Laura Bruns Email & Phone Number

I want my work to make a difference in the world around me. Combining my early career interests – teaching, entrepreneurship, and the training and program development that goes along with starting asmall business – I landed on program management as a great fit for my different skill sets. Having enjoyed positively impacting business owners as a program manager for a State of Colorado department that supports small business development, I hope to continue to contribute my program management and training skills to deliver positive outcomes.WHAT DRIVES MEI love bringing a big idea to fruition and using my skills to empower others, so I’m overjoyed when those two passions intersect. As a Senior Program Manager serving 14 Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) throughout Colorado, I was hired to conceptualize and manage end-to-end development of programs to provide invaluable resources to small businesses. The job included gaining the buy-in of center leaders with different resources and needs, training SBDC leaders and staff to implement and sustain the programs effectively, and analyzing data to measure performance. I was able to meet these challenges, thanks to my background as an educator and my ability to channel chaos into order.SOME OF MY PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENTSReinvented myself and transitioned from an educator to a small business owner to a community leader and an impactful program manager. I never let anything stand in my way; an obstacle just means you have to turn the corner, not turn back.Led a team to develop a state-wide program in English and Spanish to help childcare providers grow successful businesses.Built educational initiatives to teach women and other underserved groups about craft beer, helping many uncover a new interest or feel confident in their knowledge of a topic totally new to them.MY LIFE PASSIONSI love connecting people through common interests. Some of my own passions include sustainability, environmental science, Native American issues, the craft beer industry (of course), and diversity, equity, and inclusion. I contributed to DEI, entrepreneurship, and innovation initiatives as part of the University of Colorado Boulder Alumni Association. Working with local organizations geared toward professional women, I’m a moderator and assist with networking events for the Denver Boss Babes Collective networking group and a founding member of Women in Sustainability. I mentor prospective brewers and brewery owners as part of The Brewers Association, and I foster puppies on behalf of Rocky Mountain Puppy Rescue.