Leading C-Suite Execs with Grit, Determination, Spark and Service: Meet Stephanie Knight, CEO of Colorado Inclusive Economy
What is your personal/professional story?
As a woman of color in senior executive roles and the CEO of a nonprofit, I have reached these spaces and opportunities with a lot of hard work, innovative performance, and the keen ability to add to each organization's bottom line that I have had the privilege of leading. Like most CEOs, being a C-suite leader was never the primary focus or career intent. I was determined to add value, create high-performing and valued teams, and employ creativity in all the work I performed in each setting. In doing so I was identified as a leader with grit, determination, and spark that others choose to follow, which led to the opportunities I have garnered in the C-suite.
My professional career in the 90s was one of sub-acute and long-term care roles in corporate healthcare spaces where I worked for Sun Healthcare group in Southern California. These opportunities allowed me to learn the business of healthcare and contracting, which has served me well in a multitude of career roles.
I have also been a small business owner of a boutique consulting firm, that my husband and I started, Knight Business Group. An IT consulting firm that delivered services in three southern California counties with contracts in sectors like banking, automotive dealerships, real estate entities, and commercial CPA firms most notably. I truly enjoyed being a business owner and the practice of sales and business development, it was very exciting to build a business and watch it grow.
After running a business, I re-entered the nonprofit space as an interim Executive Director for the YWCA and then the Executive BBB of South Alabama, the first woman of color to ever do so. Upon relocating to Colorado, for my husband’s career, I took the role of Executive Director for the Senior Hub – an aging services non-profit, serving five years before becoming the CEO of Colorado Inclusive Economy (CIE).
What key moments in your life led you to where you are today?
I think critical moments in my life have been the guidance, upbringing, and support I received from my father, a sales executive for ConAgra Foods, a fortune 100 company. He was the epitome of an executive as he was well respected, managed high-performing teams, and met his sales quota every year out of a thirty-year sales career. He taught me so many life lessons and always led me by example. I did not know it at the time, but he was preparing me to be an executive and was illustrating how leadership is truly about serving and empowering others to their greatness.
The loss of both my parents in my thirties, within three years, has been another driving force for me personally and professionally. It was in managing their care that I was able to utilize my healthcare background to help them get the best services and resources. I also became painfully aware of how one’s individual worth can be discarded when one has health and mobility challenges. Finally, I learned that you don’t have the time on this earth that you think you have, and it is key to live your life to your purpose and spend your time very wisely in that pursuit.
My lessons of loss, opportunity, and lived experience have all culminated in my current role as CEO of Colorado Inclusive Economy (CIE), with the purpose of making Colorado the most inclusive economy in the U.S. and a model for the rest of the country.
Where does your passion to serve come from?
My passion for serving comes from several different experiences in my life. As a youth I was very active in the church and served on the usher board and was also a church greater, the value of service was a hallmark of my church community. I also have a passion to serve because I have been given so much in my life; a loving family, security, a good education, and parents that modeled the importance of service. For me, service is a belief system, I feel that we have an obligation to share our unique gifts and abilities, and one way to do that is through ongoing acts of service.
How can GlobalMindED help you reach your goals?
I am so impressed with the GlobalMindED community and the work that is being done as well as the platform and space being created for diverse individuals around the globe. Being a part of GlobalMindedED as a partner is a great way for CIE to connect talented GlobalMindedED students and mentees to employers in our network, across all sectors. CIE, through partnering with GlobalMindedED can garner more outreach, exposure, and funding opportunities to reach fundraising goals. Finally, the access to GlobalMindED subject matter experts and leaders can support the learning journey pathways CIE provides, to enhance CEO learning of DEI from an international business lens.
