I’ve worked in the areas of child and youth program coordination, policy, advocacy, evaluation planning, and philanthropy for over 25 years in Maine. Most recently, I’ve helped lead the USM Promise Scholarship Campaign to a successful endowment goal of $8.8 million. Currently, I’m consulting with Youth & Family Outreach to support their campaign to expand quality early care and education to over 100 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in downtown Portland — 50% of which come from immigrant families — with in a new state of the art early learning and family center above which 60 units of affordable housing will be constructed. http://www.yfoutreachme.org
In my role as staff to the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet, I helped coordinate the successful $8.4 million Educare Maine Capital Campaign in 2009 with former First Lady Karen Baldacci to build the first early childhood demonstration school to Maine and New England and later served as the Director of Development for Educare Central Maine. http://www.educarecentralmaine.org
As a consultant, I provided support to the Maine Early Learning Investment Group (MELIG), a group of Maine CEOs working to replicate the Educare Central Maine’s service model in high-poverty, rural Maine communities. That project wrapped up in 2018 with a report and recommendations, which have informed the First4ME bill now underway with support from Governor Janet Mills and the Maine Legislature. https://cdn.branchcms.com/8oyQKqMEPL-1031/docs/Elevate-Maine-Somerset-Report-FINAL.pdf
Appointed by former Governors Angus King and John Baldacci, I managed the Maine Governor’s Children’s Cabinet from 2000 to 2011 providing facilitation and staffing to various multi-agency initiatives while managing the Maine Department of Education’s Federally funded 21st Century Community Learning Centers afterschool program and its evaluation. I was also honored to consult with the DC-based, nonpartisan Forum for Youth Investment.
I’ve served on the boards of several non profits including the Maine Women’s Lobby, and currently serve on boards of Maine State Music Theater and University of Maine’s Mcgillicuddy Humanities Center.
With a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine’s University Studies Program, I also hold a certification of completion from the Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts in Santa Maria, California. I live in Portland, Maine and Puyloubier, France with my husband, William Adams.
Lauren Ann Sterling 