Meet Vanessa:
As a North Jeffco native, I wanted to share a little bit about me, my family, and why I have a passion to represent our district at the Capitol. Being the youngest of four girls, I grew up fighting for one of two bathrooms in a working-class home in North Arvada. I learned early in life that hard work was necessary, nothing was given, nothing should be taken for granted. I watched my dad struggle with alcoholism and the effects it had on my family. At age 16, I learned I had a voice to change my situation. My junior year in high school was spent in foster care and four different high schools. At the time, it cost me my privacy, my childhood, and some family. Now it gives me my freedom, my passion, and my purpose.
I met my husband Dave in 8th grade at Mandalay Middle School. We have four beautiful children. Three of our four children are still attending school locally. While living here in the first home that we bought over a decade ago, I have had the opportunity to volunteer in our community with the PTA, Police, and Fire Departments, and non-profits advocating for children across Colorado. Eventually, I returned to school and earned my Humanities degree in 2020 from Front Range Community College.
Currently, I work for a small construction company as a Project Coordinator. Every day, I can watch drawings become life, and trades move around a job site. Listening, planning, and communication are key to completing projects on time and on budget. However, the cost of energy and production, the ability to find and compete for skilled labor has been a struggle over the last two years. These are valuable jobs that can not be lost in another recession once a bad policy is in place we will have even worse consequences. Fighting for a strong workforce in Colorado once again is a fight FOR THE PEOPLE!