When Jennifer Bruen stepped into the role of executive director for United Way of the Yampa Valley, she brought with her a lifetime of experiences shaped by community challenges, economic shifts and a passion for grassroots resilience.

Her road to the Yampa Valley ran through Michigan and Africa. It also features a decade’s worth of work in economic development during and after the Great Recession. That background has uniquely prepared her for the role she now holds, especially as Northwest Colorado faces transitions tied to energy, housing and affordability.

“My education is in urban planning and cultural anthropology, so I’ve always been fascinated by how people interact with their environment,” Bruen said. “In Michigan, I saw firsthand what happens to families when entire industries collapse. That sense of instability has stuck with me ever since.”

Bruen spent over 10 years working at Michigan State University on a U.S. Department of Commerce grant aimed at fostering economic innovation in rural and urban areas. She also served as a professional fellow in Tanzania through the U.S. State Department, where she formed partnerships that taught her how developing regions approach scarcity and infrastructure.

“When I came to Northwest Colorado, I started to see some of the same systemic concerns I’d seen abroad,” Bruen said. “Limited infrastructure, a lack of wraparound services and big gaps in support. And yet, there’s such heart in these communities.”

Bruen joined the United Way in 2021 as a program coordinator, the same year her husband accepted a teaching job in Hayden. Within two years, she became executive director, just as the organization completed a merger with United Way of Moffat County and began expanding its footprint into Rio Blanco County.

Guided by a vision of communities where every person has the opportunity to thrive, the United Way improves lives by mobilizing care for local communities through a commitment to advancing education, financial stability and health. The organization builds partnerships, fills critical service gaps and supports programs that meet people where they are as they strengthen foundations for individual and community resiliency across Northwest Colorado.

Today, the United Way of the Yampa Valley is focused on responding to the economic impacts of the energy transition, particularly in Craig and Hayden. Through collaboration with other organizations and the state, Bruen and her team are launching new programs targeting energy sector workers and their families as they prepare for workforce shifts in the region.

“These classes are designed to meet people where they are,” she said. “We’ve worked with banks, mortgage professionals and nonprofits like the Community Budget Center and Love Inc. to make it all happen.”

“We’ve been offering financial education already,” she said. “But expanding it takes resources. That’s where partnerships and local leadership really matter.”

Listening to those local needs has become a cornerstone of Bruen’s approach. She emphasizes that Routt, Moffat and Rio Blanco counties each has unique characteristics and communities within them, and that United Way’s role is to support, not prescribe, community-based solutions.

“We don’t come in with our own agenda,” she said. “We listen first. We ask, ‘Where can we fill the gaps? Where can we help other organizations be more successful?'”

That philosophy extends to the organization’s work with ALICE — an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. Bruen, who worked with early ALICE research in Michigan, is now using those data to shed light on working families in Northwest Colorado who make too much to qualify for assistance but not enough to meet the rising cost of living.

“In Moffat County, when you combine the poverty rate with the ALICE population, nearly 49% of residents are struggling,” she said. “That’s almost half the community.”

The most recent ALICE report, released in January and available through the United Way website, breaks down survival and stability budgets for every county in Colorado. Bruen has begun sharing the data with donors, governments and nonprofit partners to help guide grant writing, resource planning and community support.

“We want people to use this data,” she said. “It’s powerful, and it helps explain why so many families are one flat tire or one sick child away from crisis.”

United Way of the Yampa Valley continues to run programs including financial literacy courses, home buying classes and a community baby shower led by Women United. Bruen said the organization also distributed nearly $488,000 in grants last year, though rising competition and declining donations are cause for concern.

“In a time when both public and private funding are tightening, we have to be smart and collaborative,” she said. “Our human resource coalitions in Routt and Moffat counties are incredibly important, and I’m proud United Way helps facilitate those meetings.”

As inflation continues to affect families and the economic landscape shifts, Bruen said her motivation remains simple.

“I don’t like to see people suffer,” she said. “It’s personal for me. I’ve seen what it’s like to raise a family on a tight budget. I’ve seen how hard families are working just to survive.”

She credits her team and partner organizations across the region for doing the daily work that keeps services accessible and families supported.

“United Way isn’t just about us—it’s about everyone we work with,” she said. “We’re here to make sure that when people fall through the cracks, someone is there to catch them.”

As the organization continues to evolve, Bruen said her focus is on strengthening community ties and remaining flexible in the face of uncertainty.

One of the events that captures that spirit is the Day of Caring, which has been held each spring since 1998. The effort connects individuals and corporate teams with nonprofits, government agencies and residents for hands-on service projects. The event fosters community connection while helping organizations save on labor costs and focus resources where they’re needed most.

“Northwest Colorado is resilient. And I believe that with the right partnerships, the right tools and the right mindset, we can build a future where more families don’t just survive—they thrive.”

For more information on United Way of the Yampa Valley, please visit UnitedWayOfTheYampaValley.org