Island Institute marks 25 Years of Fellows Program

Island Institute proudly celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Fellows Program on August 8th at the Rockport Opera House. The event brought together a vibrant assembly of past, current, and incoming Fellows, advisors, community members, and supporters. All gathered to honor a program that has profoundly shaped both Maine’s coastal communities and the careers of its participants.

Founded in 1999, the Island Institute Fellows program has paired early-career professionals with local town governments and nonprofits in Maine's coastal and year-round island communities. These two-year assignments have tackled a wide range of critical issues, from sea level rise planning and broadband access to education and fisheries management.

Kimberly H. Hamilton, PhD, President of the Island Institute, reflected on the program's transformative power during the event, stating, “This program transforms Fellows and it transforms communities. We’ve heard this in the voices of our 149 Fellows and seen it in nearly 500,000 hours of service delivered to communities across Maine. It’s particularly striking that nearly 60 percent of our Fellows have chosen to make Maine their permanent home, becoming long-term residents and leaders in the very communities where they once served.”

Then and now: Kathleen Reardon and Jes Stevens, members of the first Island Institute Fellows cohort. Photo by the Island Institute

Over the past quarter-century, the Fellows Program has earned recognition as Maine’s leading fellowship initiative, nurturing the next generation of leaders and providing critical capacity to communities in need. To commemorate this milestone, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree honored the program by entering a testimonial into the Congressional Record, acknowledging its enduring contributions to Maine.

An excerpt from Congresswoman Pingree's testimony reads: “When 75 percent of Maine's coastal communities have fewer than 3,500 residents, and 25 percent have fewer than 800 residents, the addition of one full-time fellow's work and dedication can make the difference in a community's ability to write a grant, facilitate community planning, preserve historical documents, launch a new initiative, or train volunteers and future leaders. The Island Institute Fellows Program's 25 years of service, dedication, innovation, and community-building makes me very proud to represent the Institute, their fellows and alumni, and the state of Maine in Congress.”

The event featured heartfelt speeches from Fellows past and present, including Sarah Curran, Deputy Director of Climate Planning and Community Partnerships at the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, who served as a Fellow on Peaks Island from 2005-2007.

Brianna Cunliffe, a current second-year Fellow on Mount Desert Island, shared her experience working on community-driven climate solutions, emphasizing the importance of interdependence and collaboration in small island communities. “As Fellows, we often talk about how, in working and living in community—especially in small island communities—there is no road to the future that doesn’t involve working with our neighbors. I believe that shapes how we treat one another and connects us in a way that honors our interdependence. It asks us to get uncomfortable, to be challenged and to challenge, to meet people where they are. Sometimes, this means literally going out on the boat, walking to the post office, or helping weed the garden as you talk things through.”

Keynote speaker David Greene, President of Colby College. Photo by the Island Institute

David A. Greene, President of Colby College, delivered the keynote address, emphasizing the critical role the Fellows program plays in sustaining democracy at the local level. In his speech, Greene highlighted the importance of community-level engagement, urging attendees not to lose sight of the remarkable impact that can be achieved through daily acts of collaboration and compromise, especially in a time of heightened national political division.

Island Institute’s Fellows program is part of the organization’s broader efforts to sustain Maine’s coastal communities by connecting them to resources, capital, talent, and new perspectives to grow stronger in a changing world.