I am obsessed with making the City of Colorado Springs better. I am a serial collaborator of people around initiatives that have the greatest impact. My network of relationships among leaders, community advocates, and elected officials coupled with my ability to collaborate and engage people to work together for common purposes, is one of my top strengths. I am a futurist inspired by visions of what the future could be. I have an entrepreneurial spirit and make calculated moves. I am a natural developer of people and passionate about helping them find their niche. I credit my successes to the leaders that believed and invested in me, and I am committed to paying it forward. I am a life-long learner. Education is an intrinsic value to me. I am intent on knowing "why" and looking under the hood. When all is said and done, I want to see God do incredible things through me that I can’t possibly take credit for them.
Recent Work History
Education
RELATED EXPERIENCES
- Seasoned Board Leadership and Experience: About ten years of seasoned board leadership and helping organizations grow to their fullest potential. I was appointed three years ago to the Pikes Peak Community College Advisory Council. The purpose of the President’s advisory council is to advise the college president on the long-term educational needs of the students and communities served by the college; to serve as liaison between the college and local school boards, county commissioners, city councils, other local elected officials and other relevant groups or persons; and to promote the college’s programs and services among the communities and constituencies in the college’s service area.
- CityServe Day/COSILove Schools:. COSILoveYou brings together faith-based organizations, local government, private, and non-profit organizations over a common mission of city flourishing and impact. Every year we to catalyze thousands of people into community service. Our 2019 CityServe day impact include deploying 2,215 volunteers providing about 6,640 worth of volunteer hours in 132 project sites across the city. 46 of those sites were schools and about half of them Colorado Springs District 11 schools. Our relationships with schools has resulted in long-term engagement of volunteers serving yearlong, hence COSILove Schools was born. This effort has led to teachers lounge makeovers and mentoring initiatives. I co-founded the organization, provided leadership to many of our school partnership efforts and currently serve as the board chair.
- Pikes Peak Business and Education Alliance: The creation of the Pikes Peak Business & Education Alliance (PPBEA) arose out of a need to engage students with industry needs and opportunities. PPBEA is a collaborative effort amongst multiple Pikes Peak school districts to re-calibrate the K-12 education system to connect students’ talents, interests, and aptitude to the economic landscape. The alliance focuses on cooperation, collaboration, sharing information, supporting work-based learning priorities and in-demand job occupations. The cooperation of this naturally competitive group of school districts was in part due to my collaborative strengths.
- Workforce Action Team: The availability of skilled labor remains a major challenge in the Pikes Peak region. In response, I helped convene and provided leadership to the region's first workforce alliance leadership group to address unmet industry needs and potential opportunities. The Workforce Action Team convenes all workforce systems, partners, programs, and initiatives of Pikes Peak Region under one centralized access point to ensure students, job seekers, and workers have access to meaningful careers, and businesses have access to skilled talent. I facilitated the region's first workforce strategic plan to organize, prioritize, and catalyze initiatives that will build upon and improve the overall workforce climate of the Pikes Peak region.
- Strong Relationship with Community Leaders: I have built positive working relationships and trust with many senior leaders and elected officials including state, county, and city government officials, government agencies, and trade organizations. I draw on the strengths of the wide range of leadership assets to solve critical challenges facing our community.
- Colorado Springs for Small Business Advancement: The Colorado Springs for Small Business Advancement (COSSBA) brings together entrepreneurs, business service organizations, government agencies and business advocates to better provide support to the small business community. I created this group out of ambitious desire to make Colorado Springs the most-small business friendly city in the US. Key products of this work include, step-by-step business roadmaps to guide entrepreneurs from business idea to their grand opening, and COSOpenforBiz.com, is a "step-by-step" online guide to assist entrepreneurs and provide helpful resources.
Skills
SERIAL COLLABORATOR
I am highly skilled at channeling city-wide change by bringing diverse stakeholders together and collaborating across various faculties including government, business, philanthropy, and non-profit organizations.
FUTURIST
Possibilities of the future fascinate me. I am a dreamer who envisions what could be. I continually envision a better world and energize others with visions of their future.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
I am a natural developer of people and passionate about leveraging the most valuable asset of our society.
NETWORKING
Demonstrated ability to build rapport with diverse populations and across cultures and societal sectors in a mutually beneficial way. I have a natural skill of 'breadth of relationships' and well very connected, from civic leaders to non profit leaders, and leaders in the private sector.
SPEAKING
I am gifted communicator in in large and small group settings, including classrooms, conferences, seminars, and keynote speaking.
BRAND AMBASSADOR
Proven brand ambassador and will represent Colorado Springs District 11's corporate identity in appearance, demeanor, values and ethics. I am well suited to serve as a positive spokesperson for the district.