Staff & Board

Staff

Cameron Brewer

He/His, Development and Communications Director

Cameron Brewer is a nonprofit  organizer, educator, and performer with nearly a decade of experience in progressive politics and community organizing. Originally from  Oklahoma, Cameron served in leadership roles with several justice  advocacy groups, including as the Vice President of Black Lives Matter  Oklahoma City and an At-Large Executive Member of the ACLU of Oklahoma’s Board of Directors. Previously, Cameron served as the Communication  Manager for SPACE Gallery, helping to coordinate their 20th anniversary  celebration.

Cameron firmly believes in community-led and intersectional approaches to social justice advocacy. Cameron enjoys cooking, writing, and reading science fiction in his spare time.

Jessica Burton

She/Her, Executive Director

Jess Burton is a weaver, connecting people, ideas, and resources to  build a better world. As the founding Executive Director of Momentum  Conservation, she continues to learn and grow and seek ways to seed  justice here.

Jess grew up in New York City, ancestral land of the  Lenape, and was born with an innate connection to nature and to being  outside. She lives on Peaks Island with her husband Ponch Membreño, her  daughters, and 2 dogs. Jess loves big ideas and is re-learning how to  imagine that which has not existed yet.

Lindy Magness

She/Her, Education and Partnerships Director

While Lindy’s professional background includes many varied ventures, most recently serving as Outreach and  Education Director at Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, she cares most  about helping people connect – to themselves, to each other, and to the  natural world around them. This has looked like leading backpacking  trips in British Columbia, growing food and community in the Shenandoah  Valley of Virginia, and more recently exploring the waters of Casco Bay  any way she can.

Lindy moved to Maine in 2022 to kayak and was so  inspired by the beauty of the landscape and the people who frequent it, she decided to make it her permanent home and build her career around  the conservation of this exceptional place. When not working, Lindy  enjoys cycling, way too many hobbies, and spending time with her dog.

Peyton Black

She/Her, Operations and Grant Program Director

Peyton Black is originally from New  Jersey and moved to Maine in 2018. She holds a BA from College of  Charleston in South Carolina. Before joining the Momentum Conservation  team, Peyton worked at The Telling Room as Program and Volunteer Manager for five years. Peyton is passionate about environmental and social  justice here in Maine and is excited to continue her mission-driven work in this new role.

In her spare time, Peyton likes playing and coaching  field hockey, working her way through her reading list (preferably  sitting by a body of water), and taking her three-legged rescue dog  Sawyer on adventures.

Board Members

Chelsey Berlin (she,her)

Treasurer

Chelsey Berlin is the Executive Director of the Eastern Trail Alliance and the Eastern Trail Management District. She joined the sister organizations in December 2023 with more than fifteen years of experience in global nonprofits, most recently serving as the National Director for Community Engagement Programs and Initiatives at HIAS, a humanitarian organization that provides vital services to refugees and asylum seekers. Prior to HIAS, she spent over a decade working with Israelis and Palestinians, including as Director of B’Tselem USA, where she oversaw the organization’s US operations. She was a 2011–2012 Dorot Fellow in Tel Aviv, Israel and a founding staff member at Tomorrow’s Youth Organization in Nablus, Palestine. Born and raised in Old Orchard Beach, Chelsey loves being outdoors and in the ocean.

Andrea Berry (she,her)

President

Andrea Berry is a community organizer at heart who fully believes that we can use the tools of public policy and finance to bring about environmental justice and climate resilience. Working at the New England Environmental Finance Center as Climate Funding Manager, Andrea supports environmental justice projects throughout the New England region in securing needed funding and building critical community engagement and support. Previously she served as the Executive Director at Wild Seed Project and as the Director of Community Engagement at Maine Initiatives. In her “free time” Andrea serves as the Select Board Chair for her hometown of North Yarmouth, ME, and in addition to her Board role at Momentum, she sits on the Board of the Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG). Andrea lives in North Yarmouth with her partner, teenage child, and dog Penny. She is an avid gardener, loves fantasy books, and believes in always showing up with homemade baked goods.

Stefan J. Jackson (he/they)

Stefan J. Jackson is Principal of NATURAL DIFFERENCE, LLC, specializing in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Consulting & Coaching and Mediation Services, with a focus in natural resource and environmental conservation, stewardship and education organizations. Stefan has over 30 years in land and water conservation in both transactional and kinship models, over 45 years in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and over 25 years as trained negotiator and mediator. Currently, serving on the Board for the Maine Environmental Education Association, as Advisor to Land for Communities (formerly Conservation for All and ME Land Protection) funds at the Maine Community Foundation. As an educator, coach, advisor, and friend, Stefan has mentored dozens of current and future nature educators and stewards; facilitated many productive, restorative resolutions to seemingly intractable conflicts; and working with Momentum

Deja Manson (she,her)

Deja Manson (She/Her) currently works as the Director of Operations at the Maine Environmental Education Association. Originally from San Diego, she moved to Bar Harbor Maine in 2020 where she worked until 2025 as an arborist for Acadia National Park. With a strong passion for being outside and using her skills to care for the land, she has spent most of her professional time in the last decade doing field work in some of the most beautiful parts of the country. From Wildland Firefighting for 4 summers in the Oregon old growth, to teaching environmental education in the hills of Southern California, to documenting fossilized dire wolf tracks in New Mexico. As time passed and priorities changed, she began to put her focus to the administrative side of the environmental movement by getting experience working in tech and administration within the park service for a year before joining MEEA in January of 2025. Deja is excited to keep connecting, growing, and learning new things from the people she encounters!

Matt Markot (he,him)

Matt is the Executive Director at Loon Echo Land Trust, where he has worked since 2018. Matt grew up in a small city in central Connecticut and has lived in Maine for the past 15 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College - Hartford, a graduate certificate in organization development from the University of Southern Maine, and is completing a Master’s Degree in Leadership Studies also from the University of Southern Maine. Matt is passionate about connecting people to each other and places through the power of conservation and outdoor access. His prior work experience in Maine’s conservation and environmental education communities include roles at the Nature Conservancy in Maine, an AmeriCorps Environmental Steward with the Maine Natural Areas Program, and as an environmental and experiential educator at Kieve-Wavus Education. He is currently the Chair of the Maine Land Trust Network’s Steering Committee, the Co-Chair of the Sebago Clean Waters regional conservation partnership, and serves on the town of Bridgton's Open Space Committee as vice Chair. Matt lives in Bridgton with his partner and enjoys cycling, skiing, paddling, and traveling.

Helen Scalia (she,her)

Helen Scalia (she/her) is the Principal of Scalia & Company, Inc. where she is a consultant to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and other mission-driven organizations, helping them tell their stories, design programs, raise money, make informed decisions, and plan for and adapt to change. She works with start-ups and established institutions in urban and rural communities and in Indian Country. Helen lives on and tends to a small patch of earth in the geographically seductive city of Portland, Maine.

Jessica Burton (she,her)

Ex Officio Board Member, Secretary

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