The Ripple Effect: Lindsay Wyman & Stamford Public Education Foundation

Rewind five years…

Lindsay Wyman was a new member of Impact Fairfield County, and after years as a teacher, school administrator, and national literacy consultant, was contemplating a career shift into the nonprofit world. Walking out of Impact’s 2018 Annual Meeting, Lindsay had a casual conversation with Matt Quinones, the CEO of Stamford Public Education Foundation (SPEF) – the nonprofit which had just won that year’s Impact FFC Grant. SPEF’s mission to “elevate student success by delivering educational programs and solutions that promote equitable access to quality public education in Stamford,” struck a chord with Lindsay’s professional passion.

Enroute to their cars, Lindsay and Matt chatted about how significant Impact’s $100k in funding – the largest grant SPEF had received at that time – would be for SPEF’s students. She knew she could put her educational background to good use, and scheduled a follow-up call to Matt to see how she could help.  

Fast forward to today, and Lindsay has not only worked for SPEF, but she now leads the organization as CEO. In their follow-up conversation, Matt had shared that he was looking to add a Director of Programming to SPEF’s staff. Lindsay’s in-school experience made her a strong candidate for the new role, and in the summer of 2018, she joined SPEF.  

In 2021, when Matt took a new role with the city of Stamford, he asked Lindsay to take over as CEO of SPEF. At first, she was unsure – she had never run a business and lacked experience with non-profit accounting. But (thankfully!) her drive and passion for SPEF’s mission won out. In the spirit of Impact FFC, Lindsay considered the importance of women cheering themselves on and believing in their abilities, and she accepted the CEO position.

Over the past two years, Lindsay has proudly led and grown SPEF. In 2018, Impact FFC’s grant provided seed funding for Ready Set Shine, an educational preparedness program offered during the summer for incoming Kindergartners without a Pre-K experience. At that time, the program served approximately 60 students annually. Today, the program is rebranded as “Summer Start” and has more than doubled its reach – supporting up to 150 incoming Kindergartners each year. 

In the five years since Impact FFC helped launch Summer Start, the program has prepared more than 500 Stamford children to enter Kindergarten with the skills and confidence necessary to succeed in elementary school. And it’s just getting started – in 2024 SPEF aims to grow the program to include additional locations and serve even more students entering Stamford Public Schools Kindergarten.

Recently Lindsay’s ripple effect within the Fairfield County community expanded, as she will be taking on the role of President and CEO for Mercy Learning Center in Bridgeport. It is bittersweet news as she is so proud of her work with SPEF, but the ripple effect will continue as Lindsay brings her passion for educational equity, experience leading SPEF, and the power of Impact FFC’s network to her work with the women and children at Mercy Learning Center.