Olivia Eckert

After graduating from the University of Maine with a degree in social work, Olivia moved to Portland to work on the Emergency Rental Assistance Program as a Housing Stability Resource Manager. After seeing the way our systems and band-aid programming fail to help and sometimes re-traumatize people, she decided to go back to school for her MSW and a certificate in policy analysis.

Olivia believes that policies and programming need to be built to target root causes and understand the complexities of life, especially when we’re in crisis mode. She is deeply passionate about bettering our criminal justice system and is inspired by using systems thinking to ground her professional work and better navigate life’s offerings.

While in school at the University of Southern Maine, she was a research assistant for the Place Justice Project and the Data Innovation Project. Her MSW field placement was at the Young People’s Caucus, which is where she ultimately landed a long-term position as the Program Coordinator.

Olivia is a former intern and long-time volunteer for Wabanaki REACH. She identifies Wabanaki REACH as a pillar in her growth as a professional and individual. Olivia offers gratitude and acknowledgment towards Wabanaki Land for being the place where she advanced her education and found her career. While Olivia is originally from Connecticut, she recognizes traditional Abenaki territory (Portland, ME) as her current home.