When I think about steady, values-driven leadership, I think about Peter Lindsay and how incredibly fortunate we are to have him serving as Board Chair of Maine Children’s Alliance.

 

Peter has spent decades strengthening communities across Maine with a clear focus on what helps children thrive: strong families, smart policy, and systems that actually work together. Though Peter and his wife are currently making the most of retirement, which sometimes means volunteering, advocating, or community organizing, it also means enjoying his lovely family and friends, as well as the arts and nature Maine has to offer.  These days, Peter can be found on his sailboat, at an apple cider pressing event in his local community, or in a pottery studio.

 

Before retirement, he served as Director of Early Childhood at United Way of Mid Coast Maine, where he led policy and strategy on behalf of young children and their families, tracking local, state, and national policy, educating community leaders, and collaborating with statewide partners to advance meaningful recommendations.

 

In 2020, Peter retired after 30 years as a United Way professional, most of that time leading United Way of Mid Coast Maine’s Community Impact work, overseeing initiatives that brought partners together, aligning services and improving outcomes for families. His work helped launch and sustain powerful early childhood efforts like Success By 6, including literacy programming and regional school readiness studies.

 

Peter is also a builder, someone who can take an idea, bring the right people to the table, and turn it into real results. He helped raise over $500,000 to implement a regional early childhood plan through the Best Start Initiative, and he along with other leaders in a regional child care coalition secured $1.7 million in federal grant funding to strengthen quality early care and education.

 

Across the state, Peter’s influence and credibility run deep. He served for years on the Maine Children’s Growth Council, appointed by the Governor, and served as Co-Chair from 2013 to 2019, a testament to the trust he’s earned as a thoughtful, consensus-oriented leader.

 

At Maine Children’s Alliance, Peter brings that same combination of strategy, integrity, and calm determination. He asks the questions that keep us focused, and he champions the kind of long-term change that children and families deserve. In board meetings and beyond, he leads with humility, curiosity, and a deep belief that Maine can do better and that we can get there together.

 

I’m grateful for Peter’s leadership, his long-standing commitment to early childhood, and the way he shows up for our mission every day. Maine Children’s Alliance is stronger because of him and so is the work we’re doing to ensure every child in Maine is safe, supported, and able to reach their full potential.

 

- Ashleigh Barker, MCA Executive Director