Meet Kathleen
Kathleen was born in Washington, DC and raised in Maryland. She obtained her bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech (Go Hokies!). After graduation, she took a position with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and began her adventures. The FHWA took her to 13 states in 6 years! Kathleen has lived in Colorado since 1995, after transferring here from Hawaii. She immediately fell in love with the mountains. She left the government after 10 years of service after obtaining her masters degree in Geotechnical Engineering from CU Boulder. She took a leap of faith and went out into the private consulting world. Kathleen has been an owner of a well-established, geotechnical engineering firm in Englewood, Colorado since 2019.
Kathleen served on her Homeowner's Association Board in Ken Caryl for 11 years prior to moving to Conifer. She gained experience in budgeting, managing a community, dealing with aging infrastructure and buildings, and working with differing opinions of many homeowners.
Kathleen met her husband, Jerry, 9 years ago. He was a firefighter/paramedic with West Metro Fire at the time. Then began Kathleen's interest in the firefighting profession. She watched her husband return from shifts with so many stories - some heartwarming, some tragic. She got to know his shiftmates and other firefighters in the West Metro Fire family. She heard about the job-related stresses and illnesses that were a result of being a firefighter. It was then that she decided she wanted to help support firefighters and their families.
She joined the Colorado Professional Firefighters (CPFF) Foundation Board (100% volunteer) in 2023 (CPFF Foundation Board of Directors). The CPFF Foundation helps firefighters and their families when tragedy strikes - offering financial assistance when they're in need. It also funds a scholarship which provides funds for children and grandchildren of firefighters to attend the college of their choice. Kathleen also volunteers on the Corey Rose Wishes and Heroes Concert Board (Wishes and Heroes FB Page) and is a supporter of the One Goat Foundation (One Goat Foundation).
Kathleen and Jerry decided to move up to Conifer in 2018 in search of their piece of the beautiful mountains. Kathleen's daughter attended and graduated from Conifer High School and is now attending college out of state. The empty nesters spend their time hiking with their 2 dogs, Oscar and Jake, photographing the local wildlife, and enjoying the beautiful Conifer Mountains.
Kathleen feels she can bring an analytical, measured point of view to the Elk Creek Fire Protection District Board. She believes her engineering background will inform common sense ideas and alternatives. People rely on Kathleen for her engineering expertise. She plans on relying on the Elk Creek firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs for theirs.