Board of Directors

Jason has been a proud OMer (one who participates in Odyssey of the Mind) since the age of 8. Through elementary, middle, and high school, Jason discovered the benefits of teamwork and creative and analytical thinking, self-assessment and answered the question, "How much spray paint is too much?" while making props in a basement.

From his first year of college at the University of Maine in 1998 until today, he has played a highly active role in the growth of Maine OM. After 20 years in various roles on the Board of Directors, Jason began serving as the Association Director of Maine Odyssey of the Mind in 2019. In this role, Jason oversees an entirely volunteer-run organization that serves more than 650 students and a dedicated group of 150 adult coaches from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts annually. That number grows every year.

Jason has made giving every kid access to the benefits of Odyssey of the Mind his life's work. He has witnessed its impact firsthand in hundreds of kids as they discover their creative voices, build confidence, and accomplish things they never thought possible. Through Odyssey, students learn to think critically, solve problems creatively, collaborate with others, and persevere when their first ideas don’t go as planned. Taking ownership of their solutions builds independence and the courage to try something new, while friendships and shared experiences create a sense of belonging. Seeing those benefits extend beyond competition and into students’ everyday lives drives Jason’s commitment to making the program accessible to every child.

Of all his roles in Odyssey, he is most proud of being an OM Dad to his three kids, whom he shares with his wife. The family lives with several furrier family members in York, Maine. To support his Odyssey habit, Jason is a Tech Sales Executive, managing a team of technologists far more clever than he is.

Shari first became involved with Odyssey of the Mind in 2003 when one of her oldest son's teachers suggested it may be a good fit for him. It turned out to be a great fit for all three of her children, and their family has been involved with OM ever since.

Sheri began coaching when my youngest child entered first grade and stayed with that team through 12th grade. She enjoyed coaching and later helped form a new primary team and coached them through middle school. In 2019, Shari joined the board currently serve as a State Tournament Director.

Tournament day is one of her favorite days of the year. "It's always so exciting to see what new and creative solutions our Maine students have come up with," Shari says. "It is a privilege to work alongside the dedicated volunteers who make that day possible."

Michelle serves on the board as the Primary Director and a State Tournament Director

She has been involved in Odyssey in one capacity or another since 2013. Her first real introduction to OM was when she accompanied her daughter to World Finals at Michigan State in 2013 and got to see first hand how passionate OMERs are about the program. The following season she coached her daughter’s team. She then judged for a few years before joining the board in 2020. Her son is also a proud former OMER who recently graduated college and is continuing to use some of the skills he developed through Odyssey of the Mind as a mechanical engineer.

Michelle lives in Auburn with her husband and two dogs and works as a school counselor at Auburn Middle School.

My Odyssey of the Mind journey began in 4th grade, and almost 40 years later, I’m still passionate about this incredible program! Along the way, I’ve been a style judge, served as a Head Structure Judge, coached a Division 2 team for four years, been a parent to two OMers, and have been a member of the Odyssey of the Mind Board of Directors since 2007.

I am committed to Odyssey because it teaches students to think creatively, take risks, and look at problems from new perspectives. It builds friendships, teamwork, confidence, and leadership while teaching kids how to both advocate and listen to one another, how to compromise, persevere, and celebrate each other’s strengths. After almost four decades, I’ve seen firsthand how those skills help young people become creative, capable, well-rounded adults — prepared not only for college and careers, but to be thoughtful and contributing members of their communities. I’m proud to have been part of the Odyssey family for so many years, and even prouder to continue supporting the next generation of creative problem-solvers!

Outside of Odyssey – my wife and I are the parents of two active teenage boys. You will find us at any number of sporting and academic events throughout the year. I am also a Family Law attorney with busy practice in Portland. In my free time, I love to hike (slowly working on completing New Hampshire’s 48 4,000 Footers) and ski (Nordic and Alpine), or sit outside as the sun comes up with a hot cup of coffee!

Jeff’s Odyssey of the Mind journey began in first grade in Virginia, when he competed in the 1997 Primary problem, “The Good News.” He continued competing through Division II, wrapping up his student career in 2004 with “Feature Creature.” Nearly two decades later, Jeff found his way back to OM, returning as a coach in 2023. His first season back was anything but ordinary. Jeff coached what would become the most dramatic team ever to take the stage at World Finals, where they presented “The Most Dramatic Problem Ever!!!” The experience reignited his passion for Odyssey of the Mind and reinforced for him the value of creative problem-solving, teamwork, perseverance, and giving kids the freedom to think for themselves.

In 2024, Jeff joined the Maine Odyssey of the Mind Board of Directors, bringing his experience as a former competitor and coach to the organization. Jeff serves as the Director of the Conway Public Library in New Hampshire, where he focuses on community programming, education, youth engagement, and facilitating opportunities for people of all ages to learn, explore, and create. Jeff sees Odyssey of the Mind as a natural extension of the work he does in his community: creating welcoming spaces where young people can be curious, take risks, solve problems, work together, and, perhaps most importantly, discover what they are capable of creating on their own.

Jeff spends his free time in the mountains, also volunteering as a member of Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue. The teamwork, communication, leadership, creative problem-solving, and ability to remain calm and adaptable in challenging and unpredictable situations that he relies on in search and rescue are skills he attributes to his years participating in Odyssey of the Mind. For Jeff, OM is about much more than competition. It is an opportunity for young people to discover their creativity, learn to work as a team, take risks, overcome unexpected challenges, and develop the confidence to tackle problems in their own unique way. He is excited to bring his experiences to his work with Odyssey of the Mind and introduce a new generation of OMers to the same opportunities of developing lifelong friendships, skills, and unforgettable experiences that shaped his own Odyssey.

Miranda Engstrom is a literacy specialist and lives in Lamoine, Maine. She teaches at Lamoine Consolidated School, where she once attended school as a student.

Lamoine Odyssey of the Mind is much of the reason that she has returned to Odyssey as she credits it with helping to shape who she is. She learned to not be afraid of her own shadow and that thinking creatively is a superpower! She currently advises SkillsUSA, Odyssey of the Mind, Best Buddies, Special Olympics, works part time for Educate Maine, and is a recently published author and illustrator!

She has two cats (Memphis and Mindy) and one superpooch, Ellie Belle, a certified therapy dog!

Dustin Sleight is a mechanical engineer, creative problem solver, and longtime supporter of hands-on learning and the arts. His professional background spans engineering, manufacturing, systems development, and team leadership, with a focus on helping people work together to solve complex problems.

Outside of work, Dustin is active in theatre as an actor, director, and playwright, and enjoys bringing creativity, collaboration, and a little bit of weirdness into whatever he is working on. He has also served as an Odyssey of the Mind judge and Head Judge, where he especially enjoys seeing students turn imaginative ideas into solutions entirely their own.

Dustin lives in Westbrook, Maine, and is passionate about creating opportunities for young people to build confidence, think creatively, take risks, and discover just how much they are capable of accomplishing together.

Hugo is a high school senior who has only been an OMer since 6th grade. Having bounced between OM teams Hugo developed skills in teamwork with different types of individuals. Through OM competitions he has learned how to harness engineering concepts and started his journey as a "duct tape fixes all" kind of guy.

In approaching his last years of OM competing, Hugo branched out to join the Maine Odyssey board in the hopes of continuing to support the wonderful program that taught him so much through middle school and high school.

With 3 times at Odyssey World Finals and stunning experiences each time, Hugo is driven to ensure that other OMers get the most out of the Odyssey experience and get to feel that same joy he felt competing and building community with creative folks all around the world.

My Odyssey began when, at the age of four, my mother brought me along to a coaches training in Bath, and ever since OM has been an integral part of my life. I began competing at age 8, and OM kept me coming back each year for more, until, in the blink of an eye, my middle school years were behind me.

My freshman year of high school was the first in a long time that OM had not played a major role in my life, and I really felt that something was missing. I elected to remedy that by applying for a Student Board Member position that summer, and I was ecstatic when I found I had been accepted. OM taught me the importance of teamwork, communication, and creativity, and the dangers of unsupervised crowbar use. No other activity has quite the ability to form strong, lasting relationships as OM does, and my OM teammates are still my best friends to this day.

I am a junior now, and still striving to give back to the community that gave me so much growing up. OM teaches us to face constraints as creatively as possible, and that tasks are easier when shared, lessons I try to live by everyday. The most amazing piece of my role is knowing I play a small part in ensuring our teams have the same wonderful experiences OM gave me when I was a middle school OMer.