About Us

Embark Maine Tours Team

Hi! I’m Meg Steele Barker, the founder and operator of Embark Maine Tours in Bath, Maine. I’m a lifelong educator who lives right here in Bath, Maine. I have a passion for history and learning by doing. I’ve honed my craft as a K-12 teacher, at C-SPAN, the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, and as a National Park Service Interpretive Ranger (yes, I still have my hat!).

I’m currently an elementary school librarian here in town, where we moved after two years exploring the country in a vintage Airstream trailer. Maine was always the place to beat because SAILING! And we fell in love with Bath because of the beautiful historic buildings, the small-town feel and the vibrant community spirit.

I launched Embark Maine Tours in 2021, coming out of the pandemic school year and wanting to do my part to help welcome visitors back to Maine. Thanks to many, many organizations’ and individuals’ efforts, we have incredible records, programs, narratives and stories about Bath history. I knew a walking tour could help bring all that to life for visitors stepping off the beaten path in Maine, giving them insight into a truly American story.

Now, I am honored to be a Trustee of the Bath Historical Society, Sagadahoc Preservation, Inc. and a volunteer for Main Street Bath and Maine’s First Ship ❤️. Through those roles, I hope I can give back to the city that gives me so much. I love everything about Bath - the hidden gem of Maine’s Midcoast region - and can’t wait to show it to you!

Shannon Gilmore joined the team as a guide in 2023. Shannon has deep roots in the Midcoast Maine, having attended Bowdoin College, worked and led at Freeport Historical Society, Brunswick’s Pejepscot History Center and now as the Executive Director at Lincoln County Historical Association, based in Wiscasset, Maine.

She is currently pursuing a MA in Historic Preservation from Goucher College, so keeps us current on all the developments in the field.

Shannon leads walking tour excursions for the American Cruise Line ships that call each week in Bath. She loves the interaction with people guiding offers (to complement the rest of her time studying and executive director-ing. Her particular passion is Architectural History and and tours that highlight building and neighborhood histories, both the physical history of buildings and the stories of the people who have occupied the spaces over time. Hopefully, you’ll see her guiding our Neighborhood Tour soon!

Her home base is nearby Brunswick, which is still just a town, while Bath is a city. But we don’t hold that over her! In fact her skills, background and interests are so perfect for Embark, we sometimes wonder if an AI Chatbot created her! 🤣

Jamey Tanzer joined Embark in 2024 leading the Downtown Bath tour for the American Cruise Lines. In 2025, he adds the Oak Grove Cemetery Tour. It’s a natural fit, with his life-long interest in cemeteries, buoyed by long walks during Covid among burial grounds in New England (what better way to social distance?). Jamey is a Special Collections Librarian at Bowdoin College, and a board member and officer with Lincoln County Historical Association. He has researched and delivered programs on local history, including as a volunteer at Pownalborough Court House. He lives in Bath and loves how giving tours connects him even more closely with his community.

Tamara Lilly joined the team as a guide in 2025. From Woolwich, (so Bath was her downtown), she lived away for a few years in MA, TX, PA and MS. Like many teenagers, she couldn’t wait to get away as soon as she could, but then spent eight years finding her way back home to the Bath area and Midcoast Maine. Tam works as Business Support Specialist for Burgess Technology Services by day, does voiceover, public speaking and mystery dinner theater by nights and weekends…

… and now, happily, Embark Maine guide! She leads walking tour excursions for the American Cruise Line ships that call each week in Bath.

By guiding, she’s learned so much about the history of the place she calls home, and loves sharing it with visitors from all over the US. “I enjoy surprising folks with details about the city and its shipbuilding and shipping history, and especially love pointing out what aspects – from architecture, to businesses and the families still resonate today.” 

Tam also delights in weaving a little personal history into the narrative, including that her Dad worked at BIW over 40 years, and her grandmother was a Rosie the Riveter!