Nancy Hathaway
President

Nancy is passionate about saving Maine’s dark skies. She was a finalist for the Natural Resource Council of Maine’s Citizen of the Year Award 2018 for saving Maine’s dark skies. As co-instigator for the annual Stars Over Katahdin star party, held in Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, she was instrumentally involved with the monument’s application for a Dark Sky Sanctuary designation through the IDA. As a member of the Town of Surry Conservation Commission she organizes the annual Stars Over Surry star party. She is in training to become an astronomy educator.

Nancy has taught Mindfulness for 40 years starting her meditation experience in a Tibetan temple in the Himalayas in the 70’s, where the stars were brilliant and colorful. She is part-time faculty at the University of Southern Maine, lecturer at Colby College, and presently taking graduate courses at the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute.

A tenth generation Mainer, Nancy is delighted to be back home after travels away. She lives on the Maine coast in Surry and has three precious granddaughters in San Francisco whom she often views the same full moon while thousands of miles apart.

Shawn Laatsch
Treasurer

Shawn Laatsch is currently the director of the Versant Power Astronomy Center and Jordan Planetarium at the University of Maine (formerly known as Emera Astronomy Center).  As center director he oversees all planetarium and observatory operations. Over his 36 year career he has presented over 10,000 planetarium shows, led educational workshops, and has been an invited guest lecturer on astronomy and planetariums in more than 10 countries. Shawn has a passion for cultural and historical astronomy, and sharing the wonders of the universe with people of all ages. In his free time he enjoys the great outdoors and traveling with his wife Kim.

Learn more about Shawn here: astro.umaine.edu/people/shawn-laatsch/

John T. Meader, Co-Founder and Former Vice President/Secretary,
Co-Webmaster & Newsletter Co-Editor

John Meader is an astronomy educator who has worked in various Maine planetariums since 1979. In 1987, John founded Northern Stars Planetarium and Educational Services, a portable planetarium and astronomy education enterprise that serves 15,000+ Maine students each year. John does numerous public stargazing events such as Stars Over Katahdin, Stars Over Surry, The See the Dark Festival, The Maine State Star Party, The Acadia Night Sky Festival and The Maine Canoe Symposium, along with numerous star parties for land trusts, schools, and libraries. John is also an accomplished astrophotographer who’s work has appeared in publications such as Green & Healthy Maine, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and National Geographic’s Stargazer’s Atlas; his work has been shown in more than 25 photography exhibits across Maine. John was a finalist for the Natural Resource Council of Maine’s People’s Choice Award 2022 for his work to preserve Maine’s dark skies and co-founding Dark Sky Maine. Learn more about John here: www.northernstarsplanetarium.com/whoisnsp.

Colin Caissie
Co-Founder and Former President

Colin Cassie has loved astronomy his entire life, building the first of his many homemade telescopes at a young age. He continued perfecting that craft over time, and eventually created the Central Maine Astronomical Society. This club continues to delight amateur and would-be astronomers, that have regular meetings and star parties using a newtonian telescope at Brower Observatory in Whitefield, Maine. Colin travels throughout the state of Maine to share his pastime and his unique views of the sky at various events such as Stars Over Katahdin, The Acadia Night Sky Festival, and The Maine State Star Party. Colin has inspired many a new astronomer through his visits and presentations at various Astronomy clubs, the University of Maine, and eventually as co-founder of Dark Sky Maine. Colin initially served as President  but now contributes his expertise in a variety of ways. He was named Maine's Astronomer of the Year for 2023 for his lifetime of service to astronomy.

Nicole French
Co-Webmaster, Social Media & Outreach

Nicole has great reverence for the universe and the dark sky region that she has called home for 20+ years. When she’s not marveling at earth shine or gazing at the moon, she is creating spaces for other folks to have a memorable Maine coast vacation. She lives, works, and volunteers in Downeast Maine and attempts to make time for her many passions which include cooking, hiking, and floating in the ocean. Nicole began volunteering for Dark Sky Maine after seeing the “Defending the Dark” film and looks forward to contributing her various talents to help grow the reach of this important organization.

Richard Luecke
Newsletter Co-Editor

Richard Luecke is an avid amateur astronomer and a summer volunteer at Acadia National Park’s Schoodic Institute, where he hosts classroom presentations and telescopic tours of Maine’s dark night sky. He is an active member of the Gloucester Area Astronomy Club and contributor to Dark Sky Maine’s monthly newsletter. His favorite celestial targets are “deep sky objects”-- star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae--which he pursues from his backyard in Gloucester MA and various locations in Maine.

Dwight Lanpher, Technical Advisor

An avid amateur astronomer, Mr. Lanpher travels throughout New England and eastern Canada attending astronomy meetings as liaison for clubs in Maine, New Hampshire and a few in Massachusetts attending their meetings and observing at their star parties when the opportunity avails. As a professional electrical engineer his lighting projects incorporate proper dark sky lighting design. He’s been a member of Dark Sky International (previously International Dark Sky Association) since 2005. He also is a Member Emeritus of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and a Life Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).