How did you first get involved with Preble Street?
I had heard great things about Preble Street, the critical nature of the work, and admired the mission. My former boss Elaine Rosen was on the board, and I knew a few others and wanted to see if I could help out. In my first assignment, I was able to save the agency $300,000 in insurance premium negotiations and Mark Swann told me how many jobs I helped to support.
What do you do when you are not at Preble Street?
While I am retired from full time work, I still do some consulting and serve on the board of an insurance company. My wife, Jean, and I have six grandkids that keep us busy. There is still some time to enjoy the outdoors.
There are a lot of nonprofit organizations in Maine. Why do you think Preble Street stands out in the crowd? What is it that Preble Street does better than anyone else?
The agency does lifesaving work through the great people that work here. The agency is driven by its mission and adapts and adjusts to meet the ever-changing needs of our clients. It’s very impressive and I can’t think of a nonprofit organization that does more critical work than Preble Street.
You were the Board president during the start of the pandemic. How did Preble Street navigate that period of transition?
My term as Preble Street board president was an amazing journey to be associated with an agency doing lifesaving work, advocating for those most in need, and meeting the challenges thrown its way…including the pandemic.
Big questions now faced Preble Street: How do you feed people safely? Can you run a drop-in where 300 people gather in a small space? How do you keep sheltered people safe when space is limited? How do you provide much-needed services while keeping your employees safe? The agency and its leaders showed an amazing ability to meet what sometimes seemed insurmountable challenges. Changes to food service to feed people where they were, developing a street outreach program instead of a resource center, making sure employees were safe and able to work… these were just a few things. All these changes were made with lightning speed.
While responding to these changing needs, the agency never missed a beat with the existing programs. The three Housing First programs, the Learning Collaborative, Teen Services, and Advocacy work continued to drive forward. The Veterans Housing Services program grew significantly with increased funds to rapidly rehouse Veterans across the state.
What are some of the specific projects/aspects of Preble Street that you are most committed to?
For me, food and shelter are the top priorities. The need for food exploded during the pandemic. For the past five years, Preble Street has provided about one million meals each year to people in need. The renovations at the Food Security Hub will be complete this year and it’s exciting to think about the ability to produce 10,000 meals a day when we get to full capacity…and maybe even solving food insecurity in Maine. The work to expand permanent housing with 24/7 supportive services throughout the state is also a priority.
What are the biggest challenges Preble Street will face in the future?
Making sure we have the funds needed to do this critical work is my top challenge. We need to expand our private fundraising and protect, as best we can, our public sources.
