In this issue...
President's Corner - Reflections by Dr. Ross, 2020 ULFC Connect COVID-19 update, ULFC Website update, Alumni Directory, Alumni Highlights, Alumni Business Reward Program and Job Opportunities
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President's Corner
For many people (but not all), the last couple of weeks have been challenging, mentally draining, disheartening, sad and, frankly, unbelievable! People have reached the point of nausea to understand and witness inequity, lack of justice, and downright disrespect directed at African Americans in the United States of America! Or should I say, Disunited States of America!
My heart goes out to those people; however, I must admit that I'm glad they are feeling this way. I wish more did! My initial response is welcome. Welcome to my America! Welcome to the
America that is using brothers like me for target practice. I am pleased that you are meeting my Hyde because my entire life you have insisted only Dr. Jekyll exists; perhaps you believed I just had an active imagination? Anyhow, I won't say I told you so, I'm hopeful you will now help me achieve the experiences that your privilege allows you to take for granted.
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2020 ULF CONNECT COVID-19 UPDATE
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In an effort to respect and support the health and well being of our community, alumni, and the 20/20 fellows the current ULF classes will be moved to an online platform. We look forward to gathering again in a setting where we can shake a hand, give a hug, and break bread together. We will keep you posted on this process and revisit this decision in real-time with the release of new information and guidance from Governor Polis.
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Bridging the Gap Initiative
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In response to the drastic changes in our community caused by the COVID-19 pandemic the Urban Leadership Foundation launched the Bridging the Gap Initiative to support families and small businesses experiencing financial hardships and loss.
Through this initiative to date we have provided:
$50,000 to small businesses in Montbello and Green Valley Ranch
$21,000 in micro grants to families and entrepreneurs.
In order to support mental, physical, and social health of the community we launched:
The ULF 30 Minute Refresh
campaign - an initiative which challenged everyone to invest 30 minutes in themselves for recharging and healthy activity. Activities ranged from yoga, painting and financial advocacy to line dancing, chess lessons, and style tips. This inititiative touched over 1200 people in 30 days.
The MASK ON
campaign partnered with RTL Networks, local churches and community organizations to provide Masks to members throughout our community. To date over 4000 masks have been distributed.
We would like to thank the Colorado Health Foundation, The AJL Foundation, The Colorado Trust, RTL Networks, our Alumni and Community supporters for partnering and supporting our continued efforts to inspire service in the public's interest.
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The strength of the Urban Leadership Foundation of Colorado is our alumni. The leaders are working, serving, and bolstering every industry in Colorado. The Urban Leadership Foundation's ability to commit to developing leaders and supporting growth is fueled by the collective support of our village and allies.
Join us as we continue to ensure Black Excellence and Service thrives in Colorado.
The Alumni Pledge program is an opportunity to ensure we continue providing the support you can be proud of and the community can benefit from. Your time, talent, and treasure is very much appreciated. Make you pledge today!
BUSINESS REWARDS PROGRAM...
New businesses added every month!
All Connect and Impact Donors receive our ULF Business Rewards Program loyalty card which provides discounts and specials at the businesses listed below:
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GET YOUR ULFC GEAR!
Show your ULFC pride in our latest gear! Click
here
to check out what we have in store. Place your order today!
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CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Colorado Community College System currently has the following jobs posted on our Job Opportunity Page:
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Academic Technology Professional - CCCOnline
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System Apprenticeship Grant Accountant - Finance/Administration/Operations
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CO-TECH Apprenticeship Grant Manager - Academic Affairs
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CCCOnline Adjunct Instructor - Computer Science
If you are not interested in any of these positions for yourself, please pass along to anyone you may know who could be interested. Be sure to watch for job postings on our Jobs Page on the CCCS website for positions that have shorter posting periods.
Writer with Experience in the High-Tech industry, C-level executives, and Black issuesREMOTE - CONTRACT
Our content marketing firm (feelmeflow.com) is looking for a remote freelance writer to work with one of our clients in building their personal brand, centered around their experience as a Black leader within the high-tech industry and their experiences on their professional and personal journey. The project will be long-term, with a good number of hours involved per week, and entails producing SEO-rich digital articles, social statuses, and meta-data. Please read details below.
About You
- Working vocabulary and deep understanding of the high-tech industry (especially related to Silicon Valley), C-level executives, and Black issues and experiences. You'll be interviewing a corporate executive and need to understand the concepts fully and quickly.
- Experience writing long-form blog content - Know how to format content for online reading and write basic metadata (page title, description, keywords, slug).
- Strong research skills - You'll be ghostwriting some articles, so you need to be able to find credible sources and use your working knowledge of the tech industry and Black issues to write.
- Eagle-eye for detail - Important to ensure no spelling or grammatical errors. These articles will be high-profile.
- Tech-savvy - We work entirely remotely, so all the platforms we use are online and cloud-based.
- Ideally, familiarity with book editing or writing for print - There will be support in this part of the job, so the capacity to perform this type of editing is more important than extensive experience in book editing.
Job Duties
The writer/editor for this role will have a range of editing and writing duties, including but not limited to:
- Prepare an outline for each article prior to conducting the interview
- Conduct interviews, edit into long-form blog articles and email newsletters
- Schedule and conduct phone interviews with the client and other interviewees, if applicable
- Edit interview transcripts into long-form blog posts (~1,000 - 1,300 words each)
- Write social media status updates (not social media management; just writing the statuses)
- Articles published once weekly
Ghostwrite long-form blog articles
- Write long-form blog articles (~1,000 - 1,300 words) on a variety of technology-related and Black issues under the client's name
- Write social media status updates (not social media management; just writing the statuses)
Edit and/or ghostwrite email newsletters
- Topics will mostly come from phone interviews and occasionally client appearances on podcasts or entirely ghostwritten
- Newsletter sent once weekly
Digital/social engagement
- Create engaging social statuses with strategically tagged persons and/or companies, if applicable
Editorial calendar planning
- Every quarter, you'll come up with 15 story pitches to create the next quarter's editorial calendar.
- Every quarter, you'll be asked to write 12 outlines to send to the client for approval
Time Commitment
Approximate time commitment is:
~ 5-10 hours/week of research, writing, and editing
~ 2-3 hours/month of scheduling and conducting phone interviews
~ 5-7 hours/quarterly of writing and revising story pitches
Pay:
+ Flat Rate of $100 per episode (to include 1 SEO-rich blog article [~1,000-1,300 words], social statuses, and metadata)
+ Pay: $25/hour for any other client requests, meetings, interviews, writing, editing, and research
Wells Fargo
Interested in joining Wells Fargo career opportunities?
Resources for you:
Wells Fargo Careers (current job openings):
Wells Fargo Military Resource Center:
See how you can make a difference at Wells Fargo: https://goo.gl/CD0AUM
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Robertta (Birdie) Johnson
What is your current title, company, and primary job function?
Certified Doula and Licensed Massage Therapist
Year Chamber Connect (ULF) program was completed?
2019
What is your greatest takeaway from the Chamber Connect program?
My greatest takeaway from this program was learning to stand in my truth. Growing up I had an insecurity about my culture and race, being a multiracial child. This program has not only taught and encouraged me to be unapologetically black but to embrace my culture and has motivated me to delve deeper into it. I am a native of Colorado and ULF has helped me become more connected to the community that I grew up in and showed me how to genuinely support the community.
Since embracing and understanding the issues that lie within the black community, I have become more confident in serving the black community. I am most proud of becoming a part of a Collective of Black Doulas called Sacred Seeds who dedicate services to black women and children. Educating myself on the disparities among black women dying in child birth at alarming rates compared to white women has led me to my passion for black maternal Health. This has inspired me to find ways to play a positive and ultimately life saving role with Black mothers and their families during and following childbirth. My passion to help change the narrative of black maternal health is ever more present now than ever before. This collective will not only allow us to serve families on a sliding scale, but give us a platform to educate black families on the birth and postpartum world to help them transition into parenthood and provide resources that come from people that look like them, which is huge. This has also allowed me to put into fruition ways to support women hands on and virtually due to the current state of the country.
What is your leadership philosophy? Why?
My leadership Philosophy relies on intuition, integrity, authenticity and compassion. My belief is when operating under these principles, you attract the likeness. I have learned if I have to lie about it or it doesn't feel right then it is not for me and that is perfectly fine. Learning where we stand and holding firm in these boundaries provides unlimited possibilities
What advice do you have for the current cohort of Chamber Connect Fellows?
My advice would be to not only build relationships and connections but to form them genuinely. Build trust, honesty and loyalty amongst your cohorts and the people you come in contact with. If you are drawn to a guest, leader or speaker do not hesitate to start building a relationship with them or to reach out to them.
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Derrick Washington
What is your current title, company, and primary job function?
Title: Customer Experience Operations Manager
Company: Kaiser Permanente
Primary Job Function: Manage a team of 25 agents and 8 Registered Nurses with administrative and clinically onboarding responsibilities to welcome new and returning members into Kaiser Permanente. We ensure all members connect with a primary care physician, transfer medications, have updated family history on file, place referrals for specialist all to ensure a smooth transition into their new health plan family.
What year was Chamber Connect (ULF) program completed?
2009
What is your greatest takeaway from the Chamber Connect Program?
My greatest takeaway was the relationships I was able to secure during that time. It was engaging and we lived life with each other. There was a camaraderie and a support system that lasts even to this day. I enjoyed the networking and the exposure that was provided with the business community and our local and state government. It was a wonderful growth experience for me.
What is your leadership style and why?
Lead by example. It is a leadership philosophy that has developed over the years. It started with how I wanted to raise my son. My parents raised me by simply saying, "Do what I say, not what I do." The truth is most if not all of what they did is what I eventually ended up doing good and bad. I noticed early on what they said did not always line up with what they were doing. I remember my son asking me, "why can't I do that daddy?" The best answer I could give him was "I can do this because I'm grown and you're a child." It made me think what I am saying to him, and am I setting him up for success. From that day forward I let him know that it was okay for him to do whatever I did. This holds me to another level of accountability to my faith, family, and business practices. I will not ask my team to do anything I am unwilling to do myself, and it is serving me well in my life today. This approach has created a grounding and humility that creates a since of security in my leadership philosophy.
What civic, nonprofit, or service community endeavor are you most proud of since becoming a Chamber Connect alumnus?
It is important for me to serve in community. I have increased my involvement in the community because there is a need for more and more black men to represent. I am an active Elder at Restoration Christian Fellowship. I assist with serving the community food with our food bank every first Saturday. I have recently been active in our city government around youth violence. I participate in activities that build men up to our rightful place in society. I am working more and more in the economic sector due to the bleak projections of lack of wealth in our communities. I am proud to participate in all these areas to some how help make a difference and build legacy for our sons and daughters.
What advice do you have for the current cohort of Chamber Connect Fellows?
My advice would be to build community with each other. Meet as many different people as you can during this process. Then on purpose make sure you choose a handful of people you will vow to keep in touch with long after this wonderful experience comes to an end. I regret not doing this myself. I had so many wonderful relationships that I let expire over the years. Please do not get me wrong I have maintained a few, but I did not do all I could. I believe this endeavor looking back on it now deserved that type of commitment. The men and women in your class will be significant and impactful leaders for years to come.
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