Andrea Dole

Discipline: Family Member

About: Andrea Dole grew up in the woods in rural Maine, singing, dancing, running, and adventuring outside. She graduated from Bennington College in 2003 with a BA in Social Sciences and Music. Innovative, interdisciplinary coursework culminated in intensive cultural and linguistic immersion in the Republic of Georgia, Chile, and Spain, and with thesis work on regional traditional music of Caucasus Georgia. Andrea has toured and taught with Northern Harmony World Music Ensemble in the US, England, and Colombia; advised Youth Leadership Development clubs in South Florida; mentored and facilitated restorative circles with the Restorative Justice Project of the Mid Coast; and offered advocacy and support to children and families as a Behavioral Health Professional and Targeted Case Manager, alloparent, and doula in home settings in Maine, Massachusetts, and Colorado. When her first child, James, was born in 2015, Andrea immediately applied her creativity, communication, care, and courage to advocate for the needs of a medically and developmentally very vulnerable infant. She integrated her experiences with movement, centeredness under pressure, and music to tune in to and help regulate her neurodevelopmentally atypical child’s brain and nervous system. Though many doctors predicted at his birth that James would live perhaps only a few months to a few years, he is six now, physically strong, walking with support, and thriving with a team of dedicated home nurses, therapists, and medical providers, all of with whom Andrea manages, directs, and exchanges inspiration. Andrea is excited to join LEND to continue to vision, create, and support collaborative, creative, spiritually, and culturally resilient healing communities of care within her native Maine, nationwide, and around the world.