Katie Schools Hired as Community Outreach Organizer for Scontras Center

PHOTO: Katie Schools (middle) with Kevin Van Meter & Matt Emmick of the Scontras Center.

Congratulations to Katie Schools, who has has been hired as the new Community Outreach Organizer for the Dr. Charles A. Scontras Center for Labor and Community Education at the University of Southern Maine. Schools previously served from 2022 to 2023 as an intern at the Maine AFL-CIO, where she generated community support for union organizing efforts, supported organizing trainings and more. Most recently, she has worked as an organizer for the Maine Restaurant Workers Coalition. She will officially start work at the center on Monday, January 8.

“As the new outreach organizer my job will be to build relationships with workers, unions, nonprofits and labor groups and have one-on-one conversations and organizing to get them invested in the Scontras Center,” said Schools. “My job will also involve event planning, communications work and eventually teaching some workshops."

Schools will collaborate closely with the Center’s Director and Teaching Fellow to build a dynamic network throughout Maine to further the Center’s mission.

Katie has said her life experience led her to the labor movement. As the child of working class parents, she grew up in Gray and held jobs in food service and farm work, where she became acutely aware of problems working people face in the workplace. After learning about labor history in a philosophy course at USM, Katie says she was inspired to get involved in the labor movement. She is a fantastic addition to the stellar crew at the Scontras Center.

You can reach Katie at her new address katie.schools@maine.edu