About

 
 

Community Leaders Fellowship

The Community Leaders Fellowship is an intensive professional development opportunity for nonprofit and community leaders focusing on a specific capacity challenge in their organization.

program description

  • Program participants apply for the fellowship with one specific capacity issue they would like to address through the fellowship.

  • Participants will be assisted in developing a one year capacity action plan with measurable benchmarks and deliverables that they will make progress toward during the 12 month program period.

  • Participants will attend 8 meetings over 12 months as well as making progress on their action plan in between meetings. Meetings will consist of a combination of learning opportunities on relevant topics to their capacity journey, peer support sessions to brainstorm solutions to challenges, one-on-one assistance developing an action plan to address their capacity issue, connection with experts to provide high-level insight into their capacity issue.

participant commitment

  • Attend 8 meetings over the 12 month program period between January - December.

  • Commit to making progress on capacity action plan in between meetings during the program period.

  • Report on benchmark and impact results at the 6 month and 1 year mark.

Application Process

  • Applications will open October 1 - November 15, 2025 for the 2026 Program Period

  • Eligible candidates are those serving in a leadership and decision making role at an organization or community agency for which at least 51% of its programming is focused on serving under resourced communities in Chaffee County.

  • Applicants should apply with a specific, measurable capacity issue for which their organization is committed to taking steps to address over the next year. Capacity issues might include, but are not limited to the following:

    • Revenue Diversification

    • Adoption of new technology that will transform the organization’s capacity

    • DEI Initiatives to increase diversity of communities served and represented

    • Introduction of a new program model

Fellows

2025 Fellows:

  • Cassie Stauch, Synergy in the Service Industry

  • Laura Hart, Salida Circus Outreach Foundation 

  • Andrea Marie Bruno, Places to Age

  • Mo Zeimet, Chaffee County Hospitality Inc.

  • Monica White, Colorado Tick-Borne Disease Awareness Association

  • Carmel Russo, Ark Valley Preschool 

  • Emily Osborn, Blue Elements Collective

  • Liz Morgan, Buena Vista Chamber of Commerce

  • Felix Heeter, Junior Edison STEAMplant 

  • Jason Marsden, GARNA

2024 Fellows:

  • PJ Bergin, Board Chair, SOIL Sangre de Cristo

  • Jarad Buchan, Community Services Manager, Full Circle Restorative Justice

  • Katie Tilt, Executive Director, Shining Mountains Montessori School

  • Mo Ziemet, Board Member, Chaffee County Hospitality, Inc.

  • Salty Riggs, Executive Director, BETCH

  • Liz Morgan, Executive Director, Buena Vista Chamber of Commerce

  • Bobby Sanghvi, Executive Director, Matt Dangel’s House

2023 Fellows:

  • Andrea Early Coen, Executive Director, Guidestone Colorado

  • Mike Bischoff, Executive Director, Mountain Valley Transit

  • Salty Riggs, Executive Director, BETCH

  • Sarah Dae, Executive Director, Tabor Opera House

  • Megan Strauss, Executive Director, Alpine Achievers