Stevan recently joined Kennebec Savings Bank as Vice President and Senior Relationship Manager. With over 30 years of banking experience in Maine, he has a strong record of helping businesses and individuals in the Greater Portland area meet their financial goals. His consultative approach, market expertise, and commitment to client service have made him a
Sarah E. Coleman, Vice Chair
Sarah is a Portland-based attorney licensed to practice in Maine, New York, and several federal courts. After spending almost ten years practicing as a commercial litigator at private firms in New York City, she returned to her home state with her family to enjoy all that Maine has to offer and to become a public
Jeremy Handlon, Treasurer
Jeremy is a partner in the Accounting Services department at CBIZ in Portland. Jeremy has nearly 20 years of experience in public accounting, assisting companies across a wide range of industries in complex transactions. He provides guidance as well as assurance and tax services to his clients. His practice serves manufacturing, technology, and professional services
Jes Ellis, Secretary
Jes currently teaches third grade at Gerald E. Talbot Community School with Portland Public Schools. Before coming to Portland in 2019, Jes taught for two decades in Title 1 schools in Vermont, New Hampshire, Washington DC, and Maryland. She has collaborated extensively with artists over the years to integrate the arts into the curricula, most
Stephanie Eglinton
Stephanie is excited to bring her nonprofit experience to Side x Side. She served for 12 years as a program officer at the Sam L Cohen and Maine Community Foundations, where she managed grant programs in many areas, including social services, education, and arts and culture. Most recently, she served as executive director of the
Claudia Mejia Trejo
Claudia is a Kindergarten Teacher for the Portland Public School District. Her passion for understanding how children learn has taken her on different journeys. She worked in the administrative office of a Montessori School in Singapore before obtaining her BA in Early Childhood Education at the University of Washington. She then made her way to
Katie Porter
Katie Porter, an employment attorney at Pierce Atwood LLP, has practiced employment law for twelve years in New York City and Maine. Seeking a stronger sense of community and work-life balance, she moved to Portland in 2021 and feels fortunate to live and work in Maine. Outside of work, Katie enjoys the arts, beach time
Erica Swan
Erica is a Data Analyst at MaineHealth and works on projects related to community health with a particular focus on data reporting, analysis, and program evaluation. Prior to this role, she worked in public health evaluation at Partnerships for Health, community finance-related program evaluation at BlueHub Capital, and fundraising at the Center for Grieving Children. Erica
Charity West
Charity is currently serving as the Vice President of Innovation and Development at JMG. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than fifteen years and has extensive experience in public-private partnerships that meet critical community needs. She is an executive focused on diversifying revenue, building relationships, and identifying and assessing capacity to help connect communities








