Director’s Update: April 2026
Operations: March Operations On-track
MPAC: Board consists of 7 members, Co-Chair Julian Rowand, Co-Chair Carla Hunt, Secretary Thraza Rosie Hylton, Board member Ryun Anderson, board members Craig Williams, Board member Rosalani Moore, Board member Reese Remington.
MPAC currently has a staff size of 11 individuals. Joseph Jackson, Jan Collins, Peter Lehman, Joelle Jackson, Darlene George, Brandon Brown, Andre Hicks, Antonio Jackson, Linda Small, Sammy Basu, and Kathy Elliot.
MPAC- Contracted Coordinators Jon Courtney and Adriane Herman support art programming within the MDOC.
MPAC- Incarcerated resident Gordon Perry contracted to support our comms department.
MPAC- Assistant Director Jan Collins on a 6 month leave.
MPAC has 12 volunteers. Lee Urban, Doug Dunbar, Jamie Peloquin, Leslie Manning, Olivia Hochstadt, Lani Graham, Nicole Lund, Sarah Johnson Craig McEwen, Al Cleveland, Diane Martin and Cyndi Tucci. Special thanks for their work and dedication.
MPAC Mission. Value, and Purpose statements
Our Mission is to support and advocate for Maine’s incarcerated citizens, their families and friends.
Our Purpose is to reduce Maine’s use of incarceration by advocating for a criminal legal system that is ethical, humane and restorative.
Our Vision is of a justice system that is restorative. It supports humanity in every person, and reflects and creates transformation and accountability.
MPAC Staff meet weekly to ensure we are in alignment.
MPAC- Community facilitators support community volunteers.
MPAC staff members regularly communicate with incarcerated residents and formerly incarcerated individuals.
MPAC staff meeting in-person with incarcerated residents at MSP, Bolduc, MCC, SMWRC.
MPAC Strategy Meeting is the second Saturday of each month from 10-12.
MPAC - Legislative Strategy Meeting every Tuesday at 5:30 pm.
Arts Programming Team - meets weekly Thursday mornings at 8:00am.
MPAC Website Committee: meets weekly, Wednesday at 5:00 pm
MPAC - Development and Communications Committee meets bi-weekly on Mondays at 8:00 am.
MPAC - grant committee meets weekly Tuesday evenings.
MPAC - Ways of Working committee meets as needed.
MPAC - staff continues to support formerly incarcerated individuals in reentry, with transport, peer to peer support. One on one and in group settings.
On-going: Advocacy, correspondence, and Direct Dialogue.
March MPAC Strategy Meeting - The March Community Strategy Meeting was held over zoom. The meeting was well attended with Guest Rhonda Lyness, a mother of a resident at MSP. The resident is a double amputee with a traumatic brain injury. She came to gain insights on how to help support her son. She graciously accepted the advice she was offered.
MDOC - Executive Director Joseph Jackson joined a delegation from Maine to attend the Fair Chance to Advance Convening in Atlanta, Georgia, March 16–18, 2026, hosted by Jobs for the Future. The delegation included the MDOC, MDOL, MDOE, DHHS, Educate Maine, Maine Pretrial, and Maine Works. Maine is one of 4 states to be awarded the Jobs For The Future Grant.
MDOC - Executive Director Joseph Jackson met with DC Cantillo about holding a gubernatorial forum for incarcerated residents. He approved, and we are currently working out the details.
MDOC - Executive Director Joseph Jackson discussed the assault allegations against a transgender resident brought by women at the Maine Correctional Center with Commissioner Liberty. No easy answers.
MDOC- Executive Director Joseph Jackson met with Deputy Commissioner Cantillo regarding complaints from a man who claimed that he had been within the MDOC for over a year without seeing a doctor. He was seen within 48 of my conversation with the Deputy Commissioner.
MCC - MPAC Coordinator Linda Small and MDOC collaborating on the development of workshops to address SCCP FAQ’s and resident concerns.
MCC Longtimers - Leslie Manning facilitates monthly meetings at the Women's Center and SMWRC. She has done so for years. She is more than a volunteer, the donation of time, and her contributions to our organization can't be measured.
MCC-Longtimers - Discussed resident who has had conviction overturned yet remains in DOC custody.
MCC-Longtimers- Still dealing with a resident who recently delivered a baby and returned to prison within 2 days. It is believed that she will be moved to SMWRC in the coming week. We discussed expanding compassionate release to include giving birth.
Advocacy Coalition- Linda joined the advocacy table while Jan is on leave. Frequency of meetings to reduce as the legislative session wraps up.
Longcreek- Andre is no longer going into Longcreek. He now has 70 kids on his caseload in the community, and we may have to revisit the budget for youth programming.
MSP- Santanu coordinating with the president of the NAACP Foster Bates to advertise and organize a voter registration drive at MSP on April 13th.
MSP NAACP - MPAC staff attended Jeff Evangelo's Celebration of Life at MSP on March 20th. It was a very moving event that demonstrated the number of lives Jeff touched.
No Penobscot county jail - Darlene and Linda are attending the No Penobscot county jail meetings. The group held a Community Classroom on reentry and diversion. Approximately 34 people attended.
No Penobscot County Jail: First look at the proposed Penobscot County Jail
Projects:
Paco's Place- we are back on track. The team is finalizing tenant selection and waitlist, lease agreement, and program agreements. Reviewing energy cost for mini fridges. Dan met with the investors to formalize our MOU.
Reentry Support- MPAC supported 9 individuals with mutual aid.
MIO/MPAC- is collaborating on an evening weekly drop in group for people in reentry at the MIO office in Lewiston. MPAC's Lead of Strategic Partnerships Antonio Jackson and MIO Facilitator Stacy Perez facilitate the group. New people join each week, and there are individuals who continue to show up since the first meeting. The community that is forming is beautiful to behold. We offer food, transportation and mutual aid.
Inside Vision- Jon conducts film screenings and discussions throughout the year. He will hold a film event at MSP in April and May and then pause for summer months.
Inside Vision - Jon is working to bring the North Recovery in Maine film series to the Women's Reentry Center this month.
Inside Vision - Jon's one-on-one mentorship idea is going well. It is an idea that pairs a community artist/professional to an incarcerated individual. Daniel Minter is currently volunteering his time in a one on one with an incarcerated resident. Members of the UU Church in Brunswick have expressed interest.
Inside Vision MCC - Adriane Herman is under contract to hold art workshops at MCC. Adraine is looking for a comic or comedian to come to MCC for the women. She is also looking for a tattoo studio artist to come in by zoom or as a studio visit. She supports the gallery exhibition project.
Gallery Exhibit Project: Inside Vision- the exhibition at UMF at Emery Arts has been taken down Gallery Exhibit UMF. The next Exhibit is scheduled for May at the UU Church in Brunswick. Nicole Lund is supporting the project while Jan is on leave.
Mainecare- MPAC is being commissioned as consultants for Mainecare to conduct surveys for formerly incarcerated youth. We have formalized the contract and plan to complete the project by June 30th.
Brennan Center- MPAC has worked as consultants on a research project with the Brennan Center. The full Report has been released.
Broad Based Organizing- MPAC is supporting a Broad based organizing effort with Bay Love and his team. We are members of the planning committee and have supported and attended several gatherings around this effort. There is a training scheduled May 28-30, we will extend this opportunity to attend to all staff or board members.
Parole-4-Me- MPAC Staff and Volunteers continue to support Parole-4-Me as the group formalizes itself as a 501c3.
Communications:
MPAC - Brandon Brown is our communications lead.
Website: Brandon continues to update and edit the website. It's a slow process. We will be removing Daria from the Website, adding Reese as a new board member and publishing monthly Director's reports.
Website - our project to add a section about MPAC'S history is on track. We plan to interview MPAC'S founders and have a page that features them.
Website- our project to offer MPAC merch is on track. We still have to work out some kinks with Bonfire. When we upload it to the page, visitors can purchase t-shirts, coffee cups and the like.
Google Group: Peter continues to lead and manage the Google Group. Tension remains about its function and purpose.
MPAC - new YouTube channel MPAC YouTube channel Public engagement
MPAC Executive Director has been named 2026 Galaxy Gives Fellow
MPAC Executive Director has been named Mainebiz Business Leader.
Development:
Development strategy is on track
The organization is outgrowing its current pool of smaller grants, as many grants are now limited to organizations with budgets under $400,000.
The Executive Director and team are traveling outside of the State to engage national funders. The recent trip to Philly and our upcoming trip to Denver is to engage a national funder.
The strategy to connect with national funders is paying off. MPAC joined the coalition FICPFM. The Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People and Families Movement (FICPFM) is a national network of civil and human rights organizations led by people with conviction histories and their family members.
Executive Director confirmed fall fundraiser September 10th at Caswell Farm
The Development committee is forming a fundraising committee. Key donors are volunteering to support the planning.
Donors/ funders:
Grant team meets weekly.
Donate Button Zeffy platform
individual donation Zeffy - 1162.00
MPAC- MEHAF 50000.00
MPAC- Morgan Stanley Gift 250.00
MPAC - Mainecare 1250.00
MPAC- Mainecare 750
Maine Initiatives- The Giving Project
Legislative:
MPAC’S Coordinator Linda Small and Peter Lehman leads!
Legislative Committee Meetings - meets Tuesdays at 5:30pm each week.
Legislative- Maine's new statistic for 2024, lowest violent crime rate in the country.
Legislative- gubernatorial forum on May 18 at 2:00 PM on Zoom. Each facility will have a chance to ask one question in advance. The forum will be approximately one hour.
Legislative- Clean Slate remains active!
Legislative- Antonio Jackson tabled at a rally at the Statehouse. It was a small turnout and MPAC was the only org to table.
Legislative- The parole bill faced challenges with a divided committee report and concerns about sentencing processes. Most members except Republicans support parole in principle. The legislative committee discussed lessons learned from their previous legislative work and planned to review the recent community classroom event, with a focus on improving strategies for the next legislative session and increasing public education efforts.
Legislative Update- MPAC’S 2025 Legislative Tracker
Strategic Partnerships: ongoing- MaineTransnet, GLADD, Portland Outright, MIO, MYJ, Maine Law School, Disability Rights, Maine Equal Justice, ACLU, Muskie, Recovery Connections, Recovery Housing, JJAG, Women’s League of Voters, MPRN, MPDA, MSP-NAACP, Colby College, Bates College, UMA, RJIM, Maine Immigrants, Maine Family Planning, Maine Humanities Council, FAMM (Families for Justice Reform).
New Partners- Pubic Health Committee for Maine Medical Association, Knox-Waldo Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), Maine Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women. No Penobscot County Jail Expansion, ME-RAP, Southern Maine SURJ(Standing Up for Racial Justice), Amistad, Maine CDC, Vera Institute, Curative, Augusta Recovery Center, Reform Alliance, College Guild, Project Home, Maine Health Equity Foundation, Orange Bike Brewing Company, Friends of LongCreek, Groundwater Institute, Volunteers of America, Brennan Center, Maine Arts Commission, Maine Clean Slate Coalition.
