Colorado State Demographer Joins Statewide Roadtrip This Summer
Kate Watkins, Colorado State Demographer, Will Share Demographic and Economic Trends Shaping Colorado’s Future
Watkins is one of our first Dottie Lamm Leadership Award winners
The Women’s Foundation of Colorado is kicking off a statewide summer tour and meet and greet with WFCO President and CEO Renee Ferrufino. Meet up with us on our roadtrip across Colorado to connect with supporters who’ve been with us along the way and those of you who want to learn more. Renee is eager to meet you and share her vision for transforming, deepening, and amplifying The Foundation’s impact for all Colorado women.
Even more, the Colorado State Demographer – and former Dottie Lamm Leadership Award winner – Kate Watkins will join WFCO on our roadtrip to discuss economic and demographic trends shaping regions where we have stops scheduled – Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Northern Colorado, and the Western Slope. Kate was one of the earliest winners of our Dottie Lamm Leadership Award, presented annually at The Women’s Foundation of Colorado’s Annual Luncheon to a young woman leaning into community leadership and advocacy for gender, racial, and economic equity.
Read more about Kate Watkins and her journey to Colorado State Demographer in the Q&A below.
WFCO: What opportunities do you see for the Colorado State Demographer’s office to address inequality in our state?
Kate: The State Demography Office is in a unique position to help others understand demographic and socioeconomic data that can unlock key insights about existing and emerging inequalities. We are a nonpartisan and non-policy office with a mission of strengthening local communities. We help strengthen communities by making data more accessible and helping others make better-informed decisions.
I work with an incredible team who travels the state sharing information through speaking engagements, education, and one-on-one conversations with policy makers, nonprofits, businesses, and the public. My hope is that this information can help decision makers improve outcomes for Coloradans.
WFCO: What were you doing before this role? What other pivotal roles have you held that led you here?
Kate: I started my career in strategic consulting doing economic and business analysis for various federal government agencies. Those early years helped establish a few persistent career themes: A love for Excel spreadsheets (yes, I said it) and data visualization, and a drive to seek out efficiencies in and to elevate public service.
From there, I served Colorado’s General Assembly for a decade as a nonpartisan economist, including as chief economist for five of those years. In this role, I was forecasting the state economy and revenue streams and analyzing the state’s fiscal policy. My first three years with the legislature spanned much of the Great Recession and recovery and the latter seven years included the COVID recession. It was a fascinating time to be analyzing and forecasting the economy. My career history also includes serving as an assistant economist at the Denver Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and completing a PhD in Sociology at Cornell University. More recently, I founded a consulting firm, Bright Fox Analytics, in 2022 dipping a toe into entrepreneurship.
Reflecting back, each career move helped to pave the way to the State Demography Office. Each step helped build a firmer foundation in economic and socioeconomic analysis, each deepened my experience with forecasting and decision-making under uncertainty, and each furthered my commitment to public service.
WFCO: Where do you see the greatest opportunities for our state to do better from a policy perspective based on what you know from the 2023 population data?
Kate: Colorado has reached a very interesting time demographically. We are among the fastest aging states, with the 75-85 year-old population projected to experience the fastest growth among age cohorts over the next 10 years. Over the next decade, we are projecting an additional 230,000 75+-year-olds in our state—a 56% increase. We have the opportunity to plan for and to embrace aging and I hope to see more efforts in this area.
A second area that readily comes to mind is affordable housing. The state and Colorado voters have committed significant resources toward housing and these efforts have helped. Yet, we continue to face unmet housing needs. The State Demography Office is expanding its team in efforts to better understand emerging housing trends and how our evolving demographics may influence demand for and the supply of housing in the future.
WFCO: What surprised you the most about 2023 population summary?
Kate: One of my favorite charts in the population summary is an interactive visualization of Colorado’s population by age and generation. It is fascinating to look at the state’s age composition, how much it varies across counties, and how it has evolved and is projected to evolve over time. It is people who make up our economies and societies, and demographics like age can tell us a lot about the nature of any given community.
If you had to leave everyone you give a presentation to with a parting thought or action what would it be?
Kate: We are getting older and there is no getting around it. Let’s embrace it and create communities where we can thrive at all ages.
What advice do you have for other young women who want to be community leaders?
Kate: Seek roles or activities that hold your interest and you will never suffer from lack of motivation. Keep your battery charged (take care of yourself). Sometimes less is more. Keep showing up.
What would you tell your 15-year-old self?
Kate: The greatest investment you can make is in knowing and loving yourself.
Join Us in Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Northern Colorado, or Grand Junction!
Sign up for one of our statewide tour stops to meet Renee Ferrufino, Kate Watkins, and grantee partners!
- Pueblo: Weds, June 25, Blues Alehouse Brewing, 6:00-8:00 pm – featuring PM.GRAN.T.E
- Colorado Springs: Thurs, June 26, Food to Power, 5:30-7:00 pm – featuring Food to Power
- Northern Colorado: Thurs, July 10, TBD, 4:30-6:30 pm – featuring Alianza NORCO
- Grand Junction: Tuesday, July 22, date/time TBD – featuring The Learning Council
2025 Dottie Lamm Leadership Award applications open
We are thrilled to announce that applications for our 2025 Dottie Lamm Leadership Award are now open! Are you a leader in your community? Are you an active advocate for gender, racial, and economic equity? If you answered yes, identify as a woman, and are between the ages of 16-21, we encourage you to apply for this one-time award of $2,500. Please fill out this application to be considered.
