Who We Are

A graduate of Oberlin College with a PhD from the University of California, Davis, Mela is a passionate educator, researcher, storyteller, and arts enthusiast. As owner of the Desert of Maine, she brings her diverse expertise to creating immersive, educational experiences that honor both the natural world and the human stories woven through it. Through nuanced and empathetic storytelling, she invites visitors to discover the resilience of nature while gaining fresh perspectives on the complex choices people faced throughout history.

Mela's vision extends beyond traditional tourism. In 2021 Mela created a community-centered arts performance on the dunes and co-taught a homeschool class with ecologist Deborah Perkins and geologist Josh Smith. Inspired by these experiences, she established the Center for Arts and Ecology (CAE), a nonprofit operating at the Desert of Maine. CAE thrives on collaboration with artists, ecologists, science educators, and mission-aligned organizations. In just a few years, it has hosted dozens of music and theater performances, creative writing workshops, ecology programs, and school field trips.

Looking ahead, Mela is energized by the possibilities for both the Desert of Maine and CAE to deepen their impact, fostering community connections and nurturing a love for nature and the arts for generations to come.

Liz is a passionate advocate for environmental stewardship and community connection. Through her work with the Complete Streets Committee and Connect Freeport, Liz has encouraged outdoor activity and sustainable transportation as ways to strengthen both community and environmental health.

A dedicated supporter of the Desert of Maine, Liz finds deep inspiration in the Center for Arts & Ecology's mission to celebrate ecological diversity and foster meaningful connections between people and the natural world. Professionally, Liz brings over 20 years of experience in healthcare leadership and currently serves as Director of Operations for Vascular Surgery at MaineHealth. She lives in Freeport with her husband and their son.

Gennifer is a devoted teacher, parent, and community organizer. She teaches as a World Language educator and IB Coordinator for Creative, Active and Service learning in southern Maine. Gennifer has experience partnering with local ecology and environmental education organizations such as Wild Seed Project, SubjecttoClimate, the Cumberland Community Orchard, Maine Environmental Education Association, and Impact.

One of her passions is advocating for and empowering young people as they build relationships with the natural world around them, and increase their access to outdoor and experiential learning to develop skills for their future. She believes in the mission of CAE to fuel meaningful action with inspiration and wonder.

Gennifer earned a BA in Spanish and Fine Arts, as well as her MA in Linguistics. She was honored to be recognized as one of the 20 Outstanding Women in Maine, and received a State of Maine Legislative Sentiment of Recognition. She has experience in permaculture design and installation, and is currently a Maine Master Naturalist in training. When Gennifer is not in the classroom, she can be found with her children, hiking and camping in the Maine woods, or out on Casco Bay with her family and friends.

John Albright began his career finding, studying, and conserving important species and natural communities by interning with The Maine Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. This led to his serving as the Director of TNC's Maine Natural Heritage Program, an intensive survey of rare and endangered species and natural communities throughout Maine. In that position he had the great good fortune to work with experts in all fields of natural history studies throughout Maine.

He was instrumental in devising and launching the Maine Amphibian and Reptile Atlas Project, one of the first citizen scientist inventories nationwide. Upon retiring, John focused on his other passion: music. He created an online concert series that ran during the pandemic, advocated for and organized the Freeport Folk Festival in 2019, and organized an annual concert series at Wolfe's Neck Center, all designed to connect local talent with venues and audiences. John served on the boards of the Forest Society of Maine, Freeport Conservation Trust, The Freeport Players, and the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Freeport.

Meghan Nathanson is a writer and visual artist living and working in coastal Maine. In 2012, Meghan began sharing about the way her spiritual life intersected with her new role as a mother of two children. Early on she discovered that her practice of mindful presence was instrumental in her ability to foster meaningful connections with her children. She wanted to share this experience with other mothers and began writing a blog about Mindful Mothering. Since then, she has written and shared hundreds of essays and expanded her writing to encompass the many ways life can be experienced more deeply with presence. She has also recorded guided meditations that have soothed listeners across the globe.

In 2019, Meghan began working on a memoir. This manuscript was intended to reveal and reflect on the unlikely spiritual teachers and experiences that began showing up in her life decades ago, allowing her to become a conscious creator. In the midst of this work, Meghan was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. Her life and work came to a sudden halt and much of her energy was directed toward her treatment. Although she had to discontinue writing the memoir she had begun, she did manage to share intermittently through her blog about her experiences living with a life-changing diagnosis.

Like so many of life's challenges, Meghan soon discovered that this illness was a powerful teacher and an opportunity for growth. She decided to set aside her prior work and to follow this new thread. Her hope was to share in a whole-new memoir what it was like to navigate breast cancer treatment while maintaining a spiritual mindset and navigating the divide between conventional treatment and alternative methods of healing. This was the origin of her now completed work, There Can Be Joy.

Meghan is a lifelong writer and worked for five years in the magazine publishing industry. Her employment at Time, Inc. allowed her an inside look and opportunity for contribution to both the publishing and editorial aspects of the business in her roles at LIFE Magazine and This Old House Magazine. Her writing about breast cancer has appeared in Wildfire Magazine and was featured in their anthology, Igniting the Fire Within: Stories of Healing, Hope, and Humor. As a guest on the Wildfire Magazine The Burn Podcast, she spoke about navigating breast cancer with a spiritual mindset and the methods she has used for healing.

As the former NY Operations Manager for The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, she has the unique perspective and experience of having advocated for a cause that later impacted her own life. Meghan's art has been shown in DUMBO, the East Village, and SOHO in New York City and in galleries and venues in coastal Maine. Her position as a member of the board of directors for the Center for Arts and Ecology brings her great joy, allowing her to apply her diverse experiences in both the arts and nonprofit fundraising to support and help grow an organization that she believes in wholeheartedly and that has supported her.