Lise Goddard

Joining the team at Maine Coast Semester as Head of Semester School combines my passions, values, experiences, and love of place and community. I am thrilled to return home to Maine from California after 17 years as a teacher and school leader at Midland School, a small rustic boarding school on almost 3,000 acres with a focus on college preparation and experiential learning. Since starting my career in independent schools at St. Andrew’s School in Delaware, I have been drawn to schools of purpose that build character and community.

I love educational environments where students can see direct links between action and impact, self and community, taking care of place and taking care of others.  Ultimately, education should develop the belief that what we do matters in our communities and the world. I am called to facilitate learning pathways that empower students and faculty.

I confess I bring wild enthusiasm for life on the shores and in the forests of Maine, along with the belief that there is possibility in the air at Chewonki Neck. I have enjoyed a lifetime exploring landscapes with my husband, Jeff Goddard, a marine biologist and naturalist, and our twin sons, Will and Ziggy (Maine Coast Semester 64), who are cross-country runners on their ways to Bowdoin and Middlebury.  I love hiking, skiing, writing, fiber arts, and messing about in boats.