The Future of Work is Diverse, Inclusive, Just and Equitable
GlobalMindED closes the equity gap by creating a capable, diverse talent pipeline through connections to role models, mentors, internships for low-income students, returning adults, First Gen to college and inclusive leaders who teach them, work with them and hire them.
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Small Town Farm Kid Collaborates to Solve Homelessness: Meet Coalition for the Homeless President, Britta Fisher
What is your personal/professional story?
In 2000, I was a young college graduate looking for a year of intentional service. The program I chose was the Urban Servant Corps in Denver where I lived with nine other volunteers in a home and worked full time as a volunteer at Metro Caring, a food pantry and basic services agency. It was a year of learning about Denver and our safety net services, simplicity, and community.
My program participants taught me about how they appreciated the food but needed to find affordable housing. My housemates taught me about the nonprofits where they worked and the childcare, shelter, food security, legal services, and youth homelessness missional work they did. I got involved in advocacy at the city and state level on social justice issues. I was the first Executive Director for Housing Justice and traveled the state of Colorado growing affordable housing champions through faith community organizing. That led to my employment at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless in the early 2000s, where I continued to expand relationships in communities across the state on the prevention of homelessness and creating lasting solutions to homelessness through housing and health care.
After purchasing a home in Wheat Ridge, my city councilmember invited me to get involved in a new community development organization called Wheat Ridge 2020. I ended up working in real estate revitalization, small business, and community development there for 11 years, most of the time as Executive Director. Throughout I continued my affordable housing advocacy statewide, including service on the State Housing Board. After a short stint working in financial empowerment, I was hired by Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock as the first Chief Housing Officer. He went on to create the Department of Housing Stability (HOST) and further appoint me as its first Executive Director. In my nearly five years at the City & County of Denver, my team grew from 16 people to 120 and our budget from $28M to $254M. I am proud of the partnerships we forged with Denver voters, city council, and community organizations to see increases in dedicated funding sources for affordable housing and homelessness and creating and preserving 3,280 affordable homes. We also saw 5,500 people exit homelessness to stable housing and transformed the shelter system to majority residential shelter with 24/7 service and 16,000+ people in those shelters. We served 4,500 with street outreach and 36,000 in housing programs during my tenure at the Department of Housing Stability.
Today, I am pleased to be at the helm of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. We are in our 39th year and I am our second President & CEO. As I take over from a legacy leader, I am excited to support our 800-person team serving 21,000+ people each year and chart out together how we will continue to build on this powerful mission to create lasting solutions to homelessness.
What key moments in your life led you to where you are today?
Ages 14-16 were very formative for me. Our community rallied around my family when I was 14 and my dad died in a car accident. That sudden absence and hole in our family, as well as how people showed up for us, was significant. At age 16 I attended a youth leadership conference and met a young man named Ryan. We have been together for 26 years and have three young children so that was an early decision that has been key in my life.
In my career, I would point to the decision to move to Denver and pursue community serving work. I would also point to several professionals in health care and pediatrician Dr. Berkeley Rich who hired me to staff Housing Justice as teachers in my journey to understand that stable affordable housing is essential to couple with health treatment for lasting beneficial results.
I gave an important and impactful speech in January 2020 on homelessness in Denver to the 60 appointees of the Mayor of Denver. I feel that speech helped prepare the ground so that when COVID struck, our city put the needs of those with the fewest resources at the front of our emergency response. We had 175 national guard troops assist in our sheltering mission and I am humbled by the dedication and experience that surrounded me in that service in our Emergency Operations Center and ongoing COVID-19 response. It was an amazing, collaborative effort to change and expand our sheltering operations drastically in just weeks. In my office I have my military patch given to me by the National Guard members I served alongside, and the City Coin of Denver the Mayor awarded me for my exceptional service to the City and County of Denver when I departed.
Where does your passion to serve come from?
I was a farm kid raised near Bernadotte, Minnesota. This is the type of community where you know everyone and if someone is going through something, hotdish and bars arrive on their doorstep and groceries appear in their fridge. When I was a young girl there was a terrible drought, and I remember everyone coming together for an outdoor prayer service. Folks of all faiths and those who simply wanted to hope for better in the community all came together to offer support to one another in what was a time of deep economic strife in our farming community. My community modeled and taught me that we are in this life together and we need one another. I was raised to serve and be in community.
How can GlobalMindED help you reach your goals?
I am a learning growing person leading in a learning and growing organization. It is always helpful to have connection, conversation and platforms for learning and growth. I love engaging with others looking to close the equity gap and hope we can all help one another reach our goals.
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Highlights from our United Nations Event: Transforming Financial Boundaries |
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At the Delegates Dining Room, United Nations. |
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Carla Harris, Vice Chairman, Morgan Stanley |
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Janet Salazar, President, and Yim Li, Vice Chairman, Foundation for the Support of the U.N. |
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Michael Maquet-Diafouka, Managing Director, Global Family and Institutional Wealth, UBS, Chris Marsh, Managing Director, Private Wealth Advisor, UBS,Janet C. Salazar, Chairman & President, Foundation for the Support of the United Nations |
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Carla Harris, Vice Chairman, Morgan Stanley and James Rhee, Founder/Owner, red helicopter |
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Kyle Hybl, President and CEO, El Pomar Foundation, Beth Cobert, Acting President, Markle Foundation |
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Sam Lalanne, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion |
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Tyler Naha, Student, Denver East High School, Dr. Mary Papazian, Exec. VP, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, Dr. Philomenta Mantella, President, Grand Valley State University, Dr. Yustina Saleh, Managing Director, Innovation Solutions, The Burning Glass Institute, Alfonzo Alexander, Chief Ethics & Diversity Officer, National Association of State Boards of Accountancy |
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Dr. D'Andre Weaver, Chief Digital Equity Officer, Digital Promise, Michael Woods, President, Woods Capital, the Honorable Dr. Kimberly McClain, Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department HUD, Preston James, II, Co-Founder and CEO, Divinc, Gaby Rowe, Founding Principal, Grow Associates |
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Dr. Craig Jonas, Founder and CEO, CoPeace, Victoria Vasques, Owner & Chairwoman, Tribal Tech LLC, Sachin Chaudhry, Founder and CEO, TrustCircle and BringChange Foundation, Kyle Hybl, President & CEO, El Pomar Foundation, Beth Cobert, Acting President, Markle Foundation |
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Dr. Denise Lujan, Director, Entering Student Experience, University of Texas at El Paso, Javaune Adams-Gaston, President, Norfolk State University, Dr. David Miyashiro, Superintendent, Cajon Valley Union School District, Gina Fratarcangeli, Managing Director, Google, Shital C. Shah, Sr. Advisor, Strategic Partnerships, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Dept. of Education |
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GobalMindED's
Hispanic Heritage Month Event
Latino Leaders Breaking Boundaries and Barriers: Fuerza y Fortaleza
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Introduction by:
Paulette Tate, Chair of the Board, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Denver
The founder of Cantilever, a company specializing in business and leadership development, Paulette is a global executive, entrepreneur, and leader with over 30 years of expertise in business development, operations, and executive management. Serving on a variety of boards and advisory committees, Paulette’s skills in strategic planning, finance, risk management, and relationship building make her a visionary leader in the international business world.
Panel Leader:
Elizabeth Suárez, Leadership & Negotiation Strategist, Avanza Business Group
Elizabeth collaborates with organizations across various industries on complex and sensitive matters, using her unique blend of respect, humor, and honesty. Her straightforward approach inspires her clients to take action and put into practice what they have learned, to positively impact their lives. Elizabeth has motivated thousands of professionals to become transformative leaders through her best-selling book, The Art of Getting Everything, as well as her media appearances and keynote speeches across the U.S., Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
With:
Diego Mariscal, CEO and Chief Disabled Person, 2Gether-International
As the leader of 2Gether-International, Diego has collaborated with corporations like Google, Blackboard, McKinsey, and Comcast NBC Universal, as well as the U.S. Dept. of State and the Organization of American States to frame disability as an asset for startups and entrepreneurs. He has been recognized by the Waldzell Institute in Vienna as an Architect of the Future and by the British Council as a Global Changemaker. Born with Cerebral Palsy, he represented Nuevo Leon in the Mexican National Paralympics. Diego is also the 2023 GlobalMindED Inclusive Leader Award winner for Entrepreneurship.
Christina Trujillo Privacy Officer, Legal Department, Sony Electronics
With decades of experience as an auditor in the financial services industry, and a background in ethics, compliance, and IT governance, Christina earned her Certified Information Privacy Professional certification. She has been with Sony for over 16 years and is now the Sony Electronics’ Privacy Officer. Christina was recently inducted into the Samurai Society, the highest honor one can achieve at Sony, and she is constantly involved with numerous volunteer organizations.
Dr. Jose Morey Chief Executive Officer, Ad Astra Steam Media
The Founder of Ad Astra Media, Dr. Morey provides role models and educational STEAM content to encourage more diversity in STEAM-related fields. He is the Chief Medical Officer for Ever Medical and is a health and technology keynote speaker, author, and consultant for NASA, Forbes, MIT, and the White House Office of Science and Technology. He is considered a leader in exponential technology innovation and excels at leading multidisciplinary teams that sit at the epicenter of biotechnology, AI, and aerospace.
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Highlights from the 2023 GlobalMindED Annual Conference this past June:
Read What Speakers and Attendees said about the GlobalMindED 2023 annual conference:
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PBS12 Denver filmed and live-streamed the GlobalMindED Inclusive Leader Awards on June 7th as well as our main stage plenaries and presentations on June 8th. You can find them all individually on the GlobalMindED YouTube channel.
Here are links to the 2023 GlobalMindED Inclusive Leader Award Winners' introductions and acceptance remarks:
Miriam Calderon, Chief Policy Officer, ZERO TO THREE: Inclusive Leader - Early Childhood Education
Dr. David Miyashiro, Superintendent, Cajon Valley Union School District, Inclusive Leader - K-12 Education
Carrie Billy, CEO, American Indian Higher Education Consortium: Inclusive Leader - Higher Education
Afua Bruce, Founder & Principal, ANB Advisory Group: Inclusive Leader - Government
Dr. Elena Rios, President & CEO, National Hispanic Medical Association: Inclusive Leader - Health & Wellness
Hassan Salem, Head of Commercial Banking, US Bank: Inclusive Leader - Banking & Finance
Greg Robinson, James Webb Space Telescope Project Director NASA (ret): Inclusive Leader - Space & Aerospace
Mary Nichols, Professor, UCLA Institute of the Environment, Inclusive Leader - Energy & Sustainability
Michael Campbell, General Manager, Education Division, Intel: Inclusive Leader - Technology
Diego Mariscal, CEO & Chief Disabled Person, 2Gether-International: Inclusive Leader - Entrepreneurship
Mario Carrera, President & CEO, CLLARO: Inclusive Leader - Media & Arts
Nasruddin Rupani, Chairman, Ibn Sina Foundation: Inclusive Leader - Foundations & Funders
Rosanna Durruthy, VP, Global Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, LinkedIn: Inclusive Leader -Global Impact
Kimberly Bryant, Founder & CEO, Black Innovation Lab; Black Girls Code: Inclusive Leader - Non-Profit
Click below to see Insights from GlobalMindED Leaders:
View the Main-stage Presentations:
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Would you like to give to support our student programs? You can scan the QR code below or go to our website to support our year-round programs. GlobalMindED is a 501(c)(3).
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Thank you to all of the Sponsors, Speakers, Students, and Attendees at GlobalMindED 2023
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