Anna Scott, Executive Director, Ernest & Lillian E. Campbell Foundation
Northeast Regional Council member since 2011
Anna Scott joined the Northeast Regional Council in October of 2011. Since she first joined, she always felt, “Spencer and Julie Penrose had the absolute best mission statement,” and was excited to advance that mission for the citizens of Northeast Colorado.
In reflecting on her early years on the Council, Anna shared she “listened a lot and embraced the priorities that had been set by the Council.” In 2011, those were youth and workforce development. One prominent partnership that emerged from this focus area was with the Business-to-College program (B2C) with Morgan Community College. B2C was designed to help established entrepreneurs in northeastern towns go back to college to learn marketing, accounting, payroll, and more. “In the northeast, we have to grow our own and build our own talent,” Anna said about the partnership and added the program also had a community champion in Jon Becker, who would later become a Northeast Council Member in 2014.
In 2016, the Council targeted its focus to two youth-centered programs, Northeastern Colorado Post-Secondary Workforce Readiness (NECOPWR) and Student to Career Opportunity (STCO). A multi-year grant of $226,000 was recommended for NECOPWR and nearly $100,000 was recommended to STCO. The programs aimed to give rural students in the region the same exposure, access, and opportunities for career development as students in more affluent or urban areas. Middle school students could participate in field trips and programs like Young Ameritowne which taught business and free enterprise while high school students engaged in apprenticeships. The programs emphasized hands-on learning and experience.
The Council later prioritized mental health after counselors with the NECOPWR and STCO programs urged its importance. In 2020 and 2021, the Council recommended grants to Sources of Strength, Break the Silence, Inc., and family resource centers across the region. It was around this time the Council adopted a 40/60 split in its funding allocations: 40 percent dedicated to the Council’s focus area and 60 percent available for emerging needs. Anna shared that having funds to proactively respond to community concerns was a huge help.
At the end of 2021, the Council recommended funding a childcare initiative in Holyoke which led to the Council adopting childcare as its official focus area at the beginning of 2024. In Anna’s perspective, the Council has always “valued and worked to fund youth and workforce development since 2011, just in new and unique ways.”
As she looks to the future of the Northeast Regional Council, Anna hopes it continues to find community champions and fund their passions. Her advice to any new council member is straight-forward: “Know your community – Period.” She recommends participating in community events, speaking with neighbors, and continuing to develop relationships with your fellow council members.
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