The Peer Workforce Navigator Team

Bright Lukusa Musuamba, Financial Stability Specialist & Navigator - Prosperity Maine

Bright Lukusa Musuamba is a Congolese immigrant who lives in Lewiston. In 2020, she was the recipient of Uplift LA’s 40 Under 40 award for her Activities and Commitment as a Local Government and Civic Leader. Bright loves her work and her community and is always looking for ways to make an impact in peoples’ lives and in everything she does which means that she is passionate and resourceful in her endeavor to serve her community. She enjoys learning from others, from their experiences and their stories through traveling and meeting many different people. She hopes to bridge the gap between Maine’s communities and the workforce, empower and connect more people to resources they may need to thrive and succeed with the Peer Workforce Navigator Project. She currently works part-time as the Financial Stability Specialist at Prosperity Maine and Peer Navigator, while also attending business school at the University of Southern Maine.

Catherine Buxton, Communications & Digital Engagement Manager - Maine Equal Justice

Catherine Buxton has lived in Maine for almost a decade. They are honored to join PWN and work with so many people with so many different life experiences and a shared passion for making Maine a place where everyone can thrive. Catherine has worked for many community organizations including Portland Trails, Speak About It, and most recently the Cooperative Development Institute. They are also a theater artist, baker, and most importantly, the proud co-parent of two mischievous cats.

Hatim Ibrahim, Peer Workforce Navigator - Gateway Community Services

Hi, I'm Hatim! I’m currently a Peer Workforce Navigator with Gateway Community Services. I served in my previous job as a Housing Stability Specialist at the Immigrant Resource Center Of Maine. I am a result-driven professional with over 10 years of experience. I have a track record of handling administrative and clerical functions with professionalism and tact, and have hands-on experience of using diplomacy and discretion while working with communtiy members. I am excited about this new and challenging environment that will enable me to utilize my interpersonal skills, and look forward to helping PWN grow. I speak Swahili, Arabic, Somali, and English, and am a proud resident of Lewiston, Maine.

Leslie Torkelson, Peer Workforce Navigator - Maine AFL-CIO

Leslie Torkelson is the Peer Workforce Navigator at the Maine AFL-CIO. Leslie has a background in Human Services and Social Work and became active in the labor movement in Maine when she and her coworkers organized a union at her former workplace in 2019. She served as a shop steward at her workplace and was president of their chapter until she left there to work for the AFL-CIO.  Though she will help people in all the areas covered by the navigators, Leslie is especially focused on connecting workers to good union jobs and union apprenticeships.
 

Kate Fahey, PWN Project Director

Kate Fahey comes to the Peer Workforce Navigator project after 3 years working with Gateway Community Services Maine. Committed to lifting up the expertise, strength and beauty of community, Kate is excited about the ways this new project learns from effective and powerful community-based models and applies community-learned best practices in connecting neighbors with critical government resources and programs. As a model, Kate is passionate about and energized by the ways this pilot project brings the community together with the State of Maine to work as true partners in centering equitable access of critical resources, and trust-building.

Kate lives in Westbrook, Maine with her husband and sleepy, old hound dog. Together they love to spend time exploring near and far, sharing meals and venturing in the woods and by the ocean with friends, family and neighbors.

Marcel Selemani, Peer Workforce Navigator - Maine Equal Justice

My Name is Marcel Selemani and I live in South Portland, Maine. I used to work as a social worker/case manager at the City of Portland Family Shelter downtown on 54 Chestnut Street for more than 3 years. Mainly my job was to welcome new arrivals at the Family Shelter, assisting them to get settled, applying for State and Federal benefits, housing and how to navigate the system.  Then when I was about to leave my work for another career, a coworker told me about the PWN project at Maine Equal Justice. I found it exciting and applied for the position. That is how I joined the project this summer and I am always ready to assist people to move forward in the search of a better life.
 

Sylvie Motoum, Peer Workforce Navigator - Prosperity Maine

Hi, I'm Sylvie Motoum! My recent transition from NYC to Maine involved a shift from my role as a Case Planner at Vibrant Emotional Health, where I delivered clinical and emotional care to individuals struggling with various traumas. My background also includes coordinating refugee housing and aiding students as a Student Admission Counselor at the Pearson Institute of Higher Education. I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing Management from the University of Dschang, Cameroon, with over 17 years of professional experience. Assisting others is a source of immense joy for me! Beyond my professional endeavors, I find great fulfillment in volunteering, traveling, time with family, music, and seeking tranquility in the mountains or by the beach.

Suzy Young, Peer Workforce Navigator, Food AND Medicine

Suzy comes to us with a very strong advocate background as she had completed care of her two elderly parents with Alzheimer’s until their passing in 2016 and 2018. Her husband became ill in July of 2019 and she had to advocate for him to get the care he needed. She voluntarily took on the role of using first-hand experience to advocate for the unemployed with the Maine AFL-CIO's Unemployment Assistance Group. The Maine AFL-CIO presented Suzy with their 2021 President's Award for her tireless and endless efforts to help the unemployed during the unprecedented pandemic.

Suzy started to work for Food AND Medicine part-time in October 2021, moving to full-time when the Peer Workforce Navigator program officially began in April, 2022.  Born and raised in Greenwood Maine, she is also a fiber artist, and raises sheep, and lives in Waldo County with her husband and son.