Since the last newsletter in May, it seems as if the world has changed again and that the headwinds against diversity, equity, and inclusion work continue to mount and grow stronger. This is not the direction we want to see, and yet here we are. While it is understandable to feel some level of defeat and shock over the recent circumstances and decisions, it is a clear sign that the work being done by those committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion is even more important.

For many people, May is a month of transition. Universities are winding down the semester, students are graduating with excitement about their next steps and future, K-12 students and their families are engaged in a busy month of activities and celebrations before transitioning to summer schedules, and spring is turning into summer.

That’s a wrap! (For the moment…) The Together We Grow Connect Conference and 2023 Annual Meeting brought together 70 people across industry, higher education, NGOs, and government.

In less than one month we will be in Atlanta, Ga., for TWG’s Connect Conference and 2023 Annual Meeting! We are looking forward to being in-person for this event, for the first time in several years. Our line-up of speakers is exciting, and more session announcements are coming (look for more announcements leading up to the April 1 registration deadline).

TWG has a lot in the works at the start of this new year! This month’s newsletter is chock full of updates and information, and I encourage you to review to keep up to date on everything that is happening with the organization. Among all the efforts occurring this year, I am thrilled to be working on a formal strategic planning process.

Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe that it is 2023 — and yet I have had no trouble writing the correct date on documents since approximately Jan. 3 (possibly the earliest date I have achieved this in my lifetime).

It is hard to believe that 2022 is coming to a close! While this time of year is often a time of reflection, 2023 is on my mind.

Together We Grow is on an exciting journey! There are some upcoming happenings you don’t want to miss.

It has been an amazing time at Together We Grow from a social media perspective. As trends continue to change, we are grateful for our partners, members, and active social participants that work with us to create new and fresh content critical to reach audiences and connect them to agriculture, food and the opportunities in this sector.

$900,000! For an individual, this is a life changing amount of money. And yet, this is the monetary impact to the average Black woman over the course of her lifetime of work resulting from the wage gap, according to the National Women’s Law Center.

“Where have all the people gone?” I have continued to get this question that I’m sure you have asked – or been asked – related to workforce shortages. In our organizations we feel it daily. A recent article from Fortune caught my eye.

For many people, August is a time of transition. Students are preparing to return to school, teachers and professors are preparing to welcome students and facilitate their growth during this year of learning, and parents are trying to determine how to manage their roles as logistics specialists and juggle professional and personal lives.

As a high schooler, I ran track and field. I typically ran independent events – such as the 1- and 2-mile – that depended solely on my efforts in the race and on my own investment in training.

Moments of transition are always a time for reflection. And so, I find myself waxing nostalgic as I pass the baton to our new executive director.

As we wrap up one sign of transition — another school year in the books — it feels like aspects of life in the U.S. have stabilized.

I always love this time of year, and in Colorado it truly feels like spring.

The big news around Together We Grow is that our posting to hire a new Executive Director is live!

As we start this new year, I’ve been honored to join my Colorado State University System colleagues in opening a brand new campus in the heart of downtown Denver called CSU Spur.

2021. Whew! It’s been a year. You’ll see evidence of some of my favorite Together We Grow highlights further below in this newsletter, but in the meantime here are a few of my favorites.

We’re entering the season of gratitude. That time of year when we create pause in the bustle and arrange spaces and tables to celebrate the people in our lives. We cross distances, both physical and perceived, to share something together that we hope will be meaningful.

I love this time of year. For starters, my kids are back in school. While I hold my breath to see how long that may remain, I am grateful to have some sense of normalcy (and a significantly quieter house while we continue to work from home).