Betsy Saltonstall of Rockport has joined the Emerge Maine Board.

Saltonstall, a long-time activist in state education and political circles most recently served on the Rockport School Board from 2008 to 2011. Her other public sector work includes service on the Knox County Steering Committee of Engage Maine.She has been a trustee for the Maine School Board Association, Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. and the Natural Resources Council of Maine. In addition Saltonstall sat on the board of the Maine Women’s Policy Center where she assisted in fundraising and organization. Saltonstall is a certified leadership and performance coach and is currently president of ESCS, LLC a company which owns and manages rental properties. She is the mother of two boys, Davis and Brooks.

“With Emerge Maine I look forward to helping women nurture their political voice and encouraging them to use it in public office,” said Saltonstall in a news release.

Emerge Maine inspires and trains Democratic women to run for public office. The organization’s sixth class of women recently graduated from its six-month campaign training program. Currently six Emerge Maine alums are serving in the state legislature and more than two dozen alums have been elected to public office since the inception of the state program. Emerge Maine is one of 10 programs in the nation supported by Emerge America, which is based in San Francisco, and has the support of national leaders like Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Nancy Pelosi. In 2006, Maine joined Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico and Wisconsin in creating state run organizations that offer the Emerge training program to local women. Since then, Oregon and Kentucky have also started affiliates in their states and most recently Maryland has launched an Emerge program.