Pamela J Greene

Historical Significance

Pamela Greene was the Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity during Governor Madeleine Kunin's administration. She was the Executive Director of the Women's Small Business Program at Trinity College and currently serves as Program Director of Vermont Women's Mentoring at Mercy Connections.

Greene was born on July 13, 1951 and grew up in Richford, Vermont. She attended Miami Dade Junior College where she received a Nursing Degree in 1971. After spending a year in Europe, Greene returned to Vermont and served as director of the Burlington Community Health Center. While working as a nurse, she became active in Madeleine Kunin's campaigns for lieutenant governor. In 1985 she was appointed as the Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, where she was responsible for anti-poverty programs. She left this position in 1991 and worked as community development director and later as assistant director at Burlington's Lund Family Center.

In 1997, Greene became the Director of the Women's Small Business Program (WSBP) at Trinity College in Burlington, Vermont. The WSBP uses entrepreneurial training programs to enhance women's self-sufficiency. The signature offering of the program is Start Up, "a $1,250, 110-hour, 15-week comprehensive business training course that ends in a "bank-ready" business plan." When Trinity College closed their doors in 2001, Greene wanted the WSBP to attach itself to a new host school or agency. A match was found with Mercy Connections, Inc., "a non-profit educational corporation with a focus on social and economic justice for women." She continues to work for Mercy Connections, Inc. and serves as the Program Director of Vermont Women's Mentoring.