Ted Koffman

For over 33 years, Ted Koffman worked in a variety of roles at the College of Atlantic (COA) in Bar Harbor, Maine. His career took a new turn in the 1990s when COA Trustees tasked Ted with establishing Eco-Eco, a statewide civic forum engaging business, environmental, academic and civic leaders that focused on the relationship of the environment and the economy. Eco-Eco initiated the Maine Environmental Priorities Project (MEPP) that evaluated environmental threats to public health, ecology, and quality of life. A further outcome from MEPP, was the formation of a coalition with the State Planning Office in response to sprawl titled Eco-Eco Smart Growth.

Ted went on to serve in the Maine State House of Representatives from 2000-2008. During his time there, he chaired the Environment and Natural Resources Committee as well as the Community Preservation Advisory Committee. He guided legislation on the Historic Preservation Tax Credit, a financial incentive for developers to restore historic buildings; the affordable housing Tax Increment Financing (TIF) law, that has generated 2,200 affordable rental units to date; the Rehabilitation Building Code, facilitating the restoration of worthy buildings; and first-in-the-nation, state-based climate change legislation – setting goals, timetables, and an action plan for addressing climate change.

From 2009-2014, Ted served as Executive Director of Maine Audubon where his work focused on habitat enhancements. He returned to Bar Harbor in 2014 with his wife Joan. He volunteers with Island Housing Trust (IHT), Friends of Acadia, and Jesup Library.