Laura speaking at the 2025 Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference, courtesy of Denver’s Early Childhood Council.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees and all employees, I’d like to congratulate Laura Carlson, Vice President of Programs, on marking 15 years with the Buell Foundation.
During her tenure, Laura has worked directly with Colorado communities, led the Foundation’s grantmaking team, and provided leadership at many levels within the early childhood sector in Colorado. As Vice President of Programs, she lends her thoughtfulness, expertise, and deep understanding of early childhood development to enrich conversations and drive systemic change in our sector.
Laura’s leadership of the Program Team has grown and flourished throughout the years. She provides informed, nuanced, and proven approaches in identifying how to best invest in and advocate for our partners and diverse local communities. Laura’s knowledge and insight is a bedrock of our team’s success where she engages with all to foster a culture of collaboration, learning, creative problem solving, and continuous improvement.
During Laura’s tenure, we have expanded our grantmaking and have given more than $200 million to programs helping the kids of the state, reflecting her ability to identify, serve, and grow to meet the evolving needs of Colorado’s early childhood landscape. And she is quick on her feet; she oversaw nearly $2 million in COVID-era emergency relief funding for the sector in 2020.
Laura’s efforts on behalf of children are not restricted to her day job. She currently chairs the Colorado Early Childhood Funders Network, sits on the board for EPIC (Executives Partnering to Invest in Children), is a member of the national Early Childhood Funders Collaborative, and is on the Universal Preschool Subcommittee of the Colorado Early Childhood Leadership Commission. In these roles, she provides valuable guidance in addressing complex challenges and facilitating collective action.
With all due respect, there is no employee at Buell, including me, who is more impactful for the kids of Colorado. All of us at the Foundation are grateful that Laura chose Buell as the platform for her contributions that play out in ways big and small, strategic and visionary, for families and communities both urban and rural—and all with the mission of improving the lives of children in Colorado. We look forward to Laura’s continued impactful work for many years to come. Congratulations!
Steve ErkenBrack
President & CEO
