Get in touch with any of the MECASA friends by clicking on their photo and the Ask a MECASA Friend Guide can tell you a bit more about the team!

Jess Bedard, Director of Program Planning and Performance
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​​Jess is the Director of Program Planning and Performance. Jess supports the MECASA team in planning and evaluating our programming. She also provides support to member program directors and helps us use the EmpowerDB database.  Jess is passionate about making sure our programming aligns with our values and the needs of centers. Feel free to reach out to chat with her about all things planning and evaluating! When she’s not at MECASA, Jess enjoys hiking, traveling, and snuggling her cat.
Maureen Booth, Program & Administrative Coordinator
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Maureen has been hired as the new Program & Administrative Coordinator at MECASA. Her role puts her in the unique position of not only tending to the administrative duties of the office, but also helping the project staff with their individual needs. Additionally, she will be the hub for planning and organizing events and trainings. Becoming a strong team member and resource for MECASA is one of her top goals, and she is very excited to be joining the fantastic group of individuals working in the sexual assault field. When she’s not in the office you can typically find her painting, hiking, or enjoying a nice meal somewhere cozy.  
Katie Church, Children's Safety Partnership Coordinator
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Katie works to coordinate the efforts and act as a resource for the Children’s Safety Partnership, an initiative that began in response to the legislation passed in 2015 mandating child sexual abuse prevention for all publicly funded Pre-K through 5 programs in Maine. When not at work, Katie loves trying out new recipes and going on adventures with her family.
Sarah Firth, Director of Human Resource & Compliance
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Sarah coordinates compliance and quality; that means she can help you figure out how to offer services and develop your workplace in ways that also satisfy the regulations. You might see her doing site visits or training at staff meetings but she also works on projects to develop consistent statewide services like text/chat and support group facilitator training.

She lives with her family in Vienna.
Katie Kondrat, Equity & Access Coordinator
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Katie works with culturally and community-specific providers and sexual assault support centers to create accessible and equitable services for all survivors. She looks for opportunities to create community-led sexual violence services for populations who have barriers to services, and are therefore, underserved.

Katie wants to work with you on supporting rural advocates and survivors, Safe Space training and gender-inclusive services,  collaborating with culturally or community-specific partners,  and building or finding resources for any other underserved population. 

When she’s not at MECASA, she can be found urban farming in Portland, swimming, or somewhere outside with her family and the Tiniest Dog.
Annette G. Macaluso, Children’s Advocacy Centers Network Coordinator
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Annette is focused on connecting the expert advocates of Maine’s CACs to the resources they need to assist and empower sexually abused children and their families throughout the state. She supports existing and emerging CACs in the use and efficacy of Multi-Disciplinary Teams. The Network also offers a monthly Resource Round-Up, maintains the CAC website and online toolkit, as well as provides other technical assistance as needed. Annette’s goal is to empower local survivors and CACs to partner in excellent quality intervention services throughout the state. Annette lives in Auburn, Maine with her wife and dog, and enjoys playing Euchre, canning veggies from her garden, and snowshoeing through the woods.
Julie Montefesco, Financial Director
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Julie is the Financial Director at MECASA and brings many years' of finance experience with her. She enjoys spending time with her two teenage kids, road trips, kayaking, and photography.
Elizabeth Ward Saxl, Executive Director
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Elizabeth and Dory have overall strategic and operational responsibility for MECASA’s staff, programs, expansion, and the execution of its mission to end sexual violence in Maine and to support high quality sexual violence prevention and response within Maine’s communities. In addition, they focus on initiating and advocating for victim-centered public policy at the State House and in other policy arenas. Elizabeth and Dory report directly to MECASA’s Board of Directors.
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​When they don’t have their heads buried in Maine’s Criminal Code, Elizabeth and Dory can be found working outside with the rest of their family at their home in Belgrade; trying to spend as much time as possible in, on and by the water; and saving their frequent-flyer points miles for their next family adventure.