Emerge Maine

Jo Dondis is a Maine native ---originally from Rockland ---- and started her television career as a reporter/anchor at WCSH-TV. She spent 24 years in Los Angeles working as a freelance network news producer and in independent production.  Jo worked mainly at CNN where she covered among other things, politics, including the 2003 gubernatorial recall of California Governor Gray Davis and the subsequent campaign of Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Jo also worked for shorter periods at ABC, CBS, and at KCET the PBS station in Los Angeles where she won a Peabody for her work on the show A Place of Our Own.  Since returning to Maine Jo has been on the Emerge Board of Directors where she heads up the Communications committee.

Dana is the mother to two young daughters and the Programs Coordinator for Hardy Girls Healthy Women, a Maine-based non-profit that works to create a world that inspires girls to be brave, bold, and empowered in their own skin. Dana is a member of the Planning Board for the City of Waterville, the founder of Mainely Moms & Dads, and a community activist for the Environmental Health Strategy Center. She is a two-time winner of the Grassroots Leadership Award for her work to strengthen the Kid-Safe Products Act and improve the Chemical Safety Laws to protect children and toddlers. As a former school teacher who has worked with at-risk high school students on the path to dropping out, Dana ran for the Maine State Senate to stop the cuts to our early childhood education programs and to fight for more support for our public schools. She managed the campaign for the Waterville Mayor Karen Heck and worked as the volunteer coordinator for Megan Maloney's race for DA. Both won their races by wide margins! She is a military brat that has lived all over the world and worked as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times and The Advocate. She is a Class of 2012 Emerge ME alum and is extremely excited to inspire other women to run for office and stay sane while doing it. 

Katie Mae spent her formative years in Washington County, Maine and received her B.A. from Middlebury College in Vermont.  After college, she spent a year in Green Corps, a grassroots organizing training program, then worked for Howard Dean’s presidential primary campaign in 2004.  Subsequently, Katie Mae was based in Boston where she worked on a variety of progressive issues – including defending gay marriage, women’s health, and workplace safety, as well as with a number of local and state-wide political campaigns.  In the 2008 cycle, she helped put eight progressive Dems in the Massachusetts State House, doing polling and field consulting with Connection Strategies.

In 2009 she became director of Emerge Maine, and she and her partner moved back to Vacationland.  Combining her love of feminist issues and politics, working at Emerge has been a perfect fit.   In September 2011, she and Zach had a baby, Maple, who now is the center of their universe. 

When she’s not engaged in progressive activism or working on political campaigns, Katie Mae spends time growing her own food, doing yoga, running, and cooking.  

Malory Shaughnessy is Director of Development & Special Projects for CommonDreams.Org. Malory has experience working within government from the local to federal levels as both staff and elected official. Over the years, her career has entailed such diverse activities as community organizer, bartender, literacy teacher, executive director, congressional staffer, county commissioner, policy analyst  and advocate. Malory is married to Michael Shaughnessy, a sculptor and Professor of Art at the University of Southern Maine. She is also quite delighted to be the mother of four wonderful young men.