Pam Ladd, hired by the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults (Partnership) as chief operating officer in 2015 and promoted to chief executive officer in 2016, has announced that she will retire on Aug. 24 of this year.
Under Ms. Ladd’s leadership, the Partnership saw a significant reduction in administrative costs. Ms. Ladd ended programs duplicated by other local organizations, created others that aligned with the agency’s mission and filled gaps in its offerings, expanded grant revenue and sold an underused facility.
“Serving Partnership has been one of the greatest honors of my career.
The accomplishments achieved were the result of a strong relationship with the board of directors, dedication and compassion of staff and support of corporations and private donors. This is an extensive and complex nonprofit organization that requires cooperation with the community and other local non-profits. This combination led us to where we are today. I am most proud of the staff, who unwaveringly served as front-line workers in the face of COVID-19 to ensure services were delivered to our most vulnerable populations throughout our 25-county service area.” said Ms. Ladd.
Ms. Ladd, an active Rotarian, holds an M.S. in industrial organizational psychology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). Before joining the Partnership, she served as manager of Custodial Services at Tennessee Valley Authority and as assistant vice-president of Support Services at Provident Life and Accident Insurance Co. She then founded and operated Custom Custodial Inc., an industrial cleaning service. She also is a retired real estate agent with local firm, Real Estate Partners, and served as City Council representative for District 3 Chattanooga.
“We will be so sorry to lose Pam as our CEO,” said Partnership Board President and Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration at UTC Tyler Forrest. “I know I speak for the board and staff when I say that she was a pleasure to work with and that the Partnership benefited from her leadership style and business acumen. Our Search Committee is seeking someone equally committed to our mission and values.” The Board’s Executive Committee is serving as the Search Committee. They are partnering with Buffkin/Baker, a Nashville based executive search firm, to complete the search. Interested applicants can apply via the Buffkin/Baker career portal at https://buffkinbaker.com/leadersfirst-career-portal/career-portal/.
“I will support the Search Committee— and my successor— in any way I can,” added Ms. Ladd. “I’m also confident that the Committee will make a great decision for the future of the Partnership.”
The CEO job description will be posted at www.partnershipfca.com/careers on Wednesday. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply by Feb. 1.