“Boulder County as a whole is making strides toward greater inclusivity and equity, but we still have a ways to go. That’s why I’m always putting myself out there and challenging the boards and organizations I work with, asking questions about whether we’re being culturally aware and culturally responsive.”
For Elicia Goodsoldier, participating in Leadership Fellows Boulder County (class of 2011-12) was “literally life-changing.”
“The Leadership Fellows program absolutely opened opportunities for me to serve my community in ways I never could have imagined,” she says of the nearly 10-year-old leadership development program of the Community Foundation and the Boulder Chamber. “I learned to use my voice, and came to realize that my voice matters. I learned to articulate my passions and the issues I care about.”
Today, as a coordinator of Boulder County’s People Engaged in Raising Leaders (PERL) program, Elicia – raised on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Lupton, Arizona – especially values the ability to liaise among her community, local organizations, and city and state governments.
“Through Leadership Fellows, I really expanded my network and developed countywide connections,” says the past winner of the Boulder County Multicultural Awards. “I ended up serving on several local nonprofit boards, and I co-chaired the Denver American Indian Commission at the City and County of Denver for five years.”
Indeed, as co-chair of the commission, Elicia worked to pass a permanent resolution celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day in the City of County of Denver on the second Monday of every October. Additionally, in 2015, Gov. John Hickenlooper appointed Elicia to serve as a representative of the Denver American Indian Commission – specifically, to study American Indian Representation in public schools.
“Through these positions, I was able to advocate on behalf of urban tribal communities,” she says. “It’s all been really great, fulfilling work.”
At the same time, Elicia was surprised and letdown to learn through Leadership Fellows that – in Boulder, in particular – inclusivity is “a myth.” “There’s this assumption that Boulder is inclusive and accepting of diversity. In reality, however, those are largely buzzwords. Micro-aggressions persist.”
Yet Elicia acknowledges progress, too. “Boulder County as a whole is making strides toward greater inclusivity and equity, but we still have a ways to go. That’s why I’m always putting myself out there and challenging the boards and organizations I work with, asking questions about whether we’re being culturally aware and culturally responsive.
“I ask questions about what boards and staffs look like, if their representation doesn’t reflect the people they’re serving. Those are the questions that need to be asked, so I keep asking them.”
