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Bryant Kosanovich, Analyst III
What is your position and how long have you been with Taxation?
I am one of two GIS Analyst IIIs with the Department. I’ve been in Taxation for the entire time I’ve worked for the State of Colorado, which will be six years this August.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I love to work around my house and I’m somewhat handy, so I really enjoy anything where I can work with my hands, from wood projects to gardening. This year I’m pretty into dahlias, roses, and begonia. (Pictured to the right: Rosie).
What's your favorite TV Show (or book)?
In general? The Golden Girls.
The show was very ahead of its time, and in many ways, it still is. In my opinion, the show is partly based on the belief that most people are good people and that most people are very accepting of most other people; despite personal, cultural and economic differences, etc. They also believed that a lot of middle-class America would make great participants in conversations about sensitive social issues. Still, those folks felt they lacked the vocabulary and, therefore the confidence to talk about those social issues in the show (and of the era). In other words, the show gave many working-class folks the tools to talk about all kinds of social issues in a constructive, informative way - welcoming them into the conversation, as it were. Though most importantly, they did this all while being really, really funny.
Schitts Creek is a fantastic modern example of this same kind of show - I highly recommend both.
What is your favorite place to get away in Colorado and why?
Honestly? Just to my backyard!
What's the best thing about working for Taxation?
This is a big question that deserves a big response, so hang in there.
For me, the best thing about working for Taxation (and the Department as a whole) is that I absolutely love and am continually impressed by the diversity of its staff. A little background info from me, before I worked for the Department, I used to work in the oil and gas industry (I’m actually a geologist, believe it or not) and it’s a highly monochromatic “boys club.” It’s gotten better in recent years, but they’re still a decade behind, at least. And trust me, this isn’t some generic, canned, Millennial/beauty pageant response to the question. There are tangible, measurable ramifications of having a narrow roster to staff any company/team, and that industry, in particular, is still paying the price today for not pushing diversity standards within its ranks.
Albert Einstein usually gets credit for the phrase, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." So I think about it like this; instead of the "same thing," what if you have the "same people" and then for example, some huge, massive problem comes along. Oh, I don’t know, like a global pandemic caused by a deadly and highly contagious virus - are you going to want to hear the same solution to the problems the pandemic caused over and over again? Absolutely not.
Suffice to say, a diverse staff isn’t just an HR stunt, or the politically correct, "in" thing, or whatever the kids are doing these days; a diverse staff is the only way you will ever be provided answers that have the breadth and depth needed to address exceedingly difficult problems. The exceptional diversity I’ve seen at the State, which exceeds anywhere I’ve worked by a country mile, is the most valuable resource the section/Department has. Reciprocally, it's my favorite part about working for the section/Department.
Anyone with a hand in hiring should be very proud of themselves, which needs to be mentioned. And even if you aren't in a position with hiring responsibilities; perspective is everything and only through diversity in the people surrounding you will you ever find answers to questions that you don’t have the answer to.
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