Steven Hufnagel, Executive Director
Steven has served as Executive Director of Coastal Rivers (formerly DRA) since 2009, having previously been DRA’s Director of Lands and Stewardship starting in 2003. Steven grew up along the Mianus River in Bedford, New York where he was active in the Mianus River Gorge Preserve and Town of Bedford Conservation Board. He attended Williams College, majoring in Geology (B.A.), and the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan (M.S.). His land use planning focus took him from Ann Arbor to Belize to study collaboration at a watershed scale among local land trusts and international NGO’s. Prior to graduate school, he worked for three years in Seattle as a project manager at the Cascadia Consulting Group assisting public agency clients in their outreach efforts to promote watershed stewardship and waste reduction.
Steven is interested in the intersection of land use planning, land conservation, public outreach and water quality. He loves trails – creating them and hiking on them – and islands. Steven and his wife Liza live with their two children in Damariscotta just a few blocks from the harbor.
Angela DesVeaux, Education Assistant & Camp Director
Email Angela
A graduate of Willamette University in Oregon, Angela majored in both Anthropology and Biology. Her previous related experience includes serving with AmeriCorps as a Conservation Crew member, acting as an Urban Forestry Unit intern, canvassing for The Nature Conservancy, and volunteering with an equine therapy program.
Angela and her husband live in Jefferson.
Sarah Gladu, Director of Education & Community Science
Sarah Gladu has been running Coastal Rivers’ education program since 2005 and has worked in environmental education since 1992. Sarah currently coordinates Coastal Rivers’ varied citizen science projects and is Chair of MCOA (Maine Coastal Observing Alliance). Previously she worked for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension coordinating state-wide water quality monitoring programs.
Sarah is a Registered Maine Guide with a B.A. in Environmental Policy from Brandeis University, where she also attained a Teaching Certification and a Wildlife Management Certificate. In 1998, she received a Master of Environmental Learning and Leadership from the University of Minnesota. Sarah lives in Waldoboro with her two daughters, her husband Tim, four Norwegian Elkhounds, four fish, three horses, chickens, ducks, sheep, one goat and one cat.
Jim Grenier, Trails & Facilities Manager
Jim came to Coastal Rivers in 2016 through a partnership with the Veterans’ Administration, which later evolved into a permanent part-time position managing DRA’s multiple facilities on two campuses and assisting the Lands and Stewardship Director with managing Coastal Rivers’ extensive trails and conservation properties.
A 2015 graduate of Unity College with a BS in Parks and Forest Resource Management, Jim also brings 28 years of experience as a carpenter and contractor, along with experience in commercial fishing, marine maintenance, and landscaping.
Jim and his wife live in Somerville. In his free time he enjoys fishing, hunting, camping, and all things outdoors.
Hannah McGhee, Communications Director
Hannah joined the Coastal Rivers team as “inspiration agent” in January 2016, after having contracted with the organization for a few years on various graphic design and print projects. Hannah was a self-employed graphic designer for several years creating websites, logos, posters, business cards, t-shirts and other designs for print or web. Prior to that, she worked as a social worker for ten years.
Hannah has an Associate Degree in Communications and New Media from Southern Maine Community College in South Portland and a BA in Political Science, German and French from Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. She serves on the boards of the Community Housing Improvement Project (CHIP, Inc.) and the Seacoast Youth and Community Orchestras. Hannah enjoys playing viola with the orchestra, photography, running, and learning new things. She and her husband live in Newcastle.
Tahlia Mullen, Climate Strategy and Conservation Fellow
Tahlia Mullen joined Coastal Rivers in January 2023. A Walpole native, Tahlia recently graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Government and Environmental Studies. She is passionate about the intersections of human and ecological security and cares deeply about promoting dual goals of social equity and environmental health. Having grown up walking, running, and paddling her way across the midcoast area, Tahlia is excited to work for an organization that places the connection between people and nature at the center of its conservation work.
Prior to joining Coastal Rivers, Tahlia worked at Refugee Services of Texas, providing case management services to internationally displaced persons in the city of Austin. Tahlia previously served as a Powering Peace Intern at the Stimson Center, researching opportunities to improve ecological management and energy access in refugee camps. Tahlia is a self proclaimed nerd who enjoys research and analytical writing on environmental governance topics. She plans to begin a masters degree in Environmental Policy this fall.
Gunnar Nurme, Lands and Stewardship Coordinator
Gunnar was Coastal Rivers’ Stewardship and Facilities Intern for the 2022 season, now returning as a full-time member of the team. He grew up in New Hampshire spending lots of time outdoors skiing, hiking, and recreating in other ways that have led him to build an appreciation for the environment. Gunnar cares about protecting special places and ecosystems while expanding outdoor access so that experiences with nature are accessible to more people and to future generations.
Gunnar graduated from St. Lawrence University in 2021 with degrees in Environmental Studies, Economics and Business. As Stewardship Coordinator, he will help care for preserves and facilities and assisting with land conservation projects. Outside of work, you can find Gunnar biking, running, and exploring all of the beautiful places that Maine has to offer.
Joan Ray, Director of Land Conservation
Joan is a native of Damariscotta. A Colby College grad, she has an MBA from Boston University and is certified as a Maine Master Naturalist. She worked for a time in the computer industry and volunteered for conservation organizations.
After living 11 years in the mountains west of Boulder, Colorado, Joan moved back to the area around 2005. She worked for the Medomak Valley Land Trust for nine years until it merged with Midcoast Conservancy, where she worked for one year before joining the Coastal Rivers team in 2019.
Joan’s happy place is outdoors: traveling, hiking, mountain climbing, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, and playing with her dog.
Susan Takano, Membership and Database Manager
Susan grew up amongst the towering redwoods, rolling vineyards, and rocky coastlines of Northern California. In the spring of 2021, she relocated to Maine. Susan joins the Coastal Rivers team with over a decade of experience in supporting membership and non-profit organizations, retail establishments, and public and higher education organizations.
Susan holds a B.A. in Art Studio from the University of California, Davis, and is excited to be a part of the vibrant midcoast arts community. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, gardening, and knitting. She and her partner live in Waldoboro.
Brad Weigel, Stewardship Director
Brad grew up in southern Indiana where he had free rein to fish, hunt, and explore the creeks and forests around his home. His interest in the natural world led him to major in Environmental Science at Indiana University, where he graduated in 2004. His early career was spent gaining experience working seasonal jobs for various agencies and nonprofits including The Nature Conservancy, US Geological Survey, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
This winding path eventually led him to realize his passion for ecological restoration, native plant establishment, and land conservation. He has spent fifteen years working for a private ecological restoration firm, as stewardship manager at NICHES Land Trust in Northern Indiana, and as assistant superintendent of grounds at Glenstone Museum in Potomac, MD. Brad moved to Maine in early 2020 and most recently served as Lands Manager for Boothbay Region Land Trust.
In his free time Brad enjoys fishing, backpacking, paddling, gardening, live music, and watching IU Basketball. He lives in Bristol with his wife Cindy.
Sara Cawthon, Twin Villages Foodbank Farm Manager
Sara has a wide range of agricultural experiences in New England and the Midwest. Together with her partner, she has operated a CSA farm, founded and worked for a growers’ cooperative supporting disadvantaged farmers, helped start a beginner farm incubator, and has worked with several educational food and farm programs.
Sara holds a Master of Science degree from Antioch University in Environmental Studies with a focus on agriculture and has most recently served as the Bowdoin College Organic Garden Manager.
Learn more about the farm at twinvillagesfarm.org.
