SALEM, Va. (April 16, 2024) – HopeTree Family Services, a leader in mental and behavioral health services, has appointed Randi Paxton as Vice President and Chief Operations Officer. In this role, she is responsible for leading the agency’s programs and services lines that include Therapeutic Foster Care, Therapeutic Group Homes, Developmental Disabilities Ministry, HopeTree Academy, and Family Centered Treatment. Paxton will work with countless internal and external teams to improve and implement changes to increase efficiency and productivity.
Paxton has 22 years of experience working with youth, adults, and families in residential and community-based settings. Before joining HopeTree, Paxton served in a variety of leadership roles in a community-based mental health organization for the past seventeen years, most recently as Executive Director. In addition to her leadership experience, Paxton has worked as a clinician working with high-risk populations, primarily children and families.
“We conducted an exhaustive search for our VP & COO and I could not be happier with Randi’s appointment,” said Jon Morris, President and CEO of HopeTree. “We ultimately chose Randi because of her strengths in balancing the goals of developing people and strong teams while producing growth and quality outcomes that improve the lives of those we serve. Randi is not only a great fit to our current culture, but she will help us build and improve our culture moving forward.”
“Through my career I have devoted my life to helping underserved populations and improving the communities I have lived in,” said Paxton. “I believe that the core of human decency is kindness and compassion, but also serving as the foundation for strong leadership and strong organizations. That’s why my focus will be working with each of our programs to strengthen our services and their quality, ultimately supporting our goal to be the premier faith related human service provider in Virginia.”
A Roanoke native, Paxton holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work from James Madison University. She previously served on the Board for the National Alliance on Mental Illness for six years, and on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Association of Community Based Providers for a total of eight years. Passionate about advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves, Paxton believes it takes everyone’s involvement to change the landscape of human services to ensure that vulnerable populations have the resources needed to be successful in life.