I'm a CU Boulder Alum ('03) and Presidents Leadership Class Scholar. I was born in Colorado Springs and at ended high school in Pueblo. I have a degree in Environmental Design - with a planning focus from the College of Architecture and Planning. I've been in public service for 24 years, beginning after my freshman year as an intern supporting multimodal transportation planning and programs for Colorado Springs, and later during my junior and senior years, for the City of Boulder. I started full-time with Boulder the Monday after I graduated from CU. After 12 years with Boulder, I moved to Salt Lake City to lead transportation planning efforts there for five years. In 2019 I returned to Boulder to serve as the Deputy Director, and now as permanent Director of the City's Community Vitality Department in support of the strategic pillars of Cultural Vibrancy, District Vitality, and Access For All.
My advice to students...
Today, perhaps more than ever, the world can often feel chaotic. Your generation, perhaps more than any prior, can often feel hopeless and nihilistic. This is why it's important, perhaps more than ever, for our leaders to inspire coping mechanisms for positive change in themselves and our society. A quote for your consideration: One day some people came to the Master and asked: "How can you be happy in a world of such impermanence, where you cannot protect your loved ones from harm, illness, or death?" The Master held up a glass and said: "Someone gave me this glass; It holds my water admirably and it glistens in the sunlight. I touch it and it rings! One day the wind may blow it off the shelf, or my elbow may knock it from the table. I know this glass is already broken, so I enjoy it - incredibly." Ajahn Chah