Lund Board Appoints Patricia Coates President and CEO

South Burlington, VT — The Lund Board of Directors unanimously endorsed Patricia (Tricia) Coates to be the next executive leader of Lund, whose mission is to help children and families thrive with programs and services that break cycles of poverty, addiction and abuse. Coates has served as Lund’s interim executive director since December, 2019.

Lund is widely regarded as a leading direct-services organization providing family-centered care through treatment, adoption, and family and child services. Under Coates’ leadership, Lund has successfully continued program delivery through the pandemic and recently adopted a balanced budget for the new fiscal year.

“Tricia’s leadership has been critical for Lund as we strengthen our programs for children, parents and families while also managing through the challenges of COVID-19.  She has worked with the leadership team to strengthen Lund’s business operations and finances, and she is an articulate advocate for our mission,” said Lund’s board chair, Christine Oliver.

During the past fiscal year, Lund reached over 5,000 Vermonters with its services.  These critical services reduce future costs for the State in child welfare, corrections, Medicaid, Reach Up and more.  Last year alone, the Agency:

• Facilitated 270 adoptions, including 217 children in foster care,
• Provided trauma-informed childcare to 71 children, and 
• Provided residential treatment for 56 mothers with their children.

Working to open doors of opportunity for Vermonters is the constant theme in Coates’ career.  Most recently she served as Director of Government Affairs for the Vermont State Colleges and as State Director for Congressman Peter Welch. 

“Every day I am moved by the lives of the clients who enter our doors at Lund. With the support of Lund staff, they muster the strength to overcome trauma, poverty, addiction, and other barriers so they can pursue a better life for their children and themselves.  Lund offers healing and hope and I am so honored to be part of this remarkable team,” said Coates.

Oliver said, “The board looks forward to our continued work with Tricia and the leadership team as Lund responds to COVID-19 while continuing to deliver powerful outcomes for clients and the State of Vermont.” 

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ABOUT LUND

At Lund, we work to break the cycles of poverty, addiction and abuse by supporting pregnant and parenting teens, young adults, and adoptive families with our integrated, compassionate services.  Learn more at www.lundvt.org