I have been an outspoken advocate for those without homes for almost 20 years when I started working at COTS as a volunteer. I try to be a successful advocate for affordable housing and prevention program by consistently linking demographic data and program outcomes to broader policy. In 1999 and 2000, with the help of my staff I was able to successfully advocate for $10 million from the surplus to create more affordable housing. Most recently, I worked with the Chittenden County Continuum of Care to successfully advocate and secure $300,000 in State emergency assistance funds that were in danger of being cut.
I am proud to live in Vermont and work for an organization that believes first and foremost in the value of dignity of everyone in our community. I feel connected to the work we do to create solutions to end homelessness and the belief that housing is a fundamental human right.
I do not want emergency shelters to be the solution to homelessness and hope that someday housing will truly be a basic human right.
I have been the Executive Director of COTS for the last 15 years. Under my leadership, COTS received a national Blue Ribbon award for its Families in Transition program and a Gunther Award for the Rental Opportunity Center (ROC). I serve on the board of directors for several organizations: Housing Vermont, CVOEO, and Fletcher Allen Health Care. I am a founding member of the Vermont Alliance for Nonprofit Organizations (VANPO) and she served as the first Chair of the VT Coalition to End Homelessness and serve on statewide FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter board. I was honored in 2001 with a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award and recognized as the 1999 Vermonter of the Year by the Burlington Free Press.
