Pam Bates-Executive Director
Pam Bates has been a resident of Birmingham, Alabama since 1995. Pam is a graduate of The University of Southern Mississippi. Married to her husband Carl, they have 2 children, Matt (Keri) and Anna (Mitchell), and has been blessed with 4 grandchildren.
Pam’s heart is to see holistic community development and to help families move from crisis to thriving. In 2010 she helped found East Lake Initiative. During her tenure at ELI, the organization has been awarded the Excellence in Affordable Housing Award by the Low-Income Housing Coalition of Alabama (LIHCA) and the 2018 Birmingham Business Journal Nonprofit of the Year award. Prior to serving as the Executive Director of ELI, Pam was part of the Christ Church United Methodist (Birmingham, AL) staff serving as Director of Community Development, Missions Minister, and Student Minister.
Pam loves to travel and has had the opportunity to be part of multiple mission trips with her favorite being Rwanda. Pam doesn’t drink coffee on a regular basis but she has actually been to "coffee college" and was even part of starting a local coffee shop in East Lake. The most inspiring part of her job is watching families reach the goals they have set and celebrating their wins! If she could have a superpower she would want the ability to cut to the heart of the problem and map out the best plan to overcome the issue.