Today I want to celebrate Lynn Haglin, our Vice President and KIDS PLUS Director, who will retire as of July 1, 2021, after 29 years at the Northland Foundation.
It has been the good fortune of our organization, region, and state to have harnessed Lynn's talents for nearly three decades. Her visionary thinking, boundless optimism, and patient persistence has made a profound impact throughout Minnesota.
Anyone who has met Lynn quickly realizes that this has not been just a job to her but a passion project. Lynn has put in countless hours (and miles) to ensure that community members of all ages and walks of life have had a seat at the table and the opportunity to share their story.
At the heart of every initiative, every interaction, were Lynn's twin guiding principles: community knows best, and respectful relationships are a key to any successful effort. Lynn makes people feel heard, respected, and appreciated.
Lynn's gift for seeing the possibilities and finding a way to bring them to life has resulted in a tremendous array of programming to improve the well-being of children and youth, families, and older adults. Her contributions are too many to name; here are just a handful. Lynn has:
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Led the creation of 57 community-based coalitions -- 26 KIDS PLUS Communities, 12 Early Childhood Coalitions, 18 AGE to age sites, and the Duluth/Proctor/Hermantown Thrive Initiative.
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Designed model programs replicated and recognized at the state and national levels to support children and youth from birth to adulthood and foster intergenerational connections that tap the talents and skills of older adults.
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Helped raise and administer $36 million and leverage $60 million more to support and sustain programs that help people of all ages thrive.
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Represented our region at the state and national levels including serving on Governor Walz's Children's Cabinet Advisory Council and the Start Early Funders Coalition and presenting to audiences at numerous national conferences.
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Engaged tens of thousands of community members, funding partners, and program partners to make this region a better place to grow up, live, work, and grow older.
It is no surprise that Lynn has been honored over the years, including with the Light a Candle Award from the Center for Early Education and Development, the Northland Newscenter Women in Leadership Award, and the Woman Today "Rosie" Leadership Award. But, also no surprise, she gives all the credit to the many people with whom she has worked.
I am happy to state that Lynn will continue working with us, part-time on a contractual basis, focusing on a few important initiatives. However, she will enjoy more flexibility to spend time with her husband, and their children and grandchildren. As for the roles she has filled in our organization, we will be doing some restructuring and disbursing among our amazing existing staff. We will share more about these changes in the days ahead.
Please join me in congratulating and thanking Lynn and wishing her all good things as she moves into this next phase of her life and career.
With warm regards,
