- President/Chief Executive Officer
phone: 207-232-3304
click here to email Andy
Andy spent 16 years at L.L. Bean in Freeport, Maine working on strategies, products and services to inspire people to spend time outdoors. While at L.L. Bean Andy was the co-architect of a strategy to develop a new economic model for Northern Maine. That model, with the continued support of the Portland-based Libra Foundation, has become the Maine Winter Sports Center.
Andy is an appointee to the Governor's Council on Health and Physical Fitness, The Northern Forest Center's Sustainable Economic Initiative, the Maine Tourism Advisory Council and serves on the Board of Directors for the Carrabassett Valley Academy.
- Program Director
phone: 207-227-4114
click here to email Eileen
Eileen Carey is a Maine native who grew up skiing in the Maine Bill Koch Youth Ski League, skied for the Leavitt High School in Turner where she became a four-time state champion, and went on to ski for Dartmouth College where she was the captain of the ski team. After graduating from Dartmouth, Eileen moved on to the Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale, Colorado where she taught Spanish and coached skiing for the school and for the Rocky Mountain Nordic Division. She also co-founded a community women's Nordic ski group that works with all levels of skiers to develop ski technique and to cultivate passion for the sport. Eileen is excited to be back in Maine and working with the team at MWSC to contribute to the growing Nordic community in Northern Maine. "There are a lot of exciting things happening here and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to make a difference in my home state." Eileen is a graduate of Dartmouth College.
- Director/Cross Country Development
phone: 207-227-3322
click here to email Will
Will brings enthusiasm and a wide range of personal experience to the post of Community Programs Director. A Maine native, Mr. Sweetser skied for Edward Little High School before moving on to Dartmouth College and eventually the Alpina/Madshus racing team. He served as a coach at the Auburn Middle School, Bates College, the Jackson Hole Ski Club and Carrabassett Valley Academy. While coaching at CVA, Mr. Sweetser brought every member of his team to a Maine State team berth, many in their very first year of skiing. As coach and athlete, Mr. Sweetser has seen every facet of cross-country competition open to Maine skiers. At the Maine Winter Sports Center, he hopes to broaden those options and help the people of Maine enjoy skiing as a lifestyle. Will is a graduate of Dartmouth College.
- Director/Biathlon Development
phone: 207-227-3863
click here to email Gary
Coach Colliander grew up skiing in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area throughout his high school years. Upon graduating he trained full-time in both Marquette, MI and Duluth, MN before moving back to the Twin Cities where he started to pursue a career in coaching. Working with the Minnesota Biathlon Community Development Program in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, Gary worked mainly with high school aged athletes. Three years later he took his developing skills north to Duluth, MN where he worked with the Duluth Biathlon Club and assisted the U.S. Biathlon Jr. National Team for the past three years. While in Duluth Gary started the first Youth Air Rifle program in the US, conducted a year-round high school ski program and continued to work with Jr. National Team members. Gary most recently received a degree in Exercise Science from the University of Minnesota-Duluth with a minor in Psychology. In addition Gary has been a Certified Rolfer (deep-tissue massage) since 2001. Coach Colliander had this to say about his recent hire to the MWSC staff. "I'm really excited to be a part of the Maine Winter Sports Center Team! Ever since the first time I visited Aroostook County I felt right at home. I think my work with athletes of all ages and a large variety coaches over the past six years has given me the necessary tools to help the MWSC program grow and achieve its goals." Gary is a graduate of University of Minnesota - Duluth.
- Community Development Director
phone: 207-227-7465
click here to email Mark
A Maine native and graduate of the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Mark comes to the MWSC team with a solid understanding of the people of Maine and a track record of success at creating programs that get them more active.
Mark comes to our Team from his position as Director of Recreation for the city of Caribou. During his time in Caribou he was one of the first to embrace the Maine Winter Sports Center and skiing as a way to get kids and families more active. Most notably, Mark has developed a Nordic ski program that reaches more than 500 Caribou schoolchildren each winter, as well as a summertime outdoor adventure program that has been developing a passion for outdoor skills and a healthy lifestyle since 2000.
Having grown up in the central Maine town of Fairfield, Mark is excited by the opportunity to help foster healthy lifestyles in Aroostook County, and in communities across the state.
"From a young age, I knew I wanted a career where I could help people enjoy being active. This new responsibility is a tremendous opportunity for me to work with other people who share my passion for the outdoors, and to try to make a difference."
Mark currently serves as the President of the Northern Maine Community Recreation Association, is an active member of the Maine Recreation and Parks Association, and also serves as the President of the UM-Presque Isle Alumni Association.
Mark resides in Caribou with his wife, Becky, and children, Hope, Edie and Jude.
- Development Coach
phone: 207-227-0250
click here to email Melissa
Melissa grew up in Suffern, on the outskirts of New York City, where she ran cross-country and track and skied on Suffern High School's downhill team. She graduated from Colby College in 2002 with a degree in biology.
While at Colby Melissa ran cross-country and enjoyed skiing at Sugarloaf. When she graduated she wanted to stay in Maine. Melissa moved to Portland to work in environmental education and started cross-country skiing. An avid athlete, she ran in the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska as part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program. In 2005 Melissa and her husband moved to his hometown of Houlton. Since then she has been teaching gifted and talented students and pursing a teaching certification. Melissa is excited about the opportunity to work for MWSC and share her passion for living an active outdoor lifestyle in northern Maine. Melissa and her husband Jamie live in Ludlow with their two dogs and enjoy running and skiing their local trails.
- Development Coach
phone: 207-227-3843 (cell)
click here to email Austin
Austin, a native of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, developed a love of the outdoors at an early age. He enjoys camping, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and many other sports in the mountains of northwestern Colorado. As a Nordic skier, Austin raced for the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and qualified for four junior national championships as well as making the Colorado All-State Team five times. He also raced in SuperTour events and National Championship races. After a successful junior career, Austin continued Nordic ski racing at Colby College, and the team enjoyed unprecedented success during his time there. He graduated from Colby in 2008 as a double major in sociology and economics. Austin is excited to join the Maine Winter Sports Center and to remain in Maine after his graduation. He is eager to give back to a skiing community that has been a large part of his development as an athlete while utilizing the knowledge he gained during his time at Colby.
- Development Coach
phone: 207-318-7550
click here to email Mike
Mike Yeo grew up in Maine, exploring nature with an outdoor family of nine. At seventeen, after hitch-hiking from Belgium to North Africa, the urge to explore was ingrained deeply. Following high school skiing at Greely High School, in Cumberland, ME., Mike attended the Univ. of California, Santa Barbara. Life in Colorado, Utah, and Maine again included avid ski racing, particularly the loppett/marathon format.
The chance to improve the team in his home town, led to six years of coaching high school skiing and soccer. With his brother, the two created a high caliber nordic legacy in Cumberland, and then both coached at Bowdoin College in Brunswick.
With a degree in Geography and Anthropology, Mike recently began work on a Masters Degree in Oslo, Norway (Viking/Medieval archaeology). While there, he also studied the Scandinavian ski club system, and achieved the life-long dream of skiing both the Vasaloppett and the Birkebeiner ski marathons. Work is ongoing with a project on American nordic ski history.
After visiting over seventy countries on foot, ski and bicycle, home is now in Gorham Maine. Sharing the wax bench is his wife of 12 years, Amy, five year old, Eva, and a new baby, Aksel.
- Office Manager
phone: 207-492-1444
click here to email Brenda
Brenda brings a variety of office skills to the Maine Winter Sports Center. She worked as Administrative Assistant for the Loring Development Authority for five years. She has four years of banking experience and was the Secretary at the Caribou Middle School for seven years. Brenda was also chairman of the Washington D.C. Fundraising Committee for four years, which gave 7th and 8th grade students an opportunity to raise money to visit Washington D.C.
- Office Assistant
phone: 207-492-1444
click here to email Sheri
Sheri joins our staff as an entrepreneur with valuable experience in a number of service and finance areas. Her warm nature, professionalism and commitment to getting things right will all help her make a significant impact in our mission to make a difference in the lives of people in Maine. Sheri is excited to be part of the MWSC staff and hopes to help make skiing a lifestyle in not only Maine, but with her family as well.
