Julie Rodriguez Selected as CEO of PCC Foundation

PUEBLO – Pueblo native Julie C. Rodriguez has been named the new chief executive officer of the Pueblo Community College Foundation. She will manage the administration and fund development initiatives for the foundation across PCC’s three campuses in Pueblo, Cañon City and Mancos and its site in Durango.

“The Pueblo Community College Foundation is excited to welcome Julie to our team,” said Janice Mehle, chair of the foundation board. “Her skills and commitment to southern Colorado will support the foundation as we move forward in our next chapter to advance the college and meet the needs of our students and communities.”

“I’m looking forward to working with Julie,” said PCC President Chato Hazelbaker. “Her experience in community relations and fundraising, along with her connections in Pueblo and across Colorado, will help her make an immediate impact in her role and, more importantly, for the students we serve.”

Rodriguez has more than 25 years of experience in public affairs, fundraising, resource development, management, communications and marketing. Her previous roles include senior public affairs manager/public information officer for Black Hills Energy, executive director of the Steelworks Center of the West, and development director for the Colorado State University Pueblo Foundation.

“I am honored to have been chosen to lead the Pueblo Community College Foundation,” she said. “My vision for the next phase of the foundation centers on partnering with the board of directors and President Hazelbaker to further elevate the college’s impact on the students we serve. I look forward to cultivating new relationships with funders, donors and community leaders.”

Rodriguez earned her bachelor’s degree from Metropolitan State University in Denver. She is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Executive Leadership Program, the

Colorado Governors Fellowship Program, Bighorn Public Policy Leadership Program and Leadership Pueblo, among other professional training programs.

She serves on the board of directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Pueblo County, UCHealth Parkview Foundation, Latinas First Foundation, Drive Clean Colorado and the Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

Rodriguez replaced retiring CEO Martha Simmons, who led the foundation for a decade and orchestrated more than $37 million in donations during that time.