Matt Pines

Matt Pines is an experienced educator with 27+ years in youth development. He co-owns a teen-only summer camp and applies his expertise in outdoor education, device-free learning, and community building to address challenges facing adolescents today.
Matt is also board president of Maine’s state camping association, a former school board member, a PhD candidate at USM’s Muskie School, a proud parent, and the spouse of a mental health clinician. His work blends research and advocacy on technology’s impact on youth.

He holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Queensland, an MEd from Cabrini University, and is pursuing a PhD in Public Policy & Ed. Leadership at USM.

“I’ve worked with adolescents since the mid-’90s and noticed major shifts in their mental health by the 2010s. As an educator, parent, and citizen, this has felt like the most pressing issue of the past decade. Yet, urgency has been lacking. When I met the Sapien Labs team in 2024, I was excited—they not only recognized the crisis but had been studying its causes in unique ways. More importantly, they were focused on solutions.  ‘Understanding specific interventions that drive positive outcomes and scaling them up  is a challenge worthy of Sapien’s innovative and data driven approach.”