WORKING WATERFRONT • August 25, 2021
When Friends of Casco Bay formed in 1989, the water was some of the most polluted in the nation. Today, the bay is far cleaner and healthier, with strong protections in place thanks in large part to Cathy Ramsdell, the organization’s executive director since 2003. Ramsdell ushered Friends toward a strong financial footing and organizational structure while leading staff and infusing programs with her lifelong passion for the marine environment. A graduate of College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, where she obtained a degree in human ecology, Ramsdell’s early career took her to the Bering Strait to study seabirds, Georgia’s barrier islands to protect nesting loggerhead sea turtles, and the Gulf of Maine to catalogue whales. As a certified professional accountant, she’s advised executive directors, business owners, and family foundations on financial, professional, and organizational development. Preparing for retirement in September, she reflected on her work.