+ equality. She became interested in health care affordability when her oldest daughter aged out of Jennifer’s insurance and moved between subsidized healthcare and Medicaid. When Jennifer, who now lives in Jonesport, moved to Maine, she sought out MPA so she could continue working on the issues she cares about.

Brandy Staples got involved in social justice when she had stage four cancer and was dropped by her health insurance in the middle of treatments. She became connected with MPA through social media and joined the health care leadership team that fought for (and won) MaineCare expansion. She also worked on MPA’s successful campaign to increase minimum wage. Brandy, who lives in Phippsburg, most enjoys lobbying legislators at the State House and knowing that her voice is being heard. She likes that with MPA, she and others can make real change.

Many of Miia Zellner’s motivations for her activism are informed by her lived experience as a disabled person. As someone who is deaf, she has faced inaccessibility and has realized the many ways in which people are oppressed by different systems. Seeing the direct harm caused by inequality has left her sad, angry, and frustrated, so when Miia moved to Maine in 2022, she joined MPA to make a difference on the state level. A resident of the town of Mexico, she has discovered the impact of different types of activism and how to build power among people. Through MPA, Miia has learned how to be frustrated and motivated at the same time, and how to turn her anger into action.