Board Members
Cliff Babkirk
Cliff Babkirk and his wife Anne are both retired and living on a small lake in Sanford, Maine. Cliff graduated from Scarborough High, attended Lowell Tech Institute, served in the Air Force (Vietnam), and worked in many career paths, from technical contributor to senior management, within Fairchild Semiconductor for 43 years. Some of the skills acquired during his career include team building, continuous improvement, project management, customer satisfaction, software development, and application performance management.
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Cliff’s interests include landscaping, kayaking, travel, hosting family reunions, making apple cider with an antique press, and collaborating on Anne’s home business designing and selling solar lanterns at craft fairs. Cliff & Anne are both very passionate about alternative energy solutions and maintaining the energy efficiency of their lakeside home. They installed an 8200kw Solar PV array, utilize an all-climate heat pump for heating, and drive a hybrid vehicle. Their newest improvement for energy efficiency is the addition of 24 Window Dressers insulating window inserts for their home. Cliff started volunteering for Window Dressers in late 2016 with a focus on measuring, volunteering at builds, and assisting first time builds, primarily in York County. He has found the experience both rewarding and educational, feels the Window Dressers mission is a perfect fit for his interest and talents, and is looking forward to a long relationship with the organization.
Heidi Clark
Heidi Clark started at Window Dressers as a participant and workshop volunteer. Her keen interest in the workshop process and her admiration of the volunteer efforts, jigs and tools inspired deeper involvement in her next two workshops. She became a co-lead of the Wells Community Workshop in 2019. Heidi Clark is a hands-on senior executive and consultant with a breadth of experience leading companies through all phases of growth, from start-ups to large public companies.
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Heidi’s experience spans a diverse set of industries, including retail, restaurant, high-tech and manufacturing. She is particularly skilled at creating an environment of collaboration and is known for her expertise in employee engagement, organizational culture building and leadership coaching. Heidi believes that the best operational plans hinge on the engagement of a company’s people.
In the non-profit arena, Heidi founded and served as president of Friends in Knead, Inc., a non-profit employee peer-to-peer assistance fund for employees of Panera Bread Company, LLC
When not engaged in work passions, Heidi is immersed, literally and figuratively, in all things water, including kayaking, boogie boarding, and SUP. She is also an avid gardener known for creating ‘tomatogeddon’ each summer, with prolific tomato plants.
Nora Dulfilho
Nora grew up on the coast of Maine before exploring the country. Combining her love for exploration and desire to share her enthusiasm with others, she taught environmental education as far as way as Belize and Washington State before finding her way back to norther New England. Residing in New Hampshire’s White Mountains with her husband and three kids, Nora stays busy as the Program Director for Tin Mountain Conservation Center, parenting, and getting out into the mountains as much as possible. As a WindowDressers LC, she is excited to claim the distinction of hosting the first Community Build on NH soil.
Amy Gamble
Amy is a member of the Montpelier Energy Advisory Committee, and co-coordinator of the Montpelier Window Dressers Community Build. From the time she saw her first sample window insert, she was hooked. She loves the comradery of the workshops, and being part of the climate solution in a tangible way. Amy was a civil engineer with the Vermont Agency of Transportation for 27 years, and since retiring is a part time massage therapist. An Air Force brat, she spent her childhood in Texas, Virginia, and Germany before settling in Vermont. She and her wife enjoy biking, kayaking and camping, and hanging out with their daughters and grandchildren.
Sharon Klein
(Secretary)
Dr. Sharon Klein is an Assistant Professor in the School of Economics at the University of Maine, with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a Ph.D. in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University. Sharon was a middle school science teacher in San Diego for 3 years; a high school environmental systems teacher in Quito, Ecuador for 2 years; and an Americorps National Civilian Community Corps volunteer in the southeastern US.
Miriam Rubin
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Miriam left Maine after high school, landing just about as far from her home in Buxton as she could, in the beautiful foothills of the Olympics in western Washington. Her fascination with wooden boats and boatbuilding led her to spend several summers working on boats in the fishing fleet in southeast Alaska and the off-season working in boatyards back in Washington. After a period of extensive globe-trotting that took her from Antarctica to the Himalayas, she eventually settled on an off-grid homestead near Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula where she raised milking goats and homeschooled her four children. During those busy years, she also served as the Executive Director of the small non-profit Peninsula Trails Coalition, shepherding the Olympic Discovery Trail through its arduous formative years. Miriam returned to the east in 2000 to be more available for her parents, coming full circle to live back at their home in Buxton in 2014.
Environmental policy has been a long-standing interest for Miriam, leading her to pursue graduate work in environmental management fields on two occasions. In particular, citizen-led initiatives motivate and inspire her, making the WindowDressers organization a perfect fit. Her other passions include implementing permaculture principles and reducing the carbon footprint at her homestead, participating in local community efforts, and spending time with her adult children.
J. Stephen Shaw
Steve ran a molecularly-oriented medical research laboratory for 30 years at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda MD. He also volunteered in programs involving energy conservation in Maryland. Since retiring to Portland with his wife in 2013, he has volunteered with WindowDressers with emphasis on nurturing community builds in Southern Maine, improving the design/manufacture of the inserts and strengthening information management. He is also President of a non-profit that empowers Maasai women in the Kenya rift valley by supporting their secondary education.
Jack Sumberg
(President)
Jack Sumberg is a semi-retired, small-scale contractor/woodworker who lives in Glover, Vermont. Glover was the first town in Vermont to organize a Window Dressers community build and Jack was local coordinator in 2019 and 2020. He acted as mentor to the other six VT towns that organized builds in 2020. He has been involved with the Bread & Puppet Theater and the Orleans County Historical Society, local nonprofits, and serves on the board of the Glover Historical Society and the Memphremagog Yacht Club.
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“I think WD’s inserts are an excellent product that can help many of our neighbors save fuel while making their homes more comfortable. I look forward to more involvement with the WD board, staff and volunteers and helping to expand the program in VT.”
Tatiana Tsay
(Treasurer)
Tanya is the Internal Controls Manager at Martin’s Point Health Care. With a Master of Science in Professional Accountancy from the University of London, she is a Chartered Certified Accountant (FCCA) and has over twelve years of international experience in finance. During an exchange program at Colby College, Tanya fell in love with Maine. She now lives with her husband, daughter, and two dogs in Brunswick.
Staff
Jessica Williams
Executive Director
Jessica leads WindowDressers in it’s mission to improve the warmth and comfort of homes, bring community members together and reduce the use of fossil fuels by supporting the work of over 1000 volunteers across Northern New England.
Prior to joining WindowDressers Jessica took on a variety of leadership roles advancing projects that strengthen community resilience and sustainability. After accepting a position as a Program Manager for WindowDressers in 2021, she was responsible for the expansion of WindowDressers program in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
She lives South Portland with her husband and two teen-aged children and enjoys reading and making art as well as doing anything outside including swimming, biking, running, gardening, and cross country skiing.
Steve McFarland
Program Manager
Born and raised in Portland, Maine, Steve McFarland was involved with Adult Education and career development for most of his professional life, helping adults aspire to a better life and achieve their goals through increased education. Steve designed, developed, and delivered programs focused on college preparatory and entry-level college coursework, with the belief that education is the pathway to professional development and personal fulfillment. Steve created the Pathways to Higher Education program in 2001, which earned FAME’s first annual Business and Education at Work award in 2003.
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Steve has been involved in numerous volunteer efforts throughout his life, from leading neighborhood road associations to Rotary Club (President), Chamber of Commerce (Volunteer of the Year), and the Windham Conservation Commission, among others. Recently, Steve joined the Board of Directors for the Sebago Lake Region Fuller Center for Housing, which partners with low income older adults completing home repairs and home improvements focused on increasing safety, staying warm, and saving energy.
In his free time Steve likes to ski (both snow and water), hike, sail, and ride his motorcycle through the Appalachian mountains and other beautiful parts of the country.
Allison Pouliot
Program Manager
Joee Patterson
Production Manager
Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Joee came to Maine in 2007 to pursue her interest in sailing traditionally rigged vessels. In the time since she has cultivated a diverse skill set in the marine trades working at boat yards in Midcoast Maine, and restoring and sailing traditional boats with her husband. In 2014 Joee’s sailing career culminated with a position on the crew of the Charles W Morgan for the 38th voyage of the last wooden whaleship on earth. Two years later she realized her dream of working in Antarctica, where she was able to fulfill her lifelong fascination with the intricacy of the natural world, and her love of the sea with a position as a Marine Technician in the US Antarctic Program. In 2019, Joee participated in an expedition to the edge of Thwaites Glacier (better known as “The Doomsday Glacier”) with a science party that was working to ascertain just how quickly the glacier is retreating and contributing to sea level rise. After witnessing the effects of climate change in a truly undeniable context, she felt compelled to invest her labor into work that better prepares her adopted home of Coastal Maine to mitigate the effects of climate change, and also to minimize the environmental footprint of living in such a dynamic place. Joee is overjoyed to be joining the production team at Window Dressers, and looks forward to a busy season.