Outside of HOBY, Spencer is an incoming senior at Greenville High School. For the past three years, he has been an active member in his school's Student Council and Key Club, as well as the track team. When he is not in school he has a job as a dishwasher and groundskeeper at the Blair Hill Inn, and if he is not in school or working he loves to get out and take advantage of the natural resources that surround the Moosehead Lake region. He really enjoys skiing, fishing, rafting and hiking.

Last year Spencer was chosen to represent Greenville as an ambassador at the HOBY Maine 2013 session. After attending HOBY Maine, he was greatly moved by what he had experienced, and he decided to travel to Chicago to attend the World Leadership Conference  to gain more knowledge as to how he could become an even better leader. He volunteering this year at the HOBY Maine 2014 session because he wants to share the knowledge he gained as well as his many adventures with the incoming ambassadors.

Spencer's favorite leadership quote is:  "A leader does not deserve the name unless he is willing occasionally to stand alone."-Henry Kissinger 

Please help us welcome Spencer to the team!

We would like to thank Unitil Corporation for their support of the 2014 HOBY Maine Seminar as a Gold Meal Sponsor with their donation of $75.  

Unitil is committed to the communities they serve and to developing people, business practices, and technologies that lead to dependable, more efficient energy. Unitil Corporation is a public utility holding company with operations in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. For more information about Unitil, please visit www.unitil.com.

If you have been paying attention we have a pretty rockstar staff this year and the lady responsible for pulling all these outstanding folks together is our very own Faith Henry!  

Faith joined us in 2012 as a Senior Facilitator.  In 2013 she stepped up as the Director of Staff AND has served on our Curriculum team earlier this year helping design the flow of the program this year. Faith will also be supporting our Operations team this year backing up Ellen on Health and Safety and ensuring our facilitation team is cared for!  When she isn't volunteering with HOBY, Faith works at IDEXX as an Education Technology and Marketing Manager.

Faith says she volunteers with HOBY because: "HOBY changes people. Student ambassadors show up on Friday one person, and leave a more confident, empowered and authentic version of themselves by Sunday. But the change doesn’t stop there – it ripples through all of those that touch HOBY. We’re all made better by what we learn, by the impact we have, and we are inspired to make a difference in the world."


Her favorite leadership quote is: "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." –Mark Twain


We are very lucky to have Faith on our team!

Erin Perry attended HOBY Maine in 2012 as a representative from Greely High School and she volunteered as a Junior Facilitator in 2013.  After Erin graduates she plans to go to school to become a teacher. 


When asked why she volunteers with HOBY Maine, Erin said: "I volunteer with HOBY because I love the feeling I get after HOBY. I love feeling like I've helped others and because of that it helps me more than anything."


Erin's favorite leadership quote is: “Those who let things happen usually lose to those who make things happen.” - Dave Weinbaum


Erin is definitely someone who makes things happen!  Welcome to the team Erin!!

At our 2013 seminar a new catch phrase was born amongst the staff - "Go see Ellen!"  Ellen Stone Benson has volunteered with HOBY Maine for 5 years starting as a Senior Facilitator and moving into the Health and Safety Director role last year.  In this role Ellen ensures we are following all our risk management policies and is the keeper of all our medical supplies.  As a seasoned member of the staff she is also a critical member of our Operations team usually doing whatever needs to be done before we even know it needs doing!

Ellen lives in Scarborough, ME with her husband Scott and two kiddos, Sam and Caroline.  She is a Speech Language Pathologist and co-owner of Speech Therapy Associates of Maine.  

It is rumored that Ellen and Sydney went to High School together "a few years ago" and that Syd might have strong-armed Ellen into volunteering but Ellen stays because she really loves the program and the impact it has on ambassadors and volunteers.

Ellen's favorite quote is: "Everybody is a genius.  But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid."


Welcome back Ellen!

For six years Amy Davis has been a volunteer with HOBY Maine.  A 2003 alumni of HOBY Vermont.  Most recently Amy served as our Director of Alumni.  Amy is currently finishing up her second year at Vermont Law School in South Royalton, Vermont. She is a member of the General Practice Program studying primarily family law and is currently interning with the Vermont Juvenile Defender's office.


When asked why she volunteers with HOBY Maine, Amy said: "It has really been an honor for me to watch students year after year go through the program. Despite this being my 7th seminar overall, it's never the same. I always gain something new out of HOBY, and I've made some amazing lifelong friends through this experience. I love the program, the staff, and the students, and it's my way of giving back each year."


Amy's favorite leadership quote is: "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


We are very happy to have our Amiable Amy back with us again this year!

Gisele Grover is back again this year on our Operations team for seminar and all year has been helping raise the funds necessary to make our seminar possible.  With Gisele on Ops we can rest assured that things will run smoothly!  

When asked why she volunteers with HOBY Maine, Gisele said: "I volunteer with HOBY because these kids are our future leaders.  To see the growth in these kids from when they check in on the first day to when they leave the last day is truly an amazing experience.  HOBY has also allowed me to meet and make close friendships with other volunteers.  Volunteering makes me happy to know that I can help make a difference in these kids lives."


Her favorite leadership quote is: "Is what it is"  is only true unless you are willing to make a change."


Welcome G!! 
 

Rounding out the Clifton family of volunteers is Steve Clifton our 2014 Director of Operations.  For many years Steve has supported HOBY through osmosis, being married to Sydney, our Corporate Board President, but when their daughter Megan attended HOBY in 2012 he decided to jump all in and take on the Director of Operations role for seminar.  During the year he helps a great deal with fundraising as well.  When not working on HOBY  Steve works as a Merchandising Coordinator at Hannaford Supermarkets.  

When asked why he volunteers with HOBY Maine, Steve said: "It gives me hope for the future to see so many young, passionate adults willing to put themselves out there and make their world a better place."

Steve is an avid movie buff so it is not surprising that his favorite quote is from the silver screen: "Do, or do not. There is no try"  Yoda

Please join us in welcoming Steve to the 2014 team!

Sophia Mitropoulos attended HOBY Maine in 2007 as an ambassador from Noble HS.  Returning every year in Junior Staff roles - Sophia has been an integral member of the HOBY Maine team since her ambassador year.  In 2012 Sophia became a Senior Facilitator, attended the HOBY Training Institute and asked to take on the Director of Recruiting position.  Sophia is committed to making the registration process easy for our school partners, parents and students.  Sophia graduated from Emerson College last year and now works in Boston at an advertising agency as a digital project manager.

Amy Lufkin has volunteered with HOBY Maine previously as a Senior Facilitator (2010) and Registration Support (2013).  This year Amy took on the role of Assistant Director of Social Media and joined our Curriculum Development team.  Amy works as a Retail Training Specialist for Hannaford Supermarkets and is a recent newlywed! 

Amy volunteers with HOBY Maine: "To make a difference in youth, giving youth a chance to learn about how they can give back and help their communities. Also, I love meeting new people and working together on a common goal."

Her favorite leadership quote: "The Tallest Oak in the forest, was once just a little nut that held it's ground."

Welcome AMY!