Greatest achievement: Collaboration with the Associated General Contractors of Maine and the Maine Department of Labor to bring the construction pre-apprenticeship academy to the Asylum Seekers Transitional Housing Program, where two cohorts of 35 total individuals completed the class and joined the construction workforce.
Passion project: Advancing integration goals of refugees and immigrants.
Lightbulb moment: In October 2016, when I realized that I could do more to give back to the community, and decided to volunteer full-time with Catholic Charities Maine.
Influential book: “Unity and Struggle,” by Amilcar Cabral
Favorite movie: “8 Mile”
Personal hero: My aunt
Favorite quote: “If Earth had a soccer team, everyone on Earth would wear the same jersey to support it. There’d be no them, there’d only be us.” — Peta Kelly.
Best way to recharge: Spending time with family.
Maine’s biggest challenge: Affordable housing and stable workforce.
Dinner party guests: Jesus Christ, to hear his thoughts about other religions; Nelson Mandela, to get insights on how to unify people across cultures, especially given apartheid; and Abraham Lincoln, to find out if the U.S. is on the trajectory that he expected — and if not, what wisdom he would have to impart.