There is a serious threat facing the island, and the situation is getting worse.

Many of those who work here year-round, who make up—and contribute to—the communities of MDI, cannot afford to live on the island.

MDI is facing an acute housing crisis. But, there are solutions. Join us to learn how Island House Trust is providing sustainable year-round housing opportunities to prevent MDI from becoming a hollowed out ‘shell’. A brief presentation will be followed by plenty of time for audience questions and discussion.

Kendra Rand has been an Island Housing Trust board member since 2017 and an IHT homeowner since 2015.  She is an instructor of communication studies and public speaking for the University of Maine and College of the Atlantic, and she consults various nonprofit, state, and government agencies for communication and outreach strategies.  Kendra is sincerely committed to supporting and building inclusive communities, from classroom to regional efforts.  She lives in Bar Harbor with her husband, Tim, and their two daughters.  

Marla O’Byrne is the Executive Director of Island Housing Trust, which promotes viable, year-round communities by advancing permanent workforce housing on Mount Desert Island. She is a founding board member of Island Housing Trust. She has been active in community engagement projects and strategies through her work with nonprofits in Maine over the past 30 years. Marla has served as the president & CEO of Friends of Acadia and senior vice president at Maine Farmland Trust. She has lived on MDI, frequenting its amazing community libraries and exploring Acadia National Park for more than 35 years.

Kyle Shank is a quantitative researcher at Facebook and a member of the Island Housing Trust Advisory Partners Council. Prior to his work at Facebook, he served as the head of media analytics with Hershey, the chocolate company. Kyle turned his love of data science into a TEDxDirigo talk titled Think Small: Using Data to Help Small Towns. Kyle tackles all data science projects with a keen awareness of the people those data represent. He lives in Bar Harbor with his wife and children.