About Us
Our Team
Jessica Casey
Fundraising & Communications Consultant
Jess has a proven track record in both the nonprofit and corporate sectors, leading impactful fundraising initiatives for local and global causes. She has served as a consultant for several Maine nonprofits where she holds fundraising records and established annual events. Jess was the co-founder and Community Outreach Director of In This Together and owns Two Hawks Event Planning & Design. She has over a decade of experience in development, community outreach, and fundraising as well as 20+ years in event execution. Jess has a passion for helping non-profits host successful events, increase their fundraising goals, and make new connections.
John Holdridge
Can We? Project Director
John has worked in and around schools for the past 30 years for organizations that include the Arts Literacy Project at Brown University, the Maine Arts Commission, the Telling Room, Cape Elizabeth Schools and as an independent consultant across New England. In each of these roles he has focused on building community and elevating student voice in the classroom, across schools, and within the larger community.
Patty Howells
Can We? Project Assistant Director
Patty has advocated for student voice for the past 20 years, most recently as the coordinator for the New England Youth Identity Summit, and previously at The Telling Room. Patty is committed to creating opportunities for young people to step into leadership roles and connect with their peers from across Maine. In past lives, she has been a pastry chef, a civil rights investigator, a bicycle courier, and a Peace Corps volunteer. Every day she enjoys learning from students about what matters to them.
Katherine Johnston
Researcher/Consultant
Katherine has worked in the education field for over 15 years, most often focused on research and policy: asking questions, analyzing data, and synthesizing what she’s heard into recommendations for moving forward. She has worked for K-12 schools, universities, nonprofit organizations, and in different levels of government, deepening her knowledge everywhere she goes. She works to advance student and teacher voice as a critical ingredient for positive change in education systems.
Lowell Libby
Can We? Project Co-Founder, Advisor, School Coach
Lowell’s career in education spanned 42 years and multiple roles, including running an Upward Bound chapter, college teaching and supervising student teachers, and public and private school teaching and administration. In 2018, as the Upper School Director at Waynflete, Lowell co-founded The Can We? Project as an “experiment in revitalizing democracy,” an endeavor he continues to support in retirement. Witnessing adolescents and the educators who guide them in action has taught Lowell that learning is transformational when students are equipped and motivated to lead the way.
Elena Maker Castro
Senior Research Advisor
Elena is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Bates College, where she teaches classes on developmental and educational psychology. Her research focuses on youth civic development, seeking to illuminate why and how young people engage in changemaking. Born and raised in Maine, she is thrilled to work with Can We? to support youth voice and agency in her home state.
Derek Pierce
Can We? Project Advisor, School Coach
Derek was a teacher and leader in Maine high schools for over 30 years, most recently serving as the founding principal at Casco Bay High School. In addition to coaching school leaders, he is currently the host and producer of Learning from Maine, a new Maine Public show about what’s possible in our public schools. Derek is thrilled to support Can We? schools in the crucial work of fostering the connections and curiosity necessary for students (and adults) to dialogue about hard, vital issues.
Our Advisory Network
Coming Soon
Collaborating Organizations
In addition to partnering with high schools across Maine and New Hampshire, we collaborate with a number of organizations committed to preparing young people to enter the world as civically engaged members of our communities.
These organizations include Narrative 4, Bates College Youth Action and Community Transformation (Youth ACT) Lab, Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine, and others.