aspirations of running for office, the simple answer is no. I realized that I could make a difference in my community at the grassroots level through great non-profit organizations. I don’t need to leave my family in Colorado to enter Congress and spend most of my time in Washington, DC. I love spending time with my husband and 22-year-old son, Kristoff. I have the best of both worlds! Cole: What do you believe to be the most important piece of advice for a leader to follow? Kerr: I believe it’s incredibly important to do what you said you would do and never forget that you are there to serve. In my role, I’m there to support my team and ensure they have the tools and resources to get the job done. Part of my job is to create the strategy, determine how it will be executed and then give my team what they need to be successful. We measure our success throughout the year because measurable impact is important to me. We should continuously be moving in a direction that allows us to level up and get better each year. This work is too important to me. We are impacting people’s lives and implementing programs for the people in our community to be their best selves. Mediocre work is not acceptable. I always aim to be the best at what I do, and I want my team to be their best as well. Cole: How can you inspire others while also maintaining that you continue to be inspired by Mile High United Way’s overall mission? Kerr: Mile High United Way’s mission is to unite people, ideas, and resources to advance the common good. I consider myself fortunate to work at an organization that is so closely aligned with my own values. Our focus is to support the community and provide programs that help advance them by creating sustainability and economic mobility. In my role, I oversee our six direct service programs, our public policy and advocacy, our evaluation and learning, and our grants to other non-profit organizations. It’s a big job but it is so very rewarding. I have an incredibly talented team that exudes positivity, compassion and innovation in spite of the challenges we see each day. I’m inspired when I interact with them and
our Executive Team. We have the most amazing CEO, Christine Benero, who leads with her heart and believes strongly in our people and our community. It’s simply inspiring to be a part of this amazing team at Mile High United Way. Cole: How do you prioritize work-life balance, & what advice do you have for junior professionals who are struggling to find balance? Kerr: I’m constantly telling my team that they need to take care of themselves. Our work is hard. It takes a lot of time and compassion fatigue is real. It is important that we find time for ourselves. This may mean something different for every person but we all need to create the right space for self-care. For me, I find time on the weekends to simply relax. Sometimes that may be watching a movie, reading a good book or hiking with my husband and son. Other times I may plan to take a day off during the week and spend time by myself. This may include a relaxing massage and lunch alone. It helps me clear my head to have a day off during the week when my days are usually filled with back-to-back meetings. Alone time for me can be very relaxing and it allows me to recharge. Cole: As an African American woman leader, what do you consider to be one of the most difficult obstacles you’ve faced? Kerr: I have faced many obstacles throughout my career. You have to remember that I’ve been working for a long time. First, I will say that I stared my career in the 90’s doing corporate sales which was a very male dominated field. I don’t have enough time here to explain or share the things I experienced as a woman or specifically as a Black woman in this field. However, I will share that I was definitely passed over for a promotion when I clearly had outperformed my peers on multiple levels. When I moved to another company, I thought that an environment that was a little more diverse in terms of gender and culture would be better. In some ways it was and in other ways, things were way more difficult. Women I thought were going to be supportive were not always supportive, but I also had some incredibly smart leaders who
16 The Acumen
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