Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park is pleased to welcome new engagement staff.
Senior Development Officer Dakota Penza Grana of Winter Harbor, Maine, and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, brings extensive experience as a client and community relations specialist, including event management, volunteer coordination, and fundraising with both PNC and the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. Penza Grana has a degree in public relations from the University of Alabama and a certificate from the Georgia Center for Non-Profits.
“I am excited to help connect this incredible organization with the people and supporters who believe in its mission and to be part of protecting and inspiring the future of Acadia and beyond,” said Penza Grana. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Schoodic Institute team and look forward to connecting with the community!”
Penza Grana will be working with new Communications & Outreach Assistant Grace Upham. Upham, of Ellsworth, Maine, previously served as an Island Institute Fellow, coordinating community programming for Deer Isle Adult and Community Education. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with a degree in psychology and social anthropology. This training, combined with experience working in rural coastal Maine as well as in book sales and youth mental wellbeing, makes Upham well prepared for expanding and deepening Schoodic Institute’s connections with our various communities: conservation scientists, residents of Winter Harbor, marine resource harvesters, students participating in the Schoodic Education Adventure, and visitors to Acadia National Park.
“I am fortunate to have enjoyed lifelong access to Acadia, shaping my conservation values and love for the outdoors. My work with Schoodic Institute is guided by these foundational experiences and my passion for sharing and protecting Maine’s exceptional natural spaces. I look forward to engaging with the park from a new perspective.”
Upham’s position is supported by a capacity-building grant from the National Park Foundation.
Cover photo by Eliot Dudik