Board of Directors
Josh Miller
Chairman
Chairman
Josh Miller brings lived experience as a formerly incarcerated individual and someone in long-term recovery. Over the past decade, he has advocated for criminal justice reform and supported individuals with substance use issues and those residing and transitioning from correctional facilities. Having worked in roles as a licensed social worker and substance use counselor, Josh has played roles in addressing the opioid epidemic and improving healthcare accessibility in rural areas. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Rehabilitation and Human Services from Penn State University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude, and a Master's Certificate from the Correctional Ministries Institute at Wheaton College, earned as Chuck W. Colson Scholarship recipient. In 2023, Josh was granted a Governor's Pardon in Pennsylvania by Tom Wolf, recognizing his personal transformation.
Peter Lehman, PhD
Vice Chair
Vice Chair
Peter Lehman, PhD, is a founding member of MERN. He is a person in long-term recovery who taught sociology and criminology at USM until being incarcerated for a six-year sentence at the old prison in Thomaston and at Bolduc. He was released in 2003.
While at Bolduc Correctional Facility he was active tutoring students, acting as inmate advocate, doing the flower gardening, pursuing his own education and recovery, and working for the substance abuse department. While incarcerated, he completed seven University courses on addiction and counseling and developed and taught an intensive six-week course for residents dealing with addiction, recovery, and relapse.
Since then, Dr. Lehman has been active in the recovery community, has helped develop reentry support programs and initiatives. In addition to his work in MERN, he has been a presence on corrections and other criminal justice issues in the legislature since 2005 as well as providing input and critiques of Department of Corrections policies.
Amy Frankel
Secretary
Secretary
Amy Frankel is a licensed master of social work (LMSW) and a PhD candidate at the University of Maine, Orono, where she serves as part-time faculty in the School of Social Work. Amy also completed a professional certificate program in restorative justice at Vermont Law School. She is actively involved in community collaboration in Knox County, where she works with individuals with lived experience in reentry and recovery to discover new ways to mitigate the impact of legal system involvement on individuals, families and communities and promote alternatives to incarceration. Amy lives in Rockport with her partner and two beloved dogs.
Sean Crothers
Chairman Emeritus
Chairman Emeritus
Sean grew up in Maine and graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in Political Science. He had a thrity-year sales career in the Orthopedic Medical Device industry and presently owns and operates Maine OR Solutions, a medical device distributor. Sean lives in Auburn with his three dogs. When Sean isn't walking his dogs at the beach, he enjoys hunting and fishing in Maine.
Jonathan Sahrbeck
Jonathan Sahrbeck was born and raised in Cumberland County. Before being elected Cumberland County District Attorney in 2018, Jonathan had an extensive prosecution career in both Maine and Massachusetts. He has called for more prevention and education to fight the opioid epidemic and substance use disorder, a renewed emphasis on stopping domestic violence, elder and child abuse and human trafficking, while also taking a closer look at new programs to help victims, reduce defendant recidivism, and increase diversion from the criminal justice system. Jonathan is passionate about working with community partners on addressing mental health issues, substance use disorder and educating the public about effects of adverse childhood experiences of trauma. He is also extremely supportive of the recovery community, specifically helping to fund people's treatment and reducing the stigma. Jonathan served as Cumberland County District Attorney from 2019 to 2022. In 2023, he joined the Board of Directors at Maine Re-Entry Network (MERN). He currently works as an attorney, focusing on consumer protection, unfair trade practices and indigent criminal defense.
James Macomber
Business Advisor & Financial Coach
Jim has worked with us for 20 plus years. Jim is responsible for providing technical assistance and business counseling to existing and start up microbusiness owners. Duties include: instructing the Incubator Without Walls program and providing one-on-one technical assistance to microenterprises. Jim is also now supporting our housing counseling and financial coaching programs and is a HUD-certified Housing Counselor. Jim is a past recipient of the SBA Home-base Business Champion Award for both Maine and New England. Jim has "real world" entrepreneurial experience as the business owner of a website design and maintenance company.
Maria Lamb
Maria Lamb is a Senior Planner for the DHHS office for Family Independence HOPE program. Maria is an expert in higher education planning, financial aid, and career development. She holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Maine at Farmington and a Master's Degree in Adult and Higher Education from the University of Southern Maine. In addition to sitting on the Board of Directors for Maine Re-Entry Network (MERN), she sits on the board of the Maine Career Development Association. She lives in the beautiful Lakes Region area of Maine with her husband, two children and their two cats.
Lee Noddin
Education:
Lewiston High School 1962
Attended Wentworth Institute Boston 1963
Work History:
Picker house worker preparing fibers for fabric weaving and needle felt processing
Sewing Department Foreman , 105 stitchers
Plant Manager, second shift operation, $6 million sales worldwide
VP Operations, second shift operations $6 million sales worldwide
VP Technology Worldwide Operations, manufacturing and sales
Received two international patents for filter bag construction & filtration fabric structure technologies
Conducted international filtration seminars.
Retired and started company providing international filtration consulting services.
Board Member for Maine Re-entry Network (MERN). Dedicated to providing assistance and guidance to formerly incarcerated individuals.
Church choir member, guitar & vocal.
Bobby Jo Bechard
Bobby-Jo Bechard, is the Director of Peer Support Programs at Motivational Services, where she leads the implementation of Intentional Peer Support (IPS) at Riverview Psychiatric Center and oversees LINC, a peer-run recovery center. Additionally, she serves as the Administrative Coordinator for the Maine Association of Peer Support and Recovery Centers (MAPSRC), representing and supporting Maine's eight Peer Support and Recovery Centers.
In 2019, Bobby-Jo became one of Maine's few state-certified Intentional Peer Support Trainers. Since then, she has facilitated multiple training courses each month, helping individuals maintain their IPS certification. From 2020 to 2023, she collaborated with the Maine Reentry Network to manage and train peers for the Kennebec County Treatment Court's Peer Recovery Pilot Program, the first treatment court in Maine to integrate peer support. Due to the program's success, it has been expanded to other treatment courts across the state.
With 18 years of lived recover experience, Bobby-Jo brings deep empathy and understanding to her work, guiding others through mutual respect and empowerment. Her leadership extends beyond the programs she manages, providing recovery support that reaches into individuals' everyday lives and fostering long-term recovery while reducing relapse risks.
In 2023, Bobby-Jo was honored with the Raising Peer Leadership Award by the Consumer Council of Maine recognition of her contributions to the peer support movement and her impact in advancing peer support practices throughout the state.
Bobby-Jo is actively involved in several committees and boards dedicated to improving resource navigation and peer support services. Her roles include serving on the Board of Directors for the Maine Reentry Network (MERN) and Kennebec Valley Community Action Program (KVCAP), as well as participating in advisory councils such as the Quality Improvement Council (QIC), Intentional Peer Support Advisory Council (IPSAC), Augusta Emergency Overnight Warming Center (AEOWC), Peer Training Network (PTN), and United Way's Impact2032 Health Cabinet.
Myles Ouellette
Myles enlisted in the US Army when he was 19 years old. He became injured and had knee surgery. While recovering, Myles found himself addicted to opiates which led to his incarceration for almost 5 years. After Myles was released from prison, he went back to school to earn a bachelor’s degree in applied science from the University of Maine Augusta and master’s in business administration with a concentration in health care management from Husson University. Myles obtained licenses from the State of Maine as a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor as well as a Clinical Supervisor. Myles was selected nationally by the Council for Opportunity in Education to share his story for their 50 th anniversary of Educational Opportunity Centers in the United States. COE sent a film crew to Maine to capture his story. In the beginning of 2024, through the University of Maine’s TRIO program, Myles was awarded with the first ever Presidents Award for Educational Advocacy and Service to Community.
Myles is currently living in Van Buren, Maine, working as a Clinical Supervisor for an Outpatient Treatment Center and is in the process of opening up his own Outpatient Treatment Center called the Northern Maine Wellness Clinic. He serves on several boards across the State of Maine and is heavily involved in community service. Myles is immersed in the recovery community and has made it his life’s passion to help those who struggle with addiction. His motto is, “Give back, so we don’t go back”. When he does has free time, he spends it with his 2 favorite people, his daughter Violet and his fiancé Trisha, traveling the world to learn about new and exciting cultures. He enjoys hunting & fishing and being out in the woods, where he feels grounded and at peace. Myles has been part of MERN since 2020.
Elizabeth Simoni
Elizabeth Simoni is the Executive Director of Maine Pretrial Services, Inc., a private non-profit dedicated to pretrial service delivery, treatment recovery court case management, and diversion options across Maine. She has served in her current role since 1996, and prior to that was a pretrial case manager.
She served for twelve years on the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies (NAPSA) board of directors, where she co-chaired publication of “The Essential Elements of Pretrial Services Systems and Agencies” and the 2020 and 2024 revisions of the NAPSA Pretrial Release Standards. She has been an active member of the National Institute of Corrections’ (NIC) Pretrial Executive Network since 2009.
Ms. Simoni serves as a trainer for both NAPSA and NIC. Ms. Simoni previously served for thirteen years as a Maine Department of Corrections certified facilitator for domestic violence accountability courses. She has served as a criminal justice representative of the Co-Occurring Collaborative Serving Maine’s board of directors since 1996, is a board member for the Maine Reentry Network (since 2023) and is a past board member for the New England Association of Recovery Courts. In September 2024, Ms. Simoni received the NAPSA Olgiati Lifetime Achievement award for her national contributions to pretrial justice. She graduated from the University of Maine School of Law (1992), and Michigan State University (1989).
Meeting Information
MERN's board of directors meet on the third Wednesday of every month at 5PM. The public is invited to attend and observe meetings; please send an email to info@re-entrymaine.org if you would like to attend.
Join the Board
Do you have a passion for helping people reintegrate into society while navigating the issues inherent in a troubled past? Consider joining either one of our board committees or the Board of Directors itself! We are particularly interested in recruiting the following:
People with a strong background in nonprofit organizational and financial management
People with lived experience of incarceration and successful reintegration into the community
People with experience serving as employers or landlords to formerly incarcerated individuals
People familiar with grant writing and fundraising efforts
Interested applicants should send an email to board@re-entrymaine.org.