As I head into my 20th year in real estate, it's apparent that Maine's market will continue to grow in strength and that we'll continue to welcome new residents to Portland. Real estate is my number one passion. But I have another passion too, which also engenders a sense of excitement and deep pride in our community. This passion stems from growing up in a family of strong and powerful women - I love watching women succeed and I love that even though our gender still competes for equality on a consistent basis, we still manage to get things done while keeping our families afloat. My job allows me to meet and interact with some of the strongest women on the planet. These women tend to be excellent communicators, they’re organized and they have their sights set on change for the good of our planet and the state of Maine.

My Nana was one of these women. She was fiery, insanely funny, charismatic and could command a room in a way that’s impossible to describe. If she were still with us, I would have chosen her to kick off The 2023 Maine Women’s Project, a collaboration of black and white portraits created by the amazing Kari Herer. Each month throughout 2023, we'll share a new portrait and feature a different inspiring woman. These images depict women that I’ve been lucky enough to meet in this job or women I’m lucky enough to know by working in the state of Maine. They each share their stories of living in Maine, what they think makes it special and some of their favorite spots around our state. By launching this project, Kari and I are hoping to give these women the recognition they deserve while telling their stories. We want you to catch a glimpse of life in our state through the lens of these incredible women. Some of these women are native Mainers, some are new residents, some are subtle, some are bold. All are change makers.