Two women from Montezuma County were among 15 Colorado leaders selected for the sixth year of the Boettcher Foundation’s 2026 Doers and Difference Makers Fellowship. The two chosen out of 100 applicants are Tawnie Knight of Towaoc and Vanessa Malloy of Dolores.
As part of the nine-month program, Knight and Malloy, along with the other fellows, will learn from one another, grow their network of connections and continue developing leadership skills to take back to their communities.
“I thought it was a great opportunity to develop a statewide network of other cohort members, and also to get some additional leadership skills training,” Malloy told The Journal about why she decided to apply. “It was a pretty competitive process, and I was very honored that I was selected as one of the fellows.”
According to Boettcher’s website, selected fellows are leaders who are already addressing challenges in their communities, with these fellows accomplishing this through economic development, nonprofit work, education, entrepreneurship, local government and more. Particular attention is given to those working in rural areas.
“Colorado’s communities are full of extraordinary leaders who may not have a formal title or a traditional path to leadership but are the people others trust to step up, bring people together and get things done,” Vanessa Roman, director of scholarships and foundation programs, said. “These 15 fellows are already creating meaningful change in their communities. Our role is to invest in their continued growth by providing the relationships, resources and space they need to extend their impact across Colorado.”
Fellows will attend in-person retreats, individualized professional coaching, financial support and more.
“We’re going to be able to get together as a group and learn from each other and learn from the Boettcher Foundation, all on developing skills like leadership skills, especially in rural communities,” Malloy said.
bduran@the-journal.com
