HEALTH EQUITY IS A SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUE I’m excited about being the inaugural CEO of Colorado Longitudinal Study (COLS). COLS will be unlike any other repository— we have a bold plan to revolutionize health and dramatically improve health equity for Coloradans, people across the nation, and around the world. The COLS vision represents a disruptive change in how researchers will be able to study wellness and disease.LEADERSHIP = COLLABORATION + RESPONSIBILITYI bring strong leadership experience to my role at COLS. I believe leadership begins with collaboration. As a lifelong learner and educator, as well as an administrator at several major research universities, I excel at gathering together groups of bright, energetic and passionate people to brainstorm about how to tackle the most challenging problems. Ultimately, of course, leadership is about making decisions and taking the responsibility for those decisions. My ability to do so makes me an effective and respected leader. I recognize that not every decision will please everyone, but I do not delegate the tough decisions to others. I am willing to take the responsibility and make decisions even when they are unpopular to some. My science background has helped me develop good analytical and leadership skills. I bring an open mind to a given situation. Then I:• listen• learn, and then • DECIDEBefore I was the CEO of Colorado Longitudinal Study I was a research scientist. In that role I: • was funded by NIH for 32 consecutive years• received two 10-year MERIT awards• led several training grants and program project grants.FOSTERING THE NEXT GENERATIONAnd finally, I am passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders, particularly young people from diverse backgrounds. As a person of color and a woman, I have witnessed my share of discrimination, but I have benefitted from having several outstanding mentors. I believe in paying that forward.