Margot Kelley

About

Margot Kelley fell in love with Saint George in 1997. On a sabbatical from her job as a professor, she was taking classes at the Maine Media Workshops and discovered Drift Inn Beach, Clark Island, Mosquito Head, and the Port Clyde General Store. She credits Tim Watts, then owner of the East Wind Inn, with showing her what an absolutely special place Saint George is. Less than two years later, she and her husband, Rob, became summer residents. Then, in 2010, they were able to move here full-time.

Margot and Rob Kelley co-founded the St. George CDC in 2017. Their goal was to build an organization open to all members of the community, one that could help ensure the town’s resilience by meeting needs and desires that were outside what the municipality itself could do. One of their inspirations was the Town Education Committee, which laid the groundwork for Saint George to exit RSU 13. Serving on that committee for a year, Margot helped create the high school choice program for Saint George eighth graders. When the town voted overwhelmingly to become educationally independent, she served as a school board member for Saint George. At the StGCDC, she and several other community members started the Community Cupboard as its very first program. Lately, she oversees Welcome Lil’ Dragon (aka the baby box program) and works on grant applications. Now that she’s retired from teaching, she has more time to write books, garden, and enjoy this beautiful place.