Board of Directors
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of the Maine Alliance for Arts Education provides strategic leadership, fiduciary oversight, and guidance to advance arts education across Maine. Drawing on experience in education, the arts, nonprofit leadership, and community advocacy, the Board works collaboratively to support MAAE’s programs and advocacy efforts while ensuring the organization remains mission-driven, financially responsible, and responsive to communities statewide.
Individuals and organizations interested in learning more about MAAE’s work, exploring partnerships, or engaging in governance are welcome to reach out.
MAAE’s Board of Directors
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee consists of the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, and Technology Coordinator, with the BCTA Program Director serving in an advisory role.
Lynda Leonas, Chairperson
Chairperson@MaineAllianceForArtsEducation.org
Lynda Leonas is a visual arts educator in the Auburn Public School Department. She has been a public education elementary level visual arts teacher in Androscoggin County for 19 years in addition to working in the private studio arts industry and serving as a teaching artist in the Lewiston/Auburn community for 5 years. Her paintings and sculptures were first shown at the 2004 NYC Jacob Javits ArtEXPO. Her artist bio includes a mural featured in “Our Working Waterway”, an exhibit about the industrial history along the Androscoggin River, from July 10, 2020 – December 29, 2021, at the Maine MILL Museum, formerly Museum LA. Having joined the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative (MALI) as a Teacher Leader in 2015 which has recently transformed into the Maine Arts Education Partners in Leadership (MAEPL), Lynda has served on the MAEPL Vision Team and currently serves as a member of its Program Team through June of 2026. Beginning in 2019, she served as President Elect for the
Maine Art Education Association (MAEA). Her Presidency and Past Presidency roles, culminating in 2025, travelled through the pandemic years as her team worked to envision and fulfill virtual applications applied to every teacher and student art exhibit, each conference, and every workshop. MAEA successfully provided every annual opportunity without disruption to promoting any of its arts education services. During this time, Lynda served on the State of Maine’s Department of Education Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) Steering Committee working to review the VPA Learning Results standards. Through this work, the Media Arts discipline has now become a part of the VPA Learning Results alongside Visual Art, Music, Theater, and Dance. Lynda joined the Maine Alliance for Arts Education (MAAE) as its Chairperson in September of 2025. She looks forward to preserving the Maine Alliance for Arts Education’s advocacy history and working to continue supporting fine arts education endeavors for every Maine student as we encourage the further development of a fiscally sustainable arts industry here in the State of Maine.
Susan Potters, Vice Chairperson
ViceChairperson@MaineAllianceForArtsEducation.org
As an amateur performing artist herself who integrated the arts into her teaching of English, Susan also advocated for arts education itself as a parent, and in the 1990’s became actively involved with MAAE as a board member. After Susan organized a Creative Conversation conference for MAAE in the greater Bangor community, Susan joined the MAAE staff as its first regional director, while also serving as director of the Bangor Region Arts Council. In 2004 Susan was appointed MAAE’s statewide Education Director and in 2014 as MAAE’s Executive Director, a position Susan held until she retired in 2021.
Jeri Pitcher, BCTA Program Director
BCTA-ProgramDirector@MaineAllianceForArtsEducation.org
Information to come.
Vicky Cherry, Transition Member
Information to come.
Con Fullam, Transition Member
Information to come.
Kathy Brooks, Technology Coordinator
TechnologyCoordinator@MaineAllianceForArtsEducation.org
Information to come.
Meg McGarvey, MAAE Board Member
Information to come.
Michelle MacDonald, MAAE Board Member
Information to come.
Anne Alexander, MAAE Board Member
Anne Alexander is a sculptor who works in the mediums of clay, and carved wood and stone. Nature observed on hiking, skiing, or paddling excursions informs her organic formwork. Her sculpture is exhibited in several Maine galleries and outdoor, sited sculpture. exhibits throughout New England and beyond. She has received numerous grants for her sculpture, including A Fulbright Senior Scholar Fellowship to study the art of the Taino culture in The Dominican Republic. Public Art has been part of her career through exhibiting outdoors in public locations and carving in places where people can observe and talk to an artist at work. She is a retired art teacher from both public and independent schools for 25 plus years, who now does sculpture teaching residencies to all ages in schools and other venues.