Essie
Essie is the proud mom of two TCC kiddos who have made their way from minis all the way to pre-k. The Haimes family lives in Portland, where Essie and her husband Mike work together as the proprietors of two Portland-area event venues, Flanagan Farm and Walnut Hill.

Prior to moving into the events and hospitality world, Essie spent the majority of her career in the non-profit sector. She started her career working in international development across Southern Africa and then spent 10 years leading fundraising and communications as the Chief External Officer for iMentor, a national college and career success organization based in NYC.

Essie is deeply passionate about equity in education and is excited to be a part of supporting the amazing TCC community.

George
George has served on TCC’s Board of Directors since 2004. He has been board president, vice president, and, during the balance of his tenure, an at-large director. He has also served on multiple committees over his 15+ years on the board. He is the proud parent of two TCC alumni – Jonna (age 17) and Shay (age 14). George has been at USM’s Muskie School since 1999. He has been promoted several times, most recently to managing director of the Children, Youth and Families-Justice Policy program area.

Hannah.

Hannah is Mom to Madeline in the Blue Room and Noah in the Pinecone Room at Minis. She joined the TCC community in 2021 and is new to the board this year. Hannah is excited to contribute to the work of the Governance Committee and help build the Minis community.

Hannah and her family live in Portland, and she enjoys biking, hiking, cooking and gardening whenever she can. In her professional life, Hannah consults with utilities and other energy industry players on issues related to energy efficiency, transportation electrification, and building decarbonization.

Ryan
Ryan lives in Portland with his wife Emily and two children Tessa and Arthur. Both Tessa and Arthur have flourished at The Children's Center with the wonderful care and guidance from the TCC team. Emily and Ryan have enjoyed the close community at TCC and are happy to help contribute toward TCC's continued success.

Professionally Ryan works in corporate accounting with 15 years experience in high growth software companies. Ryan enjoys spending time with family in the Maine woods or building backyard construction projects.

Ben

Ben is the sleep deprived dad of going-on-12 PreKer Juniper, and a Minis-menace, Avery. Ben currently serves on the DAM Committee and is excited to get involved and support the TCC community. Maine outdoors and hiking, and Portland restaurants, sure, but for this NYC expat, carving spoons beneath the front yard apple trees, watching the block kids wreck havoc is home.

Following stints in software development and journalism, Ben has been a commercial photographer for over 15 years. Capturing the built environment, from the boiler room to the board room, is his specialty. Ben’s studio also handles retouching for CVS Health. In addition to his commercial work, Ben is a practicing and (occasionally) exhibiting artist working in various mediums.

Ben

Ben is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and while he currently serves as the Vice President of Adult Behavioral Health for Spurwink Services, he has a long history of working with schools, children, youth, and families. Ben received his undergraduate degree from Bates College, and his MSW from the University of New England. In addition, Ben serves as the Complaint Officer for the State Board of Social Work Licensure and as a member on the Deadly Force Review Panel. At home, Ben enjoys gardening, spending time at the beach, and exploring the woods, with his wife and two daughters, one a current TCC student and the other a TCC graduate.

Eleanor Eleanor currently works as a research associate at an applied research firm, where she works on studies evaluating home visiting, early childhood education, and other programs that serve children and families. She has prior experience working in state early childhood policy and as a preschool teacher. She completed her PhD in Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut. Eleanor lives in Portland with her husband, Gabe, and a very energetic Australian Shepherd puppy named Lucy. They love going for hikes, exploring the beach, and visiting Portland’s great dog-friendly dining establishments.

Ryan
Ryan joined the Board of Directors in 2023 to help support this incredible community of educators, kids, and families. Ryan and his partner have three wonderful boys that are fortunate to have TCC roots and call Maine home. He can usually be found racing his boys down a trail or on some grand adventure with his family.

Professionally, Ryan has a background in regional planning, economics, and finance and currently operates an economic research consulting practice focused on economic and workforce development issues for public and private sector clients. Previously, he ran an economic research unit at USM and UMaine System.

Henry

Henry joined the TCC board in 2024 and is eager to support an organization and community that he has quickly come to admire and adore. He lives in Portland with his wife Alison, two children, Willa (Green Room) and Riley, and cattle dog, Juniper. When he’s not contributing to board activities, Henry is running a local distribution business, Brickyard Brands, or spending time with his family outdoors. Having spent most of his life without throwing distance of the ocean, Henry feels most at home on the beach and rocky shores, which is why he chose to make Maine his home.