Meet the Crew
It seems that every year we set new production and sales records, both in the hatchery and on the river. This wouldn’t be possible without an all-star team. Their hard work and competence have brought Mook Sea Farm to a new level of efficiency and dependability.
River & Production Crew
Kirk Williams
A native of Jamaica, Kirk came to the United States with his longtime friend, the Warrior King, to join him on his musical career in the states. He ended up touring with him for about 10 years until Kirk grew tired of the NYC lifestyle and moved to Maine. He began working with us in 2015, quickly earning a reputation as a master oyster sorter. Kirk now lives in Bath with his daughter and is working to bring his son to the states.
Grace Lutat
grace@mookseafarm.com
Grace currently serves as our Packing Plant Operations Manager & Retail Sales Coordinator. Grace joined the Mook Sea Farm crew in July of 2021 after earning her undergraduate degree and graduating with a BA in Philosophy, Political Science, and Creative Writing from Hiram College. She is a Northeast Ohio native but has always considered Maine a home of sorts. Committed to providing the very best for our customers, Grace works hard to make sure our packing plant runs smoothly so that our product reaches its next destination in excellent condition.
Hatchery and R&D Crew
Andy Stevenson
. In a successful attempt to be a renaissance man, Andy received BAs in both Communication and Philosophy, with an emphasis in science from the University of Maine. He has worked at Mook Sea Farm since 1999. Prior to joining us, Andy worked for 10 years managing first a salmon farm and then a macroalgae farm in Downeast Maine. At Mook Sea Farm, he has played a key role in all of our technological advancements and handles all of our oyster seed sales. Andy is an avid outdoors person, fishing, hunting, hiking, enjoying life outside. Andy loves to share a heartfelt ‘Good Morning’ and knee-slapping joke to start the day off right!
Amanda Clapp
Amanda is our Clean Room Manager. She earned her BS from the University of Maine (Machias) and her MS in Zoology from the University of New Hampshire where she reared finfish and studied mechanisms for adaptive variation in Atlantic cod. Originally from New Hampshire, she joined the Mook Sea Farm team in 2016 and is extraordinary at keeping our laboratory ship-shape and our microalgae cultures productive and happy. She can be frequently found in a barnyard in Nobleboro with her horse, Tiger.
Michelle Velez
Michelle considers herself a Pennsylvania native, that’s where her family is from and where she lived for a large part of her childhood, although she was born in Guam. She's also lived from coast to coast, spending half of her life calling the southwest (Tucson, AZ) and Southern California her home. (She also spent a brief stint in the Pacific Northwest). Michelle obviously enjoys traveling to new cities, exploring wildlife and places around the country! She's glad to finally have a permanent home in Maine, a great place to raise her little boy. She loves being outdoors, canoeing, hiking and especially running around with her two dogs. Michelle joined the Mook Sea Farm Hatchery team in early 2020 and is one of our very capable Hatchery Technicians.
Cody Jourdet
A native to the mid-coast, Cody has always loved being close to the ocean. He attended the University of Maine at Machias graduating in 2011 with a B.S. in marine biology and a B.A. in biology. After graduating he worked Downeast for nine years and has hatchery experience with a wide variety of commercially important shellfish species. When not working as one of our Hatchery Technicians he can be found wandering the intertidal flipping up seaweed and turning over rocks looking for interesting marine life.
Paxton Spencer
Paxton is a native of Michigan getting a taste of saltwater after moving to Maine. Paxton attended Lake Superior State University in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where she graduated with a B.S. in Fisheries Management. Previous experience working in fish hatcheries and with aquaponic systems, as well as spending a summer at ABC oyster hatchery at VIMs in Virginia, has shaped Paxton into a knowledgeable member of our hatchery team. Outside of work Paxton enjoys decorating oyster shells, relaxing with her cat, and visiting historical sites.
Facilities & Engineering Crew
Rich Smith
Originally from Southern Maine, Rich is happy to be living in the Midcoast area now. He received both a BS and an MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Vermont. He has experience in bio processing of biofuels and building electronic sensors and devices. Since joining in 2018, he has proven himself entirely indispensable to us as he works to automate the systems in our new oyster holding room and in our hatchery. Rich is a man of mystery and an amateur mycologist, frequently found foraging for mushrooms in the woods. He also expresses his creativity in crafting guitar effects pedals.
Laura Baker
Laura is our Steward, who keeps our working quarters clean and tidy. She has lived in the Damariscotta area since she was 19. She runs a cleaning company called Coastal Cleaning Services and Pet Care and has three adult daughters. We were happy to have her join the team in January 2019.
Office
Andrew Marshall
Andrew is Mook Sea Farm’s and Cape Cod Oyster Company’s Director of Sales & Marketing. Andrew has 15 years’ experience in the seafood industry working alongside many of the country’s top distributors. Andrew’s focus is on partnering with key distributors, retailers, and restaurant chains across the country. This partnership involves working with them on the road to visit their end-user accounts and supporting their sales programs through outreach. Andrew is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Management and Policy program and is a licensed Captain. Andrew lives in Duxbury, MA with his wife and two children.
Bill Mook
The man, the myth, the legend. Originally from Cooperstown, New York, Bill founded Mook Sea Farm in 1985. He earned a BS in Environmental Sciences from Wesleyan University and came to Maine for graduate work at the Darling Marine Center, where he studied with a cohort of the OG Damariscotta River aquaculturists. Bill continually seeks, develops, and tests new technologies aimed at improving the process and resiliency of growing shellfish at each stage of their life. Bill and his wife, Karen, have been married 40 years and live on the Sheepscot River in Newcastle, Maine.
Steve Zimmerman
Steve grew up on the Jersey Shore, has a BS from Rutgers University, and an MS from NYU. He came to Mook Sea Farm from Harvard, where he conducted research in molecular and cellular biology, managed a research lab, and was in charge of their very sizable zebrafish aquaculture facility. Steve is a whiz at design, fabrication, automation, and generally keeping everything running smoothly in the hatchery, on the river, and in our new oyster holding facility. As our COO he takes challenges in stride and keeps us all rowing in the same direction.