CREA Board Members Move to BTLT Board

We’re stronger together. The following dedicated CREA Board Members plan to join the BTLT Board of Directors in 2023.


Ellen Trout Bennett

Ellen brings experience as a former middle school earth and environmental science teacher. She also directed regional professional development programs for science teachers and facilitated post-secondary study for first-generation college students. Committed to both understanding and protecting our environment, as well as community engagement, Ellen volunteers to teach science enrichment activities alongside a group of retired scientists in local schools, and has served on numerous community boards.

Matt Nixon

Matt worked for the State of Maine for over a decade as the Deputy Director of the Maine Coastal Zone Management Program, primarily in the fields of environmental coastal policy, planning, and data collection, public access, and working waterfront/coastal conservation and protection.  In July of 2019, Matt resigned from his job with the State to focus on his PhD, his business, and his family.  He founded Muddy River Farm Aquaponics, a freshwater produce and saltwater recirculation research and development facility where his work focuses on raising Rainbow Trout, lettuce, ginseng, cucumbers, and Crassostrea Virginica (the Eastern Oyster).  Matt is currently working with the Maine Technology Institute, the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center, and the US Department of Energy to develop a 3D-printed, composite nanofiber-reinforced, terrestrial oyster growth system that does not require a lease in the ocean.  Mr. Nixon also serves on Topsham’s Board of Selectmen, the Sagadahoc County Budget Advisory Committee, and is a member of the Integrated Sentinel Monitoring Network Oversight Committee (ISMN) for the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal and Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS).  Matt’s front yard is the Muddy River, one of the Cathance’s eternal companions, where he lives with his wife, daughter, two dogs, a cat, and four chickens.

Tim Paul 

As the marketing manager at The Nature Conservancy in Maine, Tim works every day to connect people and nature so they may thrive together. Tim came to TNC after more than 20 years as a marketer for L.L.Bean, where he played an integral role in the company’s successful retail store growth from a single location in Freeport to twenty stores in nine states. Tim has been an Appalachian Trail Thru Hiker, rock climber, mountaineer, fly fisherman, and canoe and kayak paddler. Today he and his wife Kathy live in Topsham and keep very busy raising their twin boys who have enjoyed many sessions of CREA Summer Day Camp over the past several years.

Susan Moyes Rae-Reeves

Susan has a background in fundraising for community-based and mental health organizations in NYC, and social work in NYC and Maine. After years of experiencing the wealth of diverse communities in the city, she returned home to Maine, choosing Topsham for its amazing rivers, trails, and proximity to everything important. In retirement, Susan devotes herself to service on town committees and not for profit boards, including CREA. A love of the outdoors, and the potential for bringing together people of all ages, is her motivation.

Janvier Smith

Jan earned a bachelor of science degree in biology from Duke University, and an M.A. from the Naval Postgraduate School. A former summer field ecology researcher and seasonal National Park Service ranger-naturalist, he served 22 years in the naval aviation, then owned an insurance and financial services agency for 13 years, and helped launch CREA’s long-standing relationship with the State Farm Companies Foundation. He also serves as a volunteer financial counselor for military retirees and other veterans. He has served as CREA’s treasurer, finance committee member, member of the development and programs committees, and is a past president of CREA.