New Ventures Maine has hired Abigail Schaefer to the position of CA$H Maine Project Coordinator for the 2022 tax season.

Abigail says she was drawn to the position “because of the opportunity to serve Maine people and to help them achieve economic security.” Her previous experience providing financial literacy resources and customer service through two positions at the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) were directly aligned with the needs of this position.

As an AmeriCorps VISTA financial capability coordinator at FAME, Abigail helped to increase capacity for the Maine Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, maintaining digital resources and planning events. She also helped to launch an employee financial wellness program, for which she created materials and planned workshops. As customer service associate in the education department at FAME, she worked daily with customers, matching financial resources to their particular needs.

Abigail is still learning all of the aspects of her new job, but she has already begun to support CA$H Maine coalitions around the state, visiting them virtually and providing assistance with resources and systems that facilitate their work flow and services. After tax season, she will help to review and assess program data that will inform improvements to CA$H Maine services for next year. She says she may have been the “most unusual candidate” for the position because of her background in veterinary medicine. But, Abigail has an undeniable passion for working with people to improve their financial wellbeing. As CA$H Maine’s project coordinator, she will be doing exactly that.