Beginning a New Journey
Almost ten years ago, I was asked to pick up my things and move desks. I had been working for the Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials (CALPHO) and we shared an office with the Colorado Foundation for Public Health and the Environment (CFPHE) (say those names together five times fast). CFPHE had asked me to join their organization as a program director. I literally moved desks.
Since that initial move of desks, and transition of organizations, the only constant I have experienced in my time at Trailhead Institute is change. I have moved between programs and projects, experiencing public and environmental health through a multitude of topics and lens. I supported the organization as its name changed from CFPHE to Trailhead Institute, giving space for new thinking in a 20+ year old public health institute. I too changed titles and responsibilities, ensuring I broaden my own leadership and experience to meet the needs of the field. I expanded the organization and provided space for organizational growth and individual ingenuity for those at Trailhead. And I grew too, actively changing and engaging as our world and field continue to transform through racial reckoning and a global pandemic. Each move was evolutionary and felt natural for me and for the organization, both continually growing and expanding to fit the work and roles that were needed.
Almost ten years into my journey at Trailhead and I find myself ready for another change, a way to step into the next phase in my own evolution. I also find that Trailhead is ready for its next evolution, providing fertile ground for the new and existing work to take root, emerge, and flourish. With so much potential on the horizon, I will be leaving my position at Trailhead at the end of January 2024 to begin a new journey as the next CEO of Prime Health, a non-profit that delivers impact and equity-focused, value-based, and technology-driven health reform.
As we embrace this new season of change, I know Trailhead’s growth will continue with its existing leadership and will call on those across the public health ecosystem, as it has always done, to provide input, feedback and buy-in to nurture its strength and deeply held roots, and imagine new possibilities for the organization and the field.
With gratitude and excitement for what lies ahead,
Sarah Lampe, Executive Director
It’s been an honor to have Sarah’s leadership at Trailhead and we admire her decision to embark on a new chapter in her professional journey after almost 10 years of dedicated service and meaningful impact with the organization. The organization has experienced tremendous growth during her tenure, and she is leaving a strong public health institute that we can all be proud of.
This leadership transition reflects an opportunity for Trailhead to evaluate how to be even greater stewards of our mission alongside the evolving field of public health. The Board Executive Committee is working actively with internal and external leaders to determine what’s next at Trailhead.
For three decades, our impact has been grounded in collaboration, therefore we will continue to keep the needs of our partners, the field, and our organization at the forefront of our decision-making and share process updates as next steps emerge. We are excited for what’s to come and look forward to building upon our established partnerships for systems change across the public health field.
Until then, we say goodbye to Sarah with tremendous gratitude for her leadership at Trailhead. We are a better organization because of her good work.
In partnership,
Tom Butts, Board Chair