Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bath/Brunswick names new development director

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bath/Brunswick has added a development director at a moment when the agency is trying to grow without losing its footing. Adrian Cole will take on the role with support from Together for Good: The Salka Family Impact Group, a hire aimed at strengthening fundraising, communications and the organization’s long-term stability as it serves more children across a wider stretch of Midcoast and southern Maine.

That matters in practical terms for Bath, Brunswick, Harpswell and every town in Sagadahoc County, where the agency has worked since 1981. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bath/Brunswick now says its service area also extends into Androscoggin County and, in current materials, Lincoln County. The affiliate says it serves about 200 children each year, and the new development post is being treated as a growth investment rather than a simple staffing replacement.

Cole comes to the job with experience that lines up with that mission. Most recently, he worked as director of grants and communications at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Maine, giving him direct familiarity with the mentoring model used locally. He also held communications and nonprofit-related positions at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and at The Middle East Journal in Washington, D.C. Originally from the United Kingdom, Cole has lived in the United States for more than 20 years and now lives on Chebeague Island, where he has been active in community sailing and fire and rescue.

The Bath/Brunswick affiliate became a full member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in April 1994. Its 2024 tax filing says the program serves youth ages 6 to young adults, primarily from single-parent, low-income homes, through screened and trained volunteers who meet with children in monthly activities designed to build resilience, self-esteem, community connections and positive life choices.

The organization has also been widening its reach beyond traditional one-to-one matching. Its 2025 annual report describes four after-school mentoring programs in elementary schools and an expanded Bears and Cubs program, while its 2024 report pointed to momentum, renewal and technology upgrades meant to make enrollment easier and broaden access. Those changes suggest the agency is trying to serve more children without diluting the mentoring relationships that have defined the program for decades.

The fundraising push comes as national evidence continues to link mentoring with stronger educational and life outcomes. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America says its network includes more than 230 local agencies in more than 5,000 communities across all 50 states, and a January 2025 study found mentorship was associated with greater higher-education enrollment, higher salaries, less dependence on social services and better behavioral outcomes. For Sagadahoc County families, the real test of Cole’s hire will be whether that outside funding and local outreach can translate into more matches, steadier program support and a larger pool of children who are actually reached.