Brittany Ray was born and raised in Washington County, Maine.  In 1993 she graduated from Colby College, and after graduation she returned to Washington Country where she pursued her passion–teaching. Returning to her former high school, she remained as a teacher and English Department Chair for 11 years.  In 2007 she was named Maine Teacher of the Year, becoming the first teacher to present Washington Country in over 25 years.  In 2009,  Ms. Ray  received her Master of Science in School Counseling and transitioned from the classroom to administration when she was hired as the Narraguagus High School Guidance Director.  Her experiences in the classroom and in school counseling fueled her passion for building relationships and developing strategies to help mitigate poverty related barriers for her students.  In January of 2016 Brittany heard about an exciting new initiative called TREE: Transforming Rural Experience in Education.  She knew this initiative could be the key to helping those students experiencing the most adversity.  6 months later she found herself as the TREE Director.  Her goal of supporting schools and communities which are poverty, trauma, and equity informed but most importantly resilience focused continues today with TREE.  After a full  year of research and design, Transforming Rural Experience in Education is piloting in 3 schools.  In November TREE received national recognition as a Pioneer in Trauma Informed Schools.