CEO Profile: Elsa Holguín

Elsa Holguín joined DPP in June of last year and has hit the ground running with programming and strategy. Holguín came to DPP from Rose Community Foundation, where she served as the senior program officer for Child & Family Development for 21 years. During that time, she oversaw more than $50 million in early childhood development grants, positioning the foundation as a leader in this area. She is also a founding member and the current co-chair of Colorado’s Early Childhood Leadership Commission. Here are five fun facts to know about our fearless new leader.

• She attended a training on transcendental meditation.

Learning this technique, which she practices daily for 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes at night, she has found that her overall focus has improved. Since the training, she has shared her learnings with her family and friends. “I feel so much calmer. My actions aren’t changing, but how I feel about everything has.”

• She grew up in an agricultural valley in Chihuahua, Mexico.

Growing up in a small community in the valley between the Sonoran Desert and the Sierra de Madres, Elsa remembers constantly enjoying the fresh fruit that grew around the region: plums, cherries, apples and peaches. When she came to the U.S., she realized what an advantage growing up in an agricultural region had been. “Food was always so fresh and readily available.”

• Walking and reading are her favorite activities.

She loves nothing more than listening to an audio book on a long walk, preferably around a lake. “I listen to a combination of fiction and nonfiction, and I particularly like international books about different cultures and their perspectives,” she said. She tends to do a deep dive on subjects of interest. Recently, she finished her tenth book about Korea. She also boasts the maximum amount of holds allowed on one account at her library.

• She cherishes her two small and energetic four-legged friends.

Maya, a Yorkie Chihuahua mix, and Luna, a small mystery mutt, are fierce friends who run and protect the Holguín household.

• She’s looking ahead.

Elsa is very proud of the team at DPP and their tremendous legacy. In 2020, she’s looking forward to further developing their leadership voice in the community. “Being able to share our knowledge and expertise more widely will be a focus for us,” she said. “We’re facing lots of growth and expanding our programs to reach new communities. There’s a lot of activity with early childhood education in Colorado with our constant population changes. We’re going to use our proactive asset model to identify opportunities and do our best work to serve children and families.”