MEET
THE TEAM
People have been living, working and fishing in and around the waters of Downeast Maine for centuries. Today we are proud to help caretake that legacy.
CHARLIE FOSTER
Associate Director
Charlie is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he graduated with a degree in marine biology. While a student there, he studied the diets of early juvenile red drum in the New River estuary.
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After college, he earned a master’s degree in marine science from the University of Texas at Austin.
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He has over a decade of professional experience in environmental science and project management. During his career, he has worked on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts as an ecologist and environmental educator.
SARA WILLIAMS
Land Trust Coordinator
Sara Williams joins the Downeast Salmon Federation as the Land Trust Coordinator after working for the US Fish and Wildlife Service for 25 years. After graduating from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s in wildlife science, her career as a wildlife biologist took her to coastal National Wildlife Refuges in Virginia, Connecticut, and Maine where she specialized in colonial nesting bird management and seabird research. She brings a wealth of experience managing and monitoring habitats, including non-native invasive plants.
Sara has lived Downeast for 15 years and is proud to call Cherryfield home. She enjoys nearly all outdoor activities and looks forward to fostering a connection between the beautiful DSF lands and local communities.
MITCH MONINI
Hatchery Manager
Mitch earned his Bachelor of Technology in Fisheries and Aquaculture from the State University of New York at Cobleskill in 2017. During his time at SUNY Cobleskill, he learned the techniques required to rear various trout species.
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In the winter of 2016, he got to work with the fish and wildlife found in the Peruvian Amazon. After graduating Mitch worked for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, rearing Chinook salmon for 2 years.
During his time with the IDFG, he helped stock over 3 million Chinook salmon into the South Fork of the Salmon River.
MICHELLE WRIGHT
Bookkeeper
Michelle joined the DSF team in January 2016 and has over 25 years of bookkeeping experience.
She has a B.S. in Business Administration with concentrations in Accounting & Management from the University of Maine at Machias.
She resides in Addison along the Pleasant River.
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BARRY KING
Assistant Hatchery Manager
Barry is a Maine native with deep roots in Downeast Maine. He grew up in northern Aroostook County and would spend a lot of time in East Machias during the summers to visit family and explore the coast.
Barry earned a B.S. in Marine Biology at the University of Maine at Machias in 2014. During his time at UMM he studied a variety of Marine and Wildlife biology topics and spent a summer interning at the Downeast Institute. After college Barry went on to work for the Maine Department of Marine Resources where he helped coordinate the Biotoxin Monitoring Program between Penobscot Bay and the US/Canadian border. After his career with Maine DMR, Barry spent a year as a Farm Hand at Northern Solstice Alpaca Farm in Unity, and then worked as a Quality Control Officer at Carver Shellfish in Beals.
CORINNE CLAUNCH
Office Assistant
Corinne moved to Addison in 2020 and enjoys the beauty of the Downeast coastline as well as going
“upta camp” for lake recreation. She has become fascinated with the annual alewife run and searches
out new places to see them each Spring. This works well with her enthusiasm for nature photography;
particularly, raptors.
Corinne has a B.B.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources from the
University of Milwaukee-WI. She worked in Human Resources with the Federal Government in
Milwaukee, New York and Boston and then had her own business for 10 years in New Hampshire. She
then worked for Fidelity Investments before retiring from corporate life to become a fiber farmer in
Bethel, Maine raising sheep, alpacas and llamas.
Executive Director
DWAYNE SHAW
Dwayne Shaw is Executive Director of the Downeast Salmon Federation, where he has led the development of the Federation’s fisheries and land conservation programs since 1989, beginning with the removal of the Pleasant River dam and the renovation of the facility as a hatchery and fisheries research center in Columbia Falls.
In 2000 he led the removal of the East Machias River dam and received the National Coastal America Partnership Award from President George W. Bush. The East Machias site is now home to DSF’s Peter Gray Hatchery for the restoration of Atlantic salmon.
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Dwayne was also one of three recipients of the prestigious Gulf of Maine Visionary awards in 2016. The Visionary Award recognizes the recipient’s commitment to protect, enhance, and restore the ecosystem of the Gulf of Maine region and to safeguard and improve the well-being of the communities that depend on its resources.
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Fisheries Biologist
MICHAEL MANNING
Michael Manning is DSF’s newest fisheries biologist. By combining experience from an earlier career in the fire service & emergency management with an education in fisheries science, he brings a mitigation-focused approach to environmental issues.
He has undergraduate degrees in emergency management (University of Richmond) and fisheries & wildlife science (Oregon State University), as well as an MS in Fisheries Science from OSU. He also has experience working for the US Forest Service as a Biological Field Technician (Aquatics) and as a Naturalist Intern at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve in Virginia.
Michael and his wife Kathy are New England natives and happy to be back in the region they consider home.
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Stewardship Manager
MICHAEL SLOAN
Mike is an alumnus from Coastal Carolina University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science. After graduating, he has worked as a federal fisheries observer in South Carolina, Alaska, and Maine, and was a fisheries resource manager for National Marine Fisheries Service – Alaska Region.
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Most recently, Mike worked as a fisheries biologist for Nome Eskimo Community, a federally recognized Tribe, where he operated water quality, wildlife, and fisheries projects. He co-founded and served as President on the Bering Strait regional watershed alliance and collaborated with several Tribes and the University of Alaska on a Tribal Climate Change Adaptation Plan.
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He enjoys fishing, aerial drone photography, boating and outdoor activities, and has a strong commitment to habitat conservation and restoration. His stewardship work at DSF includes monitoring conservation properties, and making improvements to trails, public access, and educational outreach.
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Mike lives in Jonesboro with his wife, Marsha.
Habitat Restoration Project Manager
RICK HARTER
Rick Harter is honored to be joining DSF and looks forward to new opportunities to become involved in local habitat restoration efforts.
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Having spent nearly 30 years in the habitat restoration field, he brings a wealth of experience ranging from project funding/development to implementation and monitoring. Rick has been passionately promoting coastal nature-based solutions and has worked closely with nonprofits and various levels of government to help achieve restoration goals.
After spending most of his life in Florida, he moved to Cherryfield about two years ago, where he is now engaged in numerous community activities (including scouts, church, and the Cherryfield Riverwalk Committee). Rick enjoys spending time outdoors, working on home improvement projects, and spending time with family.
Hatchery Technician
ELSIE KING
Elsie King graduated from Unity College in 2019 with a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Management. She has lived in Maine since 2000 and moved to the Machias area in 2021 with her husband, where they started a small homestead farm.
She has a wide variety of experience in both field, hatchery, and laboratory work. She formerly worked as a Water Quality Technician for Maine DMR out of the Lamoine office, raised two different trout species and conducted water testing for Clearwater Laboratory, and was a hatchery technician at Downeast Institute. She started out as a seasonal hatchery technician at DSF in the spring of 2023 before finally moving full-time in early 2024.
Elsie is also an avid writer and multimedia artist, drawing much of her inspiration from the work she does and the unique ecology and history of Downeast Maine.