About Us
Our Mission
Our mission is to advance positive youth outcomes at scale. We know that sharing knowledge can create a positive impact multiplier. We are dedicated to being part of a wide continuum of care within our communities and value learning and collaborating with others towards continual progress towards youth outcome success.
Our Team
Amie Hutchison
Executive Director
Amie joined the Trekkers team as Executive Director in 2016. She attended the University of Maine at Orono and Hunter College in New York. Her previous work includes serving as Executive Director of the P.A.W.S. Animal Adoption Center and Program Director at Youthlinks. Amie has admired the work of Trekkers for years, and is thrilled to be part of the Trekkers team, helping the organization continue to grow. Amie has deep roots in the community. She grew up in Rockport and is a past President of Rockland Rotary. She is a CrossFit coach and retired roller derby skater. She lives in Thomaston with her husband and their dog.
Diane Sternberg
Trekkers Training Director
A desire to explore Maine’s coast brought Diane here over 15 years ago and she’s been living and working in Midcoast since. She is passionate about connecting youth to growth-oriented experiences. She facilitated programs for Ocean Classroom, worked as a course director and the semester program director for Hurricane Island Outward Bound and helped Cornerspring Montessori School design and implement their inaugural integrative middle school. She is thrilled to join the Trekkers team as the TTI training director. Diane recently completed her MA at Middlebury’s Bread loaf School of English. She loves going on adventures, watching the moonrise and swimming in cold water.
Brandon Caron
Trekkers Program Director & Facilitator
Brandon is Trekkers’ Program Director. He has a B.A. in Outdoor Education with a concentration in Adventure Leadership from Johnson State College in Vermont. He is an alumnus of Trekkers and has served as an expedition leader, mentor and AmeriCorps member. He has worked with local youth in a number of different roles as well as in Vermont as a mentor for Laraway Youth and Family Services. He not only believes in, but has experienced, the power and importance of youth being connected to their community. In his free time, you’ll likely find him on a mountain, in the woods, on the water or in a hammock.
Teresa Valdepeñas
Communications & Impact Manager
Tess likes to find creative ways for Trekkers to connect people and build community. She moved to the Midcoast in 2018 and worked at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Maine as a Community-Based Manager. Prior to becoming a Maine resident, she spent over a decade in Boston, MA working in advertising as a senior creative strategist for Digitas, building large global and small business brands. She holds a B.S. from Boston University in Communications. Outside the office, you can find Tess birding on Beauchamp Point, tending to veggie plants, or sharing laughs with friends around a campfire.