Project Rural Upskill Network (RUN) is a workforce collaboration between the La Plata Economic Development Alliance and Fort Lewis College. Funded by a three-year, $1.25 million Opportunity Now grant from the State of Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), we create micro-credentials designed in collaboration with employer partners to upskill our regional workforce.
INDUSTRY AND EMPLOYER PARTNERS
- Alpine Bank
- Animas Surgical Hospital
- Axis Health System
- Bayfield High School
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of SW Colorado
- Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition
- Crossfire Aggregate Services, LLC
- Durango Coca Cola
- Durango Machining Innovations
- Fort Lewis College
- HomesFund
- Jaynes Corporation
- La Plata Electric Association
- Marketing Concepts Squared LLC
- Pagosa Public Library
- Phoenix Recycling
- Sage Fresh Eats
- Shaw Solar
- Soundtraxx
- StoneAge Holdings
- Studs Lumber Company
- Southwest Health Systems
- Tailwind Nutrition
- Zia Taqueria
- Zia Tortilla Company
Project RUN Team
La Plata Economic Development Alliance Program Lead
Sarah Tober is the Executive Director of the La Plata Economic Development Alliance. Sarah has built a career in entrepreneurship, communications, and advocacy in a wide array of industries including small business, sustainable building, community development, and environmental stewardship. Achieving an MBA at the University of Texas accelerated Tober’s growth as a leader and solidified her prowess to make systemic changes in equity, equality, and resource access.
Fort Lewis College Program Lead
Alana Romans is the Chief Strategy Officer at Fort Lewis College. With a background in complex fundraising, project management, and strategic program design, Alana brings a thoughtful and creative vision to the Project RUN team. Alana has been with this project since the inception, helping secure $1.25M to drive equitable workforce development initiatives in the region. Alana loves bringing together diverse stakeholders to build collaborative solutions to difficult problems and is excited to represent FLC as Project RUN gains momentum.
Project RUN Director
Rosalinda Linares-Gray is a justice-oriented advocate for equitable economic and educational outcomes in our region. Rosalinda manages Project RUN, a regional workforce development program led by the Alliance in collaboration with Fort Lewis College. Prior to this role, they were an academic librarian for 10 years, including 5 years overseeing Reed Library’s collections, research, and instructional services at Fort Lewis College. Through their work in academia, Rosalinda understands the value that an educated, diverse workforce brings to local communities, while also acknowledging systemic barriers that prevent equitable access to educational pathways for all. Rosalinda is excited to work towards innovative solutions to upskill our diverse regional workforce for the betterment of our local communities.
Advisory Board
Rob Bondurant, VP of Marketing, Osprey
Eric Eicher, CEO, Alpine Bank
Patrick Fredericks, Deputy Director, Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative
Heather Hawk, Executive Director, Early Childhood Council of La Plata County
Elizabeth Howe, VP of Business Services, La Plata Electric Association, Inc.
Shanna Jansen, VP of People & Culture, StoneAge Holdings
Bonnie Kling, Human Resources Director, City of Durango
Meredith Maple, CEO, Durango Coca-Cola
Jemal Mihalik, Director of Strategic HR Business Partner, CommonSpirit Health
Enrique Orozco, Executive Director, Companeros
Heather Otter, Economic Development Project Manager, Region 9
Sherry Waner, Chief Development Officer, First Southwest Bank
