PROGRAM PERSONNEL
Laura Suomi-Lecker
program founder & DIRECTOR
Laura is an NRCS Certified Conservation Planner, and long-time volunteer and Education/Outreach Coordinator for Avian Haven wild bird rehabilitation center in Freedom. She started and directs the Ag Allies program and has spent time field training at Cornell and with Dr. Noah Perlut on his grassland bird study in Vermont. She serves as Technical Director at Somerset County Soil & Water Conservation District and previously worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Laura received a B.S. in Soil Science from the University of New Hampshire and an M.S. in Ecology from Penn State University.
Maeve McGOWAN
PROGRAM MANAGER, SOUTHERN MAINE
Maeve holds a degree in Environmental Science and Climate Change Studies from the University of New England. While at UNE, she studied under Dr. Noah Perlut and conducted research on the impact of climate change on grassland birds, farmers, and their shared resources. After graduating, she worked in land conservation before moving to her current role in nonprofit philanthropy. She has been working to understand and protect grassland birds since 2018 and has been a contractor with Ag Allies since 2021.
Jennifer has been working with Ag Allies since 2019, conducting field surveys in Central and Western Maine and supporting the program’s outreach, public awareness and fundraising efforts. She holds a degree in Environmental Science and Policy from Duke University and for more than 20 years has worked in Maine’s land conservation community. Outside of Ag Allies, Jennifer works on a variety of land conservation and restoration projects in Somerset County as staff for her local land trust.