5 in 5: Patrick Lawler, Youth Villages’ Chief Executive Officer

Results for America Fellowship Alumni give five answers in five minutes. This month, we caught up with Patrick Lawler, Chief Executive Officer of Youth Villages.

1. Summarize what you do and how you do it.
   Every day at Youth Villages, I’m working to increase our impact, to find the most effective way to reach more children, families, and young people, and to support innovative child welfare leaders working to bring and sustain positive change in their systems.
2. Share something exciting that you’re working on.
   We’re partnering with public agencies and other providers to expand our evidence-informed program models: LifeSet for young people who turn 18 in foster care and Intercept, our intensive in-home model. Last year, we also began a new initiative — New Allies — to leverage our expertise to support child welfare leaders as they bring sustainable positive change. South Carolina is the first state we’re working with in this new way.
3. Tell us one thing you learned from someone else during your RFA Fellowship.
   The most interesting things I learned from my RFA Fellows is how they are leading and managing change while cultivating strong cultures. This ranged from growth strategies, new innovations, hiring diverse talent and managing transitions in senior leadership. It was interesting to hear how other leaders of high-performing, human services organizations are tackling some of the same challenges we face at Youth Villages.
4. If you could wave a magic wand and have any data or evidence, what would it be?
   We’re very excited about Chapin Hall’s new study of our Intercept in-home services, but if I could wave a wand, I’d like further trials of various components of the programs. We’ve always used research and data to improve our program models. All the data we gain every year — from research and our experience — helps us to enhance what we do and provide more effective services.
5. What’s the [pick-your-adjective] job you’ve ever had?
   My first real job came just after I graduated from high school, and I was hired at Tall Trees, a youth guidance school for boys who had emotional and behavioral problems and had been assigned there as unruly or delinquent. I was fortunate to grow up in a strong family; I had incredible support and really had no idea of the struggles that other children faced. I learned very quickly. I lived in a building with 31 very unruly, and at times, aggressive boys who had a wide range of emotional and behavioral problems. Most had little family support. It was challenging, but it showed me how one person can make a difference in a child’s life. We’ve had hundreds of interns on our residential campuses at Youth Villages. I always tell them to expect to learn about children — but even more so, to learn about themselves. I’m proud to say that a large number of those interns come to work at Youth Villages after they graduate.

Patrick Lawler participated in Results for America’s What Works Nonprofit Fellowship.