Our Team
Katie MacDonald, Director
director@healthylincolncounty.org
Katie joined the HLC team in August 2024. She holds her Bachelor's in Women and Gender Studies from Wheaton College, and her Master's in Public Health from the University of Southern Maine. Prior to joining the HLC team, Katie worked as a Prevention Coordinator at the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault and spent the last five years coordinating a youth suicide prevention federal grant at Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Katie is passionate about primary prevention, youth development, and working to make Maine a safer and healthy place to live.
Will Matteson, Associate Program Manager
wmatteson@healthylincolncounty.org
Will joined the HLC team in November 2022. He grew up in Massachusetts but got to Maine as quickly as he could. After studying English at Kenyon College, Will moved to Bar Harbor and began working as a manager for the Acadia Corporation, which operated several concessions in and around Acadia National Park. This work was interesting and rewarding, but Will often thought of finding work that had a more direct positive impact on his community. During his career in hospitality, Will saw the damage that substance use disorders can cause to both individuals and wider communities. When the opportunity came to do community level health work in Lincoln County, he took it.
Samantha Mehlhorn, Community Routes Project Coordinator smehlhorn@healthylincolncounty.org
Samantha joined the HLC team in August 2023. She is originally from Lincoln County but attended Quinnipiac University receiving degrees in Political Science and History and her master's in education. Back in Maine, Samantha was the head of the middle school at Damariscotta Montessori School in Nobleboro. As a part of this unique program, she taught the full range of the 7th-8th grade curriculum and guided the students in the management of an on-campus farm and CSA program. When at home, Samantha loves to cook and experiment in the kitchen. She enjoys any excuse to cook for friends and family. Samantha is excited to continue her work with Healthy Lincoln County serving her neighbors in the communities she grew up in.
MaryElizabeth Filon, Youth Engagement Coordinator
mfilon@healthylincolncounty.org
MaryElizabeth joined the HLC team in October 2024. She earned her Master of Public Health at the University of New England. Her studies focused on reproductive healthcare equity and policy here in Maine and globally. MaryElizabeth was a member of UNE's Ghana Cross Cultural Exchange, where she partnered with local health teams and rural schools to provide health education to students and conducted research on maternal hypertension. The opportunity to work directly with students on health education and prevention was one of the highlights of her experience. MaryElizabeth is excited to bring her passion for public health and advocacy to HLC where she aims to collaborate with young folks on substance use prevention campaigns and create opportunities for youth-led advocacy.
Leifa Gordon, Food Systems Coordinator
lgordon@healthylincolncounty.org
Leifa joined the HLC team in January of 2024. Leifa is originally from Farmington, ME, though she spent much of her childhood visiting her grandparents in Round Pond. While living in Portland, she completed her BSW at USM and her MSW at UNE. Leifa has spent time working with Southern Maine Area Agency on Aging as a social worker in their day center, and most recently was a program manager with a workforce program specifically geared towards SNAP recipients around the state. Leifa is excited for the shift into public health and to work within the community to support food access.
Sarah Byrd, Community Nourishment Vista
sbyrd@healthylincolncounty.org
Sarah joined the HLC team in May of 2025. She is Healthy Lincoln County's Community Nourishment VISTA, meaning that she is working with us in partnership with Maine's Ending Hunger Corps Program. Sarah is originally from Upstate South Carolina but moved to the Lowcountry to attend the College of Charleston, where she graduated with a BS in Anthropology. Her dedication to sustainability, her love for the environment, and her interest in food sovereignty are what brought her to Healthy Lincoln County and she's excited to learn more about building and sustaining food security in the community.
