Kimberly Sampson is an early childhood educator and the Director of the Little House School, located on her family’s farm in Damariscotta. Drawn to the Midcoast for its vibrant sense of community and grounded lifestyle, Kimberly has dedicated herself to fostering meaningful connections between people and their environment.

 

While she previously served as the Volunteer Coordinator for The Waldo, Kimberly has transitioned into the role of President of the Board. In this capacity, she brings her extensive experience in educational leadership and community building to help guide the theater’s mission. Her vision and enthusiasm are deeply valued by her students, her community, and her colleagues at The Waldo.

Chris serves as Executive Director of the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center and also as an adjunct associate professor of Marine Sciences for the University of Maine. He teaches courses in aquaculture and shellfish biology at the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center. He celebrates over 35 years of farming oysters in the Damariscotta River as a founding partner in the Pemaquid Oyster Company.

 

Chris received his B.A. from Colby College and Ph.D. from the University of Maine. He lives in Waldoboro with his wife, Janet, and they are fortunate to have their two daughters living nearby.

Susan is a writer whose book, Brilliant Disguise, was a finalist for the 2024 Maine Literary Awards in Memoir. Her full-time career began at Rolling Stone magazine when reporters were still throwing typewriters across the office and concluded as a senior communications expert in domestic policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington. She moved to Maine 15 years ago because of her love of the ocean and open space. Doing so proved to be one of the best decisions of her life.

 

Susan holds degrees from both the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Johns Hopkins University. Being part of the Waldo Theater board gives her the opportunity to both give back to the community and take part in the expansion of this cultural institution into ever more exciting endeavors that can entertain, educate, and connect.

Raised in Belfast and Washington, ME, Maya is a passionate educator with degrees in Microbiology and Journalism from the University of Rochester. She pursued a graduate degree in Marine Science from the University of Maine and hopes to engage in further research in learning sciences towards a PhD. Sprinkled in between, she has been a cook, biotechnologist, editor, shellfish biologist and instructional designer. Her diverse education and experiences reflects her multifaceted interests, blending the realms of science, writing, and human cognition. Outside of work as Director of Applied Learning at Lincoln Academy, she explores nature, travels and enjoys culinary experiments.

 

Maya strives to embody a cephalopod-like spirit of curiosity and resourcefulness, and hopes to leave a lasting impact on her students and community. "One of the things that drew me back home to Maine was the powerful effect of a small community coming together. The Waldo Theatre has been a catalyst towards growth in the midcoast, and I want to help it reach its vision of connecting and enriching lives for community members of all ages."

Rebecca Cooney is the creator of “Waldoboro Voices,” a website and a column in the Lincoln County News to which she adds to weekly. Taken as a whole, the testimonies make a portrait of Waldoboro as told by the people of Waldoboro, spanning professions, age, geography and income, and touching on all the major issues of our time, with the hope of generating more understanding between us. It was a natural outgrowth of moving permanently to Waldoboro in 2020, after summering with her family for every year of her life because her father’s roots were here. But it was also a natural progression of her professional life, which has included directing the public education for INFORM, an environmental non-profit; being a Clio-winning (TV) art director at Benton & Bowles; working as a New York Times freelance photographer and photo editor; and of organizing around human rights.

 

When Rebecca started volunteering at The Waldo in 2022, she was struck by a profound sense of home and belonging -- perhaps because she’s a great niece of founder Carroll T. Cooney.  And being there, she has embraced The Waldo’s eclectic selection of music, art and movies.  But along the way, her vision has expanded into one of this theater being a place for everyday expression, a place for the unknown, the quirky, and the surprise.  

 

In 2024, Rebecca launched The Waldoboro Talent Show, the first talent pageant in almost 50 years.  She held it three days before the election.  It was meant to showcase townspeople’s dreams to perform on that stage, and it filled the house.  Even months later, people said they still felt the fairy dust from that evening.  This is the vision she holds for The Waldo.