We have a hands-on board. They meet monthly on third Fridays from noon to 2:30 with the first hour dedicated to development work and the last hour and a half to other business. All Board members are donors at a level they are able, committing to also give or bring in the equivalent of at least one SHERO ($240) annually. Board members also participate in various fund raising events and other programs throughout the year.
Deborah Bockus (Chair)
Debbie has lived in Auburn most of her life, graduating from Edward Little High School and later the University of Southern Maine. Debbie has worked in the mental health field for the last seven years. She is married to David, has two step-daughters and two dogs.
She has been a volunteer Boy Scout/Webelos Leader, along with a member of the advisory board for the International Order of the Rainbow for girls and an advisor/activity leader for the IORG Pledge Group. Debbie has also worked with Community Little Theater doing costuming. She has also volunteered for the Kora Temple Shrine Circus. Debbie is a member of both Pine Cone Chapter and Golden Sheaf Chapter Order of the Eastern Star. She is a three time Past Matron. She is also a majority member of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls and is a Past Worthy Advisor of the local assembly.
Her interests include sewing, cooking, gardening, flying and sailing. She has raced catamarans in Maine and New England. Debbie has been a part of a hot air balloon team that has flown in Maine, the Greater Northeast and the three eastern providences of Canada. She currently owns her own hot air balloon and is finishing up her pilots license. Joined 2012
Angela Burke (Treasurer)
Angela is currently an Accountant at Austin Associates and is an active member of the Young Professionals of Lewiston Auburn Area, YPLAA. She studied Philosophy at Plymouth State University, and is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine, where she received her degree in Accounting. Angela has several years experience as a Tutor for math and statistics, and wishes to volunteer these services within the community. She is continuing her education in the accounting field, and plans to become a CPA. She enjoys music, reading, and cooking, as well as staying active either at the gym or through outdoor play with her energetic son, Mason. Angela and her son reside in Lewiston. Joined2013
Tricia Cook (Development Committee)
Originally from southern Maine, Tricia moved to western Maine in 1998 after receiving a BA in Women’s Studies from the University of Southern Maine. Before her work with the Alliance, Tricia worked in Adult Education for ten years. Her primary focus was basic literacy, family literacy and advocacy. Tricia is a former board member of Mt Blue TV, Livermore Falls Downtown Betterment Group, and sat the steering committee of Maurer Meals, whose mission is to raise money for the Justin A. Maurer Memorial Scholarship at UMF while raising awareness of activities necessary to improve local community health nutritionally, economically, environmentally and spiritually. Tricia also runs a small sewing business from her home called Get-Up Again, which sells unique apparel, whimsical dolls and functional art handcrafted from reclaimed garments, textiles and personal treasures. She lives with her husband, Kevin, and their two toy fox terriers, Angelo and Peanut in Livermore Falls. Joined 2012
Filomena Day
Once upon a time, as a CPA, Filomena helped people balance their budgets. Now, as a PAC, Personal Achievement Coach, she is helping them balance their whole life to achieve more success with less distress, and turn passions into profits by coaching them toward peak performance in their personal and professional lives. She served as Treasurer of CWW for two years.
Filomena’s professional endeavors focus on wealth and wellness programs. Since 1996, she has been designing and conducting development programs for organizations and groups that educate, enlighten, and entertain participants. Program topics include life balance, peak performance principles, essential business and team building skills, assertiveness training, emotional intelligence, interpersonal communication, as well as developing personal strategies for dealing effectively with change, conflict, stress, and time management issues. She currently helps people design healthier financial structures while improving their physical and emotional wellness through balance, nutrition, and healthy habits and outlooks to create better days for themselves and their loved ones. She likes to say that as a wealth and wellness coach, she helps people improve their books, their looks, and their outlooks.
Her personal endeavors are varied …from helping community groups and nonprofits raise awareness and funds for educational and women’s issues, to traveling to far-away places, especially to her homeland of Italy. Filomena was born in Avellino, Italy, and came to the US as a 2 ½ yr old with her mother and older sister and brother after her father, who had been in the US since 1956, saved enough to bring them to America. She was brought up in Fitchburg, MA and put herself through college with scholarships and loans while working as an office manager for a psychologist and waitressing. Filomena currently has a home in Lewiston with a 21 year old daughter, Jillian. In her “spare time” she enjoys dancing, singing, performing on stage in musical/comedy events for Community Little Theatre, traveling, boating, golfing, reading, 3D puzzles, sewing, crocheting. She is also an avid flower gardener, which is a good thing for someone with FTD for initials. Joined 2010
Denise Dill (Governance Cmt.)
Denise lives in Lewiston and is a founding member of the Faire Band A Part Housing Cooperative, which is the 2nd housing co-op in Maine. She has been the Community Cooking Educator for the St. Mary’s Nutrition Center for over 4 years, teaching cooking classes to diverse age groups. She has co-managed the summer gardens with Lots to Gardens and assists in running the weekly farmer’s markets. Now she is in culinary arts school at Southern Maine Community College. She has been a board member since 2010 and teaches a monthly workshop at our Center on eating well on a budget. She is a singer-songwriter who performs regularly in the L/A area and at our annual open house. Joined 2009
Matt Dyer (Development Cmt.)
I am a lifelong resident of Maine. Both sides of my family were involved in lobstering, commercial fishing and were merchant mariners. I couldn’t tie knots and I get sea sick so they sent me to law school. I graduated from the University of Maine, School of Law in 1993 and accepted a position with a former Pine Tree Legal lawyer here in Lewiston in 1994. (Pam Beliveau was our office manager). Since 2000 I have worked as a staff attorney for Pine Tree Legal Assistance in Lewiston and for a brief time in Augusta. Pine Tree Legal is a statewide legal services provider assisting low income individuals in civil legal matter. My partner and I participate in basset hound rescue and have adopted and fostered many elderly and abused hound dogs over the years. We currently live in Turner. Joined 2011
Linda Jackson-Washburn (Secretary)
Linda is a retired speech/language teacher who is a member of Trinity Episcopal Church. She serves on the vestry there as the treasurer, and is the pianist for the “Joy Ensemble” (the music team). Linda volunteers one morning a week at the Women’s Center and is putting together an art fundraiser for August. She lives in Greene with two wonderful dogs. Her interests are many though she especially loves music which she indulges by singing in several ensembles, playing piano and going to concerts. And in her spare time Linda is part of a reader’s theater. Joined 2009
Kim Jacques
Kim Jacques was raised in Lewiston and graduated from the University of Maine with a BS in Natural Resource Management. Upon graduation she served a term as an Americorp Volunteer teaching sustainable agriculture through service learning projects to grades 2-9 throughout rural Maine. She continued her studies in herbology, massage therapy and polarity therapy and has been an accomplished massage therapist since 1999. She also served as Director of Education at Spa Tech Institute where she successfully graduated over 700 massage therapists.
Kim is currently the president of Revelation Massage in Auburn Maine. Revelation Massage, located in Auburn, Maine provides high quality massage therapy and whole health education services. Through Revelation Massage Kim is able to support the health of individuals and communities through delivering high quality, customized and user friendly massage therapy services, while also supporting the arts, education and health related organizations through financial support and outreach initiatives.
Kim regularly offers self-care workshops at the Center for Wisdom’s Women, free chair massage at the Lewiston Farmers’ Market, YWCA and local athletic events. She is also an active member of the Chamber of Commerce’s Regional Image Committee, and a board member of the Maine Women’s Network. Joined 2012
Erica Lovett
Erica works at CMMC Family Medicine Residency as an Integrative Family Medicine Physician and Faculty. She provides care for all individuals from birth to death and everything in between, including maternity care. The integrative term means she provides both evidence based conventional and alternative medical options and discussions. She completed extra training in the field of integrative medicine through Maine Medical Center and the University of Arizona (with Dr. Andrew Weil – some of you may know that name). Personally, She am happily married with 2 lovely boys (ages 2 and 5). Her husband grew up in this area and most of her in- laws still live in the L/A area. They enjoy doing most anything outside (walking, fishing, camping, hiking, skiing, etc). This year she picked up women’s hockey to help her son learn about “learning to play” and to help herself understand the sport and she has found an activity she really enjoys! Joined 2011
Tammie Noyes (Vice Chair & Governance Committee member)
Tammy grew up and lives in Lewiston. In high school, Tammie actually worked at the Intown Manor kitchen – our building! She worked for Head Start for 11 years as a teacher and since then has been raising 4 children ages 19, 17, 11 and 6 years old. Married to David for 12 years. Tammy is a creative, loving, caring person who shares herself often at the Center, including teaching the scrapbooking class almost every Wednesday morning. She also has experience painting ceramics. Tammie is Chair of the Advisory Council of women at the Center. They meet monthly and work on program planning, fund raising projects, and tending to needs of the women. Joined 2009
Tasha Zimowski
Having grown up in Los Angeles, about 5 years ago Tasha and her family relocated to Maine to try out a new way of life. Since, then she has completed two bachelor’s degrees Nursing as well as Social and Behavioral Science at USM LAC. Further, she is currently working on her Masters of Nursing in Education at St Joseph’s College. Professionally, Tasha works as a staff RN at Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick on the Medical-Surgical floor. Lastly, she also volunteers on the Maine American Nurses Association as a reviewer for continuing education.
Tasha was an intern with CWW in 2011-12 through the USM nursing program and spent two semesters at the CWW as a USM nursing student. She enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons and daughter. Finally, her hobbies include: cooking, sewing, crafting, reading and collecting vinyl records. Joined 2013
STAFF:
Klara Tammany (Executive Director) a drop in center for women in Lewiston, Maine.
Re-starting and running this small non-profit is an encore career for Klara. She has an MEd in Religious Education and Post Master’s Certificate in Spirituality from Boston College. After teaching first grade for 6 years, she worked for 20 years as a religious educator in the Episcopal Church, first at St. Paul’s in Brunswick and later as the religious education consultant for the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. Her book Living Water: Baptism as a Way of Life (Church Publishing, 2002), is a guided reflection on living your faith in your life.
Upon returning to Maine in 2006, Klara worked first at Advocates for Children as a parent educator, and volunteered at what was then called ”Wisdom’s Center.” When the Daughters of Wisdom determined that they could no longer maintain the work they had founded 9 years previously, and closed the center in 2008, Klara gathered a group to raise funds to keep it going. Klara is currently enrolled in the Leadership Development Institute of the Maine Association of Non-Profits. She is an active member of Trinity Church which is located in the same neighborhood and which serves as the fiscal sponsor of the Center. She dabbles in photography and lives in Auburn with her dog Doodle the Poodle and Francesca the cat.
