Neighborhood and Community Services Coordinator, Wenatchee City
Brooklyn Holton entered Western Washington University as a heptathlete while working on two degrees in business management and kinesiology, with a minor in manufacturing and supply chain management.
Holton, who grew up in Arlington, began working with the City of Everett while studying, which has been a major impact on her current career.
“I started working in the Office of Neighborhoods where I saw my love for the community and the opportunity to make a positive impact on the quality of life of our neighbors,” she said.
Upon graduation, she moved to a full-time position in Everett City, administering scholarships, supporting neighborhood revitalization programs, and organizing citywide events.
She also began a professional athletic career as an American professional footballer for five seasons and as a Bobsleigh Brake Man (Team USA).
After moving to Wenatchee in December 2014, she continued to balance her two careers. While training for the bobsleigh competition (she won one gold and two bronze medals at the 2015 North America Cup in Park City, Utah), she began working as a city apartment and community planner. She administered local, state, and federal grants, administered city improvement programs, drafted development plans and guidelines, and supported community engagement and neighborhood revitalization.
She was instrumental in founding the United Neighborhood Association of South Wenatchee, a community advocacy group that actively supports the needs of Latinos in this neighborhood.
She prioritizes assisting local nonprofits and has served many organizations since 2015 and continues to contribute as a board member for a variety of community organizations.
Q: What accomplishments are you most proud of?
ON: In addition to my education and athletic career, recent efforts that I am proud of have involved responding to and supporting my community in the following ways:
- Wenatchees Complete Streets Policy, unanimously adopted by the city council in 2016, was given a perfect score by SmartGrowth America and has since raised more than $ 1 million in grant funds and has resulted in workshops, keynote presentations and new partners to emphasize the importance of health in all politics.
- The NCW Complete Count Committee focuses on reaching out to people who are most likely inaccurate in census data and assisting community members in our area with education and guidance on how to complete the 2020 census form. A successful application to the state raised $ 364,613 our region, which increased organizational capacity, access to jobs and civic engagement.
- Successfully applied for a grant to launch a Community Farmers Market in Cashmere in 2021 along with partners such as Leavenworth Market and Christ Center in Cashmere.
- Personal development through contacting industry and local executives. The diversity of cultures, traditions and social customs in this region strengthened the lifelong intention to fight for justice. By participating in action-oriented spaces where inequalities related to race, poverty, gender and generation barriers are effectively eliminated, I can further improve my ability to educate and promote justice in private and public institutions.
Q: Who or what inspires you to succeed?
ON: My professional and personal travels are driven by a foundation that deserves to be recognized as a positive contribution to their community, and only in an environment of equity and inclusion can that role be recognized.
Whether professionally or voluntarily, I want to approach opportunities through two lenses. The first is through a lens that studies relativity to improve quality of life, and the second lens is that through which diversity, equity and inclusion are prioritized.
Knowing that the plans and guidelines I develop and the initiatives and connections I make can make a positive difference in both the bigger picture and in a single life inspires me to succeed.
I continue to look ahead to see how my training and experience can be further expanded. I have set two goals that inspire me to succeed in and of themselves:
- Grow my consulting business, Firm Foundations, to provide technical support to small businesses and organizations that serve disadvantaged members of their community.
- Get certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners and show my promise to maintain high standards of practice, ethics, and professional conduct, and to keep my skills updated through ongoing professional development.
Comments are closed.