KAREN KEMBLE, PrESIDENT

Karen D. Kemble, Esq. is the Associate Director of Planned Giving at the University of Maine Foundation in Orono, where she has worked since 2015. Karen helps individuals who wish to support the University of Maine by making planned gifts such as charitable bequests in their wills/trusts or other planning documents, donating real estate or other property, or creating life-income gifts. She also works with professional advisors whose clients wish to support UMaine. In her former life, Karen practiced law in Bangor for ten years and then handled equal opportunity issues for the University of Maine as the director of the Office of Equal Opportunity. She is a graduate of Bates College (B.S., Chemistry) and Cornell Law School (J.D.). Karen and her husband, Jay, live in Bangor and have two grown children and a Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Baxter.

paul howe, PRESIDENT-ELECT

Paul Howe joined Starboard Leadership as Vice President in January 2024. He is a Maine lawyer with 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience and a master’s focused on organizational resilience and risk management. Paul’s areas of expertise include fundraising, nonprofit management, human resources & labor relations, business development, strategic planning, board relations, government affairs and global humanitarian programs and strategy.

Community is important to Paul. He currently serves as President Elect for the Maine Planned Giving Council, Board President for the Maine Multicultural Center, and Board Chair for North Star Christian School. Paul enjoys supporting various community-based organizations and is also a member of the Maine Advisory Committee for the US Global Leadership Coalition.

Paul served as CEO of a US operated hospital in Ethiopia, led an international humanitarian organization in Sudan and represented all 51 of the international humanitarian organizations then operating in Sudan - a total of over 3,000 staff and over $300M in annual operations. Along the way he negotiated with striking employees, mediated legal battles between religious groups, led lifesaving programs in the middle of a civil war and helped nonprofits and their populations of concern navigate the revolution that toppled Omer Al Bashir.

Paul did strategic planning and business development for Florida Hospital (now Advent Health) during a period of rapid expansion. Most recently, he served as Director of Planned Giving for the Northern Light Health Foundation, co leading a strategic planning process and building a multi-million dollar planned giving program. Paul also led the Resilience & Sustainability workgroup of Northern Light Health’s Climate Health Team.

Maine is Paul’s home. He grew up in Freeport and lives in Hampden with his wife and four young children. Paul is a mediocre violist, an optimistic whitewater canoeist and enjoys exploring Maine’s untrammeled wilderness with family and friends.

JENNIFER RICHARD, TREASURER

Jen Richard is the Senior Director of Gift Planning at the Maine Community Foundation where she works with professional advisors throughout the state to help their clients meet their philanthropic goals in a meaningful and tax effective manner. Prior to joining the Maine Community Foundation, Jen was a practicing trust and estate attorney in Portland for 20 years. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore School of Business and Economics and her law degree from Franklin Pierce Law. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Maine Estate Planning Council, the United Way of Greater Portland Foundation, and Make-A-Wish Maine. Jen is currently a member of the Higgins Scholarship Committee at the Maine Community Foundation and the Treasurer of the Maine Planned Giving Council. Jen and her husband, Neal, live in Portland and have three children.

IAN TOVELL, SECRETARY

Ian Tovell is the Development Director at Ketcha Outdoors. With a diverse background in the for-profit sector, Ian has honed his skills in customer service, marketing, sales, and operations. However, his desire to make a meaningful impact led him to transition into the nonprofit sector, where he has thrived ever since.

Ian holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Vermont. He furthered his education by obtaining an MBA in Marketing from Southern New Hampshire University and returned to UVM to earn a Digital Marketing Certificate. His commitment to community engagement is evident through his service on the boards of the Portland Nordic Club and the New England Nordic Ski Association, as well as his participation in his high school's Alumni Council.

Outside of work, Ian is an avid outdoor enthusiast. He can often be found running the roads and trails of Maine until winter, when he switches to cross-country skiing both locally and globally. Ian treasures spending time with his family—wife Paige, son Bear, and their three dogs, Duke, Marley, and Ella. Residing in Freeport, Ian and his family embrace the vibrant community spirit of Maine and eagerly explore all that the state has to offer.

j. bradford coffey, esq.

Brad is president of Covenant Health Foundation and a senior vice president at Covenant Health, where he has worked since 2015. Covenant Health includes three hospitals and 11 post-acute care centers. Prior to being employed at Covenant Health, Brad was vice president of philanthropy at EMHS Foundation and a planned giving officer at the University of Maine Foundation. Brad is an attorney who practiced law for 10 years before moving into philanthropy in 2001. He is a graduate of George Washington University (B.A.) and the University of Maine School of Law (J.D.). Brad served previously on the Maine Planned Giving Council from 2006-2012. Brad and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Bangor and have three children.

Anna Cooney
207-873-4253
acooney@
mainechildrenshome.org

ANNA j. COONEY, cfre

Anna J. Cooney is currently the Director of Donor Engagement for Maine Children’s Home (MCH), where she builds philanthropic relationships that help build and strengthen Maine families and their children through MCH programs in adoption, mental health/counseling, young-parent education and mentorship, and winter essentials/holiday assistance for ages infant to 17.

Anna’s career journey in philanthropy and fundraising began with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and includes later positions with the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and MaineGeneral Health. Her background also includes work in information accessibility for people with disabilities and several decades performing as a professional harpist and vocalist with orchestras, choirs, and ensembles in Virginia, Texas, Arkansas, and Maine.

Anna holds graduate and undergraduate degrees and a diploma in music (harp performance), and she earned the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential in 2023.

Anna and her husband make their home in central Maine, where they are active in their local church and community. She enjoys reading a variety of genres and subjects, attending live music and theatre performances, experimenting with allergen-friendly baking, and visiting with friends and family from across the globe.

REBECCA LAZURE

Rebecca Lazure is the Director of Gift Planning at Bates College. She joined Bates in 2019 and has been a part of the Annual Fund and Reunion program as well as Leadership and Planned Gifts Officer teams. Prior to Bates, Rebecca spent 10 years in the publishing industry as a project manager and journalist. Her passion for non-profit administration and fundraising developed through work in public history and museums. In Maine, Rebecca was the founding Executive Director of the First Amendment Museum and worked in development and education at Portland Harbor Museum and the Osher Map Library. She is a graduate of the University of Delaware (B.A.) and the University of Southern Maine (M.A.) in American and New England Studies.

Rebecca lives in Monmouth with her husband and two daughters. She has served on the Cumston Public Library’s board of trustees and is an active member of the Kennebec Performing Arts Company. In her free time, you will often find Rebecca and family at the Kennebec Valley YMCA or at swim meets around the state.

Griffin Leschefske
(207) 791-1140
gleschefske@pierceatwood.com

GRIFFIN LESCHEFSKE, ESQ.

Griff Leschefske’s practice centers on estate planning, charitable giving, and probate, trust, and fiduciary litigation, in which he represents individuals, families, fiduciaries, and institutional clients in all aspects of trust and estate planning, administration, and controversy. Griff also represents charitable organizations, educational institutions, and corporate clients with respect to planned giving and philanthropy matters.

In his estate planning practice, Griff provides counsel on wealth transfer and charitable planning, including through the use of sophisticated, tax-focused planning strategies, and planning for special assets. Griff also represents clients faced with unexpected trust and estate administrative problems arising after death, whether in the nature of under-performing or inappropriate estate plans, late tax elections, domicile issues, or ambiguous provisions.

Griff has notable experience with trust and estate litigation, where he provides comprehensive, solution-focused representation at all phases of controversy, drawing upon hands-on experience with sophisticated trust, estate and charitable planning to the strategic advantage of his clients.

Griff is a proud member of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee and is committed to ensuring access to justice and legal services for all. Griff was the firm’s "Pro Bono Attorney of the Year" in 2016 and 2017.

joseph pratt

Joseph Pratt is the Senior Vice President, Senior Wealth Manager, at Bar Harbor Wealth Management. He earned a B.A. in International Affairs at the University of Maine in Orono and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. He left military service in 1992 as a Captain and returned to the U.S. Joe earned his Series 7, 65, and insurance licenses and joined American Express Financial Advisors in Portland, Maine. He moved to Key Bank in Bangor in 1995 and TD Bank in 1997 in positions of increasing responsibility. Joe joined Bar Harbor Trust Services in 2000 as Vice President. He was appointed Managing Director in 2004 and Senior Vice President in 2019. Today he oversees wealth services for Maine including a staff of 12, about 500 client relationships, and about $700 million in client assets. Joe is a graduate of Cannon Trust School and is the Founding President of the Maine Planned Giving Council. He is a frequent presenter for the Maine Association of Nonprofits and has enjoyed board service with nonprofits throughout Maine including United Way of Eastern Maine, Maine Philanthropy Center, Bangor Public Library, Bangor Mechanic Association, Bangor YMCA, University of Maine Lobster Institute, Bangor Rotary Charities and more. Joe has two grown daughters and lives in Bangor with his wife Becky and their golden doodle Jameson.

rICK wELLS

Rick is the Director of Planned Giving at Ocean Conservancy. Prior to joining Ocean Conservancy, Rick served as Director of Gift Planning at Colby College for four years. Before this, Rick spent 14 years with The Nature Conservancy holding various gift planning positions. Rick has previously served on the boards of the Planned Giving Group of New England in Boston and The National Capital Gift Planning Council in Washington, DC.

In 2011 Rick and his wife moved to Brunswick from Washington, DC. Rick currently serves on the board of the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust and previously served on the board of Curtis Memorial Library. In his free time, he enjoys gardening, wood working, and cooking.