Michelle Vance | Executive Director, Windsor Downtown Development Authority
Michelle Vance’s passion for serving her community and paying it forward has been a part of who she is since a young age. Inspired by her mother, who was one of the reasons she went into public service; Michelle learned the importance of showing up and serving your community. Coupled with born leadership skills and a drive to reach her goals, Michelle has been serving her communities for over 20 years. She has instilled this same sense of responsibility into her children, teaching them to have a servant’s heart and to always pay it forward. Michelle believes that communities are created one relationship at a time and that there is something meaningful and satisfying in knowing you had a hand in creating a community that will be passed along for generations to come and increase the quality of life for the residents in it. “I love the saying “A rising tide, lifts all boats”. Everyone wins!” shares Michelle.
Raised to work hard and play hard, Michelle loves being outdoors. A recent love for pickleball is her current favorite, making exercising much more fun; but mountain biking, camping, paddleboarding, or kayaking are all outlets she adores. She has shifted her mindset to more of a “Work to Live” motto recently and found that spending more time living has made her a better wife, employee, and friend. With a strong sense of self, Michelle understands her strengths and knows that integrity, courage, and authenticity are all core values that help her live with purpose.
Bethany Norman | Owner of NoCo Glow, LLC | Founder of Leading with Legacy - The Heart Project
Bethany Norman is in the business of empowering women to live their best life, full of confidence and purpose. Not only is she pursuing her dream of becoming Mrs. Colorado, but she also owns a spray tanning business, NoCo Glow, LLC where she helps women glow from the outside in, and just began a new venture, Girlfriends Give Collective, LLC. Girlfriends Give Collective is a life-coaching business that she recently launched focused on helping women let go of competition and comparison, to live a life of purpose and impact.
Inspired by the bravery her mother exhibited in life, Bethany learned to turn pain into courage and purpose. Her heart for community and serving others stems from the legacy inspired by her mother’s strength and grace. Our biggest chance for growth comes from our most challenging seasons. “If you look at the beginning of my story, I was born to parents addicted to drugs and alcohol. Being exposed to domestic violence and growing up in a single-parent home, statistically, my story should have turned out differently. However, I had a mother and other strong women around me who knew the cost of not fighting for a life worth living, even in adversity. Through them, I was taught the power of perseverance, the importance of building community, and turning my pain into purpose in order to serve others” shares Bethany.
Chasing her dreams and paving her own path to help others has become a mission for Bethany. Focused on choosing to use failures as an opportunity to learn and grow is where she feels success lies. When you choose to take a leap of faith forward, you also must choose to pick yourself back up again if things don’t go as planned. Life is meant to be lived outside of our comfort zone, pushing fear aside and going for what we want even if we fail. She aims to encourage other women to step past fear and take risks, even if it is scary, firmly believing that we all have a story that is meant to be shared and that in sharing our stories, we can change the world around us.
"Live in the uncomfortable. You never know whose life it will change. Have the courage to use your story, your gifts, and your heart to change the world." Bethany Norman.
Tina Martinez | Sr. Marketing Executive, Brand Partnerships, iHeartMedia | Board of Directors, Weld RE-4 Education Foundation
Not only is she a powerhouse, Tina Martinez a Colorado native, but she was born and raised right here in our very own town of Windsor. Having her roots planted firmly in the community from a young age, she has built ties that weave her into the fabric of her hometown and Northern Colorado alike. Currently the Senior Marketing Executive of Brand Partnerships at iHeartMedia, she not only manages marketing and brand partnerships locally but all around the country. Developing a passion for marketing and public relations early on, Tina graduated with a double- B.A. in PR & Advertising from the University of Northern Colorado (GO BEARS)! Feeling blessed to be able to stay centralized in the Northern Colorado area doing what she loves, she has been helping local businesses and organizations grow their brands for the last 25 years!
One of Tina’s biggest blessings in life, is her daughter Tinsley, her angel from above. “She is my everything and because of her I work harder, smarter and love hard” Tina states. They have become a team; motivating, encouraging, and cheering one another on in every season of life. Their motto: Be Kind, Be Smart, Be You. These are the words Tina hopes they can continue to hold one another accountable for, leading with their head and their heart working together.
Music, family, and community are three themes always present in Tina’s life. Inspired by her immediate community as a child, she had strong, amazing, and hard-working family members “I had a special bond with my Grandma Martinez. She was feisty, loved unconditionally, and never gave up. I pray to her often and hope that I am making her proud…#23” shares Tina. Whether it is facing life adversities, having a jam session in her car, a well-earned career, or her favorite quote, music has always intertwined itself into Tina Martinez’s life. Taking a cue from John Michael Montgomery, she knows that sometimes you will lead and sometimes you will follow, and you can’t worry about what you don’t know. Leaning on her tribe and facing challenges with a melody in her heart, we know Tina will keep creating waves and paving her own path and we can’t wait to bear witness to it.
Suzanne Ekeler | Realtor, Windermere Real Estate | Chair of the Windsor Chamber of Commerce
Suzanne Ekeler is a woman who follows her truth and knows that success comes not only from the big things in life but in the everyday things that are all around us as well. A strong dose of faith and a core belief that you must follow your gut has always helped steer her course. Before entering the world of real estate, Suzanne was a high school math teacher for 21 years. Teaching was something that filled her cup and was a hugely rewarding chapter in her story. When she began to lose her passion and felt the love of teaching fizzle out, Suzanne decided to embrace change and march in the direction of a new calling. Embracing life’s challenges has given her the confidence to face adversity head-on, knowing she will always find her way to the top. Applying her experience as a teacher, she helps guide and educate her clients through the process of buying a home, making it a less stressful, scary, and confusing undertaking. Working to give people an honest, hardworking, and trustworthy agent who puts their interests first is something she strives for.
Having a firm set of core values has helped Suzanne be accepting of both her strengths and weaknesses and know exactly what she stands for. Accountability, perseverance, kindness, honesty, and discipline are just a few of the values she believes in and honors. Knowing who she is has helped her have the confidence and wisdom to follow what brings her joy, know where she can make the biggest impact, and do what she knows in her heart is right for her. Two of her greatest gifts, her sons, have given true meaning to her life since the day they entered this world. They mean everything to her, and she is proud to be their mother. Whether it is facing a big change in life, embracing a failure, or leaning into her faith, Suzanne Ekeler inspires us all to follow our passions, trust ourselves, and grow from our hardships!
Mandy Mullen | Owner, run.Windsor Race Series and run.Colorado Relays & Founder of Windsor Gives
Mandy Mullen is involved in the running world as the Race Series Owner and race director of run.Windsor and co-owner of run.Colorado Relays; on top of that, she is also the Founder of Windsor Gives (a non-profit aimed at impacting the community through physical movement for overall health). What began as a running group hobby has blossomed into a lifelong passion and love for the impact that the running community has. Turning something that Mandy is wildly passionate about into a business has made her days more fulfilling knowing she is doing something she loves and truly believes in. Ultra-running is where Mandy really found her stride “I choose ultra-running - because no one else gets to influence the situation. No one has a say other than my own beliefs, strengths, weaknesses, willpower and grit. Sure, the rocks, mountains, and elements are there, and believe me - they’re some of the most difficult things I face- but I can’t convince them to be easier on me, so instead of fighting them I must push through. Crossing finish lines and overcoming the difficulties on the trail gives me the strength to get through anything else life throws at me.”
Mandy believes in supporting others and giving back - no matter what arena you’re in. She feels that we really are stronger together, and we must advocate for the needs of each other as well as ourselves. Balancing work, family, and a healthy lifestyle is something she strives to keep focused on and she hopes that a passion for life, kindness, and fostering community, are values her children can see modeled and can emulate forever. Her boys help her embrace her imagination and inspire her with their authenticity and care for others.
Inspired daily by the women in her life, from her mom and sisters to her TRIBE of powerhouse fellow female business owners. Mandy reminds herself that dynamite comes in small packages (a sentiment credited to her father) and that she can walk through adversity and difficult moments in her life, taking them as lessons and leaning into her support system. And as a reminder from her two boys, we do not have to take ourselves so seriously, there is always time for fun in life.
Stacy (Miller) Brown | Director of Economic Development, Town of Windsor
For Stacy Miller, overcoming fear and learning to stand in her truth have redefined her life. With a degree in Public Relations & Advertising Media, she had no idea she would end up where she did but as Director of Economic Development, she gets to help companies and share her knowledge to help people and businesses succeed. “I don’t create jobs, but I get to help create an environment where jobs can be created and where people can thrive. At the end of the day, if I’ve helped people find a great job and they can put a roof over their head and put food on the table and live a better life, I have filled my soul” shares, Stacy. She has landed a career that she absolutely adores and after 24 years, she still has a fire and passion for. Influenced by her first boss out of college, she learned kindness, patience, and that believing and supporting another woman can help change their future.
Today Stacy is a woman who lifts other women. She encourages accountability, believes in being a mentor and paying it forward, and she has genuine empathy for people. She doesn’t judge and believes you can be anything you set your mind to. She is an inspiration, a force, and the friend we all want on our team!
Sharing her wisdom, we will leave you with this:
Lead with kindness, always.
Stand up for yourself and others.
Don’t put others down to lift yourself up.
Give credit where credit is due. Always.
"Live in the uncomfortable. You never know whose life it will change. Have the courage to use your story, your gifts, and your heart to change the world."
~ Bethany Norman
“Every situation in my life can be paired with a song. When it comes to difficult situations, 3 Little Birds by Bob Marley is my go too because “don’t worry about a thing, because every little thing is gonna be alright.”
~ Tina Martinez