Leadership Team
Mabel Wadsworth Center’s shared leadership model aligns with our feminist values, increases equity throughout our organization, and strengthens our resiliency.
Bonnie Case, FNP-C (she/her/hers), Co-Director
Her area of focus as co-director is overseeing clinical services.
Bonnie started serving as the center’s Director of Clinical Services in 2019. She comes to Mabel Wadsworth with more than six years primary care experience. She previously worked at Penobscot Community Health Care in the Bangor area providing the full spectrum of preventive healthcare as well as chronic and acute illness management. She received her master’s in nursing from Massachusetts General Hospital Institute for Health Professions in 2013. Prior to that, she worked as a nurse in homeless shelters and a federal prison in the Boston, Massachusetts area. Bonnie oversees the clinic team, ensuring that staff is supported in their delivery of client-centered, exceptional health care. Additionally, Bonnie sees a small panel of primary care clients at the Center. Bonnie is passionate about reproductive justice, health care access, and affirmative health care with a focus on bodily autonomy.
“I feel so lucky to have grown up in Bangor and have this beacon of radical, feminist health care here in my own backyard. It took me many years, but I ultimately joined the Mabel’s community in 2016 as a board member, and then made the leap to staff member in 2019 when the Director of Clinical Services position was created. I was thrilled to join Mabel’s because the values of the center, bodily autonomy, trust, reproductive justice, show up in the care that I deliver every day. My passion is advocating for these core values in practice and supporting our staff in creating an environment where our community members feel safe, supported, and can receive health care that focuses on these values. Co-leadership allows us to fly in the face of traditional healthcare models and to be flexible in these difficult times we find ourselves in. I truly believe that, because of our shared values and mutual trust, we will be able to respond to any future threats to the radical care we provide.”
Abbie Strout-Bentes (she/her/hers), Co-Director
Her areas of focus as co-director include community engagement, development, communications, and advocacy.
Abbie joined Mabel Wadsworth Center in 2010 at the start of the organization’s education and outreach program. In addition to her primary role of coordinating the Center’s advocacy, community engagement, and education programs during her first six years, Abbie worked part-time as a clinical assistant supporting people who needed abortion care. With a focus on queer liberation and reproductive justice, Abbie is passionate about reducing abortion stigma and creating systems of support and care for all pregnant people. She believes in a future where everyone can get the healthcare they need from people they choose and trust. She believes her work at Mabel’s is moving us closer to that vision.
“I have worked at the Center for 13 years. Prior to that, I was a patient at Mabel Wadsworth Center, and as a young adult at the time, the empowering, judgment-free approach to the health care I received truly changed my life. I am committed to honoring the legacy of our founders while continuing to make necessary changes in the organization for us to best meet the needs of marginalized members of our communities. We are facing a challenging time as an organization and as a movement, and co-leadership is the best approach to navigating these uncharted waters. Kate, Bonnie, and I share feminist values but see each challenge from our unique perspective influenced by our lived experiences and area of expertise within the organization. Together we are making decisions that will best serve our patients, our staff, and the health of the organization.”
Kate Waning (she/her/hers), Co-Director
Her areas of focus as co-director include finance and operations.
Kate received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Maine in 2000 and her Master of Science in Resource Economics and Policy in 2002. After serving on the Center’s Board of Directors as its Treasurer, she joined the staff and became the Center’s first Business Manager in 2005. In 2014 she was promoted to Director of Finance and Operations (DFO). As DFO, she is responsible for all financial and administrative aspects of the Center’s operations, which include overseeing accounts payable and receivable, ensuring the smooth flow of clinical scheduling, and billing, while also managing the front office and clinical staff.
“I have been involved with Mabel Wadsworth Center for almost two decades: first as a Board Member and Treasurer and then as a staff member since 2005. I joined the organization at a pivotal time when we started a capital campaign to purchase our own facility in Evergreen Woods. During this campaign, I worked closely with the founders and key community members which not only deepened my commitment to the mission, but also created a pathway to a leadership role within the organization. In those early days, financial insecurity was an issue leadership constantly faced. Through strategic planning and development, creative money management and a shared vision for the future, we are now in a very different place. I’m proud that we are now financially stable and able to increase services to support the community even more. I am excited to continue helping the organization grow and thrive in collaboration with Abbie, Bonnie, and our staff and Board.”