WINSTON-SALEM — After 14 years with the company — the past 10 as CEO — Linda Darden will be retiring from Trellis Supportive Care a year from now, according to the company’s board of directors. Her successor is already in place. Dr. Michael (Mike) Lalor, chief medical officer at the firm, has been tapped to assume the role when Darden steps down.
“The board of directors and leadership of Trellis is so pleased to have a thoughtful succession plan in place. This organization is essential to our community and to have Dr. Lalor positioned to become the next chief executive office is a real gift,” said board chairman Mike Gwyn.
Darden began her tenure with Trellis Supportive Care in 2010, serving as compliance and quality officer, and senior vice president for clinical operations before becoming Trellis’ CEO in 2014.
During her time at Trellis, Darden has led the organization “with a keen focus on delivering the highest quality care, as well as financial sustainability, so that the organization can remain true to its roots as an independent non-profit organization,” company officials said in announcing the move. “She shepherded the agency through the COVID pandemic and a 2018 rebranding, oversaw a major capital campaign, launched highly successful disease specific programs of care, and greatly expanded the palliative care program, all while maintaining consistently high-quality standards of patient care. Darden has positioned Trellis to be an employer of choice and is committed to creating a culture of belonging for all staff and prospective patients and families.”
“Those of us that know Linda personally admire her for her commitment to supporting patients and families through quality end of life care, and for her stellar leadership over these last 10 years,” said Gwyn. “I wish Linda well and I am confident our community will continue to benefit from her leadership and commitment to the non-profit organizations she loves,” Gwyn said.
Darden holds a masters degree in health administration from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC — Chapel Hill and is a CPA-retired in North Carolina. In addition to her work with Trellis Supportive Care, she works at the state and national level to support advanced illness care, with a particular focus on caring for the aging. She works with Age Friendly Forsyth, a local collaboration aimed at improving support for seniors in Forsyth County, and is a member of the Forsyth County Home and Community Care Block Grant Advisory Council. She is a member of the executive committee of the North Carolina Serious Illness Coalition, and she serves as a member of the board of Salem Academy and College.
“Although it is hard to leave such a wonderful organization, I am at a point in my life where I want to spend more time with my family and friends, as well as pursuing my passions outside of work,” said Darden. “I will always be an advocate for supporting families facing end-of-life. I am grateful to have worked with Mike for all these years, and to have this seamless leadership transition in place means the world to me. I have every faith this organization will thrive under Mike’s leadership.”
“I’m honored to have been chosen to lead the organization I love, and I am thankful for Linda’s leadership and stewardship of this organization,” said Dr. Lalor. “Linda has done extraordinary work to support patients and families in our community, and her work will have a lasting impact on our organization,” continued Lalor.
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