We Are Chaffee
We Are Chaffee is designed to be a safe place for nonprofits, community institutions and others to share and engage in each other stories. The hope is that through listening, sharing and engaging in local stories, our community will become more aware of our neighbors stories and ultimately more compassionate and resilient. The We Are Chaffee initiative grew out of the Chaffee County Public Health and Housing grant-funded Housing + Health Program, along with the Chaffee County Community Foundation and others who were inspired to create We Are Chaffee to be a catalyst for community dialogue and learning.
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STEERING COMMITTEE
ANDREA CARLSTROM
Andrea has spent her entire career dedicated to health and wellness in a wide variety of environments and has served the community as Chaffee County Public Health's (CCPH) Director for almost a decade. CCPH provides the county with over 30 programs and services, including chronic disease prevention and early intervention, communicable disease surveillance and investigation, emergency preparedness and response, maternal and family health, environmental health, aging well, immunizations, and so much more.
In 2019, she and her colleagues were inspired to ignite a storytelling and advocacy movement to empower and unite the people of Chaffee County and to drive systems and policy change from the tales of lived experience from our own backyard which has become We Are Chaffee. We Are Chaffee is a catalyst for community conversations, and it is not uncommon for Andrea to be meeting with community partners and members of the public to hear about their experiences and to strategize on solutions to make living in Chaffee County a better place for all. As chief health strategists in the communities they serve, local public health directors have an opportunity to connect people and programming, leverage resources and expertise, and improve the health landscape with an equitable lens. Andrea is honored that she has such a unique role in such a special place that she calls home.​
LISA MARTIN
Lisa began her career with a focus on environmental health. Eventually, her environmental work evolved to her current position with the Chaffee County Public Health Department and a focus on community health. Lisa's foundational knowledge of ecosystem function and health has prepared her with a deep understanding that environmental & community health are intrinsically intertwined.
Lisa loves meeting the diverse people of Chaffee County and helping them share their stories through We Are Chaffee. Each storyteller has brought a new understanding and perspective to Lisa and for that, she is grateful.
KELLY LANDAU
Kelly has had the immeasurable privilege since 2021 of supporting the WAC Storytelling initiatives and the We Are Chaffee, Chaffee County Public Health, and contractor talent that leads this work. Through her engagement, she has come to see how critical and healing a tool storytelling can be for all the actors involved: the storywriter, storyteller, and us, as the listeners.
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She hopes to be able to continue providing her organizational, data collection, and reflection skill sets to bring the next round of visionary storytelling initiatives into the future of Chaffee County.
ADAM WILLIAMS
Adam has worked for 20+ years in a range of creative professional roles, including as a writer, photographer, journalist, content strategist, marketer and podcaster.
As host of the We Are Chaffee’s Looking Upstream podcast, Adam talks with guests about experiences that have shaped their lives. Then he photographs them.
HEATHER GORBY
Heather has been crafting visual messages and designs for over two decades. Heather has worked with a variety of engaging projects for both private and non-profit organizations, designing visual assets and branding that drive engagement to each specific project.
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Heather has had the privilege of assisting with We Are Chaffee since its inception. She has enjoyed the challenges of creating visual pieces that align with the stories, and the relationships and friendships formed during the process.