Name: Colleen White Holmes
Place of Employment: Berkshire Children and Families
Title: President and CEO
What is your 3 – sentence biography? / What is your personal elevator pitch?
I am at heart, a capacity-builder, a believer in the ability and desire of people, teams, and organizations to rise, given the opportunity. From my current role promoting the well-being of children and the strength of families to build better communities, to previous roles championing girls’ leadership development; consulting in transportation, finance, and human services; and promoting skill building and employment with people with disabilities, it’s about seeing what can be, and constructing ways to get there.
Tell us about a challenge you faced on your path, and what you learned from it.
I had a job where I had to get an executive team to implement improvements to processes and employee engagement. However, I didn’t have the authority to require them to do so. I learned that I couldn’t come at them with what I needed, but instead needed to be an ally. I had to know my stuff, and be consistently interested and engaged in what mattered to them so that I could lead the work even though I was not the CEO.
What “secret to success” would you share with young women entering the (Berkshire) workforce?
Don’t wait to have all the answers, feel confident and be some perfect package to take chances. You are good enough! You can learn what you don’t know if you do the work, and there is a great community of women here in the Berkshires to support, encourage, and inspire you.
What Berkshire women in business inspire you and why?
Lia (Amelia) Spiliotes who heads up Community Health Programs inspires me. She is easy-going, yet moves mountains; confident, yet unassuming; fun, smart and warm.
