Jose Beteta was already an experienced leader when he participated in the Boulder County Leadership Fellows program, an initiative of The Community Foundation and the Boulder Chamber.
“I was already president of the Latino Chamber in Longmont, but still in the process of applying to serve on Boulder’s Human Relations Commission,” says Beteta, who – alongside his wife – is also actively engaged with Barrio E’, a community organization that fosters cultural diversity in the arts in Boulder County and beyond.
“For me, there was great value in meeting a lot of other leaders from around the county who are doing amazing things.”
Beteta says he’d already met about half the participants in his Leadership Fellows class, and that the program created the context to deepen those connections – as well as gain new ones.
“Those of us who already knew one another had the opportunity to get to know one another in a different setting,” he says. “And regardless of how much leadership experience someone did or didn’t have already, the program allowed everyone the opportunity to expand and strengthen their skills.
“No matter who you are, there’s always room for improvement…and to educate and inform yourself to become a better leader.”
Beteta also credits the Leadership Fellows program with making many new connections that might not have happened, otherwise. “I got to meet great people that I’m still in touch with – in their different leadership roles across the county, they continue to offer perspectives and insights on our community that inform my own.”
For example, through his Leadership Fellows connections, Beteta met Scott Green, Director of Google Boulder; subsequently, Google became a member of the Latino Chamber last year.
“We wanted to help them expand to a new building, knowing it would lead to more and higher-paying jobs,” Beteta explains. “And they wanted us to be involved in their hiring process to ensure diversity among their hires.”
According to Beteta, Google attributes much of the success of its local hiring approach to the Latino Chamber.
Mentorship is another aspect of the Leadership Fellows program that stands out for Beteta. “The Boulder Chamber’s John Tayer has proven to be one of my most influential mentors since I’ve been at the Latino Chamber. The Leadership Fellows program really strengthened the bond between us.”
In particular, thanks to Tayer’s advice along the way, Beteta successfully achieved the Latino Chamber’s first office since it was founded some 13 years ago. “A few weeks back, we opened our doors in Longmont,” Beteta says. “John helped me boost the Latino Chamber to levels that were unimaginable, before. We were able to raise enough funding to have our own office, which is a tremendous victory for us.
“No longer do we need to borrow other organizations’ spaces. Now we have our own place for meetings, trainings and workshops. It’s a place of mentorship that the community can enjoy for a range of activities.”
Concludes Beteta, “The Leadership Fellows program is really important for developing the county’s leaders and emerging leaders.”
