Board of Directors
CEEF’s Board of Directors comprises community volunteers with a wide range of backgrounds who are all aligned in the pursuit of fostering innovation in Cape schools.
Kate Benthien has two children Jack ‘31 and Maggie ’33. Kate most recently worked at Allagash Brewing Company as their Philanthropy Program Manager and oversaw the philanthropic giving through a grant program, responding to giving requests, and seeking out organizations in the community to partner with. This is where we first crossed paths with Kate as Allagash has been a regular supporter of CEEF’s annual Golf Tournament. Kate has extensive work in marketing and fundraising events and sees an opportunity to share the stories of what amazing projects and programs CEEF is funding.
Grier Dienstag is a passionate supporter of education. She started her career in the social sector focused on education and philanthropy, spent nearly a decade as a Special Olympics coach, and previously served on several education-focused boards. Grier now serves on the Executive Committee of Educate Maine, an organization dedicated to advancing education practices and policies across the state. She also volunteers as a Harvard College Alumnae Interviewer and a youth sports coach. Professionally, Grier is a Partner at McKinsey & Co. where she serves financial institutions and investors on topics including strategy, mergers & acquisitions, and generative AI. Grier lives in Cape with her husband and two children, proud Pond Cove Elementary students.
Jason Favreau (Treasurer) – With nearly twenty years of experience in providing federal and state tax consulting and compliance services, Jason has worked with the leaders of closely-held businesses and facility owners across the country to minimize their overall tax burden. A skilled Certified Public Accountant, he has led a variety of engagements and has provided technical expertise to clients in the healthcare, real estate development, construction, and manufacturing industries. He serves as CEEF’s Treasurer and has two children Sophie ‘31 and Mason ’33.
Greg Gordon grew up in Cape Elizabeth and graduated from CEHS. Greg joined the CEEF Board of Directors in 2019 as a member of the marketing team.
Joe Higgins is a CEHS grad (Class of ‘99) and joined the CEEF Board in 2025. Joe has over 20 years experience in Investment Services and works in the Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) industry as Managing Director for ACA Foreside, servicing over $500 billion in ETF assets for over 1,000 ETFs. Joe was born in Portland, raised in Greenwich, CT and Paris, France but spent the remaining years of his childhood back in Maine. Cape Elizabeth has always been home for Joe. His grandparents lived in Cape, and his parents moved here in the 90’s, which enabled Joe to attend CEHS. Joe now lives next to his parents, is married to Mara Higgins (an L.L.Bean corporate employee) and they have two daughters in the school system – Audrey Higgins ‘28 and Eliza Higgins ‘33. Joe was a member of the CEHS Varsity Basketball and Tennis teams, and enjoys travel photography in his spare time. He is excited to be contributing and giving back to the community and school system which supported him.
Sara Hirshon was born and raised in Cape Elizabeth and attended both Cape Elizabeth schools and Waynflete School. After practicing law in Philadelphia and Boston, she returned home to raise her three daughters, Alexis, Serena and Elise (who all attend Cape Elizabeth schools). Sara graduated from the University of Michigan and Boston University School of Law. She is currently a litigation partner at Verrill Dana, LLP, and also serves on the board of Through These Doors. In her free time, Sara enjoys spending time with her family, watching her kids’ sporting events, or walking with friends.
Laisee Holden, along with her four younger sisters and her husband Luke, graduated from Cape Elizabeth High School. She and Luke are now raising their three young daughters — Poppy, Banks, and Hadley — in the Cape Elizabeth community she has long been connected to. She currently serves as an assistant coach for the Cape Elizabeth Varsity Field Hockey team and has held positions on several nonprofit boards, most recently The Girls Foundation of Tanzania. Laisee spent more than a decade in sports marketing, managing Olympic athletes and serving as Director of the Michael Phelps Foundation. In 2024, she published her first children’s book, Poppy’s Promise, which celebrates the magic of growing up on the coast of Maine.
Kate Litton (Secretary) happily and eagerly planted roots in Cape Elizabeth 10 years ago, along with her husband Christian, son, daughter, and menagerie of animals. A graduate of Bates College, Kate has a degree in Neuroscience and German. She spent her early career at Brown Medical School doing research in the Neuropsychology Lab, aiding in the creation, implementation, and standardization of the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB). From there, her travels took her back home to the NYC area where she worked for Abbott Laboratories in marketing for the Neuroscience Division, engaging thought leaders in the treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Westchester County. Following the birth of her children and the family’s relocation to Maine, Kate put her attention-to-detail and promotion expertise to work for several Portland-based non-profit organizations such as The Junior League of Portland (Chair of Sponsorships), Kid’s First (Sponsorship Commitee Member), Special Surfers, and Cape Elizabeth Schools (Cape Challenge Race Director and Chair of Sponsorships). Kate recently returned to work for Abbott, now AbbVie, in their Rheumatology Division and joined as a board member of the Cape Elizabeth Education Foundation (CEEF). In her free time, Kate enjoys coaching her children’s soccer teams each Fall, skiing in the mountains in the Winter, and mountain biking and surfing in the Summer.
Jonathan Sahrbeck grew up in Cape Elizabeth, graduating from CEHS in 1998. He attended Connecticut College and law school at American University in Washington DC. After living in Boston and working as a prosecutor in Massachusetts, Jonathan returned to Cape Elizabeth in 2012. For many years, Jonathan worked as a prosecutor, including serving as Cumberland County District Attorney from 2019 until 2022. He was also an attorney coach for the CEHS Mock Trial team from 2012 until 2019. He now works as a consumer protection and unfair trade practices attorney and lives in town with his wife and son, who is a student at Pond Cove Elementary. Jonathan has been a Board Member of CEEF since January 2023. He serves on the development committee and volunteers with the annual CEEF Play for Education Golf Tournament. Jonathan appreciates the work that CEEF does throughout the school district to provide support for innovative ideas that help all the students, faculty and staff.
Eliza Shaw Sandals (President) grew up in Portland attending the city’s public schools. She received her BA from Bowdoin College, majoring in visual arts and education before moving to Boston and starting her career in marketing. In 2015, Eliza and her husband Dave moved to Cape Elizabeth for a strong school system and to be closer to family. Eliza joined the CEEF Board of Directors when her oldest child started kindergarten as a means to connect with and support the Cape schools. In addition to volunteering at CEEF, Eliza serves on the Portland Museum of Art’s (PMA) Collection Committee and the PMA Contemporaries Steering Committee. She enjoys spending time with her family in the great outdoors, including skiing, boating, golfing, and gardening. Eliza’s three children and their 9 cousins all attend Cape Elizabeth schools ranging from preschool to 12th grade.
Mika Reynolds (Executive Director) grew up in California but has lived in Cape Elizabeth for nine years with her husband, Tom, and two school-aged children, Kip and Maggie. Mika was a lawyer professionally but is a life-long volunteer. Since living in Cape Elizabeth, finding ways to volunteer in and on behalf of the schools has been a priority. Looking for a way to make even more impact on our community’s school, she joined the CEEF board a year ago and has served on the grants, marketing, and Red Apple committee. When not in the schools, you can find her walking her dog on the town trails, exploring Casco Bay or following her family at a cautious (slow) pace down Sugarloaf Mountain.
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