Lorne Needle

Director, Peer Resources

"When I was first a Peers Coordinator and really, really not good at it, Lorne was my Director and often came in to my class to help, to support me, to show what good teaching was like and to renew my faith in young people and their own faith in each other. When I knew a little more a few years down the road, Lorne kept showing up at key moments--on Project Leader retreats, to drop in on my class and he always had an inspiring word or two to share with the Peer Leaders which they never forgot. He left an impression--they knew him, they respected him and they saw him as a colleague and a co-conspirator. Even after leaving Peers, Lorne has never left, supporting us as a Board leader and fighting to many fights with and for Peers, so young people can do what they do best: lead."

Lorne Needle is a coach and consultant who advises executives on next level performance, organizational and leadership development, strategy, change management, and other key drivers of success. He served as Peer Resources' Director in the 1990s, his favorite job and enduring honor.

Among his many leadership roles, Lorne is currently a leader in Google's People Operations organization; was Chief Community Investment Officer at United Way of the Bay Area; was a community organizer and policy advocate for affordable housing in Maryland; launched and led community programs in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and the San Francisco Bay Area; and taught at Stanford University on youth development programs and policy. Lorne was appointed by the mayor to chair the Youth Council of the San Francisco Workforce Investment board, and to the Citizens Advisory Committee for the S.F. Department of Children, Youth, and Families.

Lorne holds a BA in Public Policy and an MBA from Stanford, and lives in Redwood Shores with his wife, Audra, who teaches second grade. If you want to make friends, buy him some ice cream and tell him your story.

"I believe in better lives and better futures for young people. I want to help them grow as humans and leaders and step up as change makers for the world around them. It’s our job to prepare and facilitate young people to make a difference in individual lives and to fight for the policy and systemic changes that will improve things for us all. I also want to build them a community that is a family of choice where they feel valued, loved, and enthusiastically challenged to take action on what matters to them.

"The best I have ever done to act on what I believe is to serve Peer Resources and its youth as a leader and ally. Together we created a place that’s almost magical. Young people come to us to get help, to learn about themselves, to understand the world’s beauty and sharp edges, and then to lead significant change. And that’s what’s been achieved, year after year, by a long line of dedicated and heroic young people. The proof is in all the impact they have had over the decades on each other, their schools, their communities, and the world.

"All of this has had a profound impact on me too. I’m proud of us all, and I’m grateful to have gotten to do the work and be part of this family. I’m a better person and leader because of Peers. Being around young people has kept me a bit younger too. No matter what happens the rest of my life, because of Peer Resources, its superb staff, and its young people, I have the unshakeable satisfaction of knowing I’ve made a difference and will leave the world better than I found it. My deepest thanks to each of you. It’s been an honor."

Lorne Needle