3 minute read
From Ignite Young Professional to President & CEO of York County Community Foundation
How Natalee Colón Gunderson grew to a role that is giving voice and opportunity to others
BY CASEY NIXON I DIRECTOR, MEMBERSHIP & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Starting her career in retail management and making her way into the human resources field after college, Natalee Colón Gunderson found herself at The York Water Company in 2011. As she worked her way up, Natalee landed a role as Vice President of Human Resources in 2019 where she worked for five years successfully navigating through a pandemic, workforce shortages, a drought, and much more.
In March of this year, Natalee began facing a new adventure as she leads the team at York County Community Foundation (YCCF) as the new President and CEO following Jane Conover’s retirement in December of 2023.
As Natalee transitions to YCCF, she’s most excited about understanding and enhancing partnerships in the community that are making an impact on economic development and community change. “My vision is to ensure that more of our community members understand the value of the Community Foundation, what it does, and what it means for today, and our future as a County,” Natalee says.
Natalee credits her many mentors over the years who have helped her get to where she is today. From her parents, Natalee attributes learning honesty, kindness, and perseverance. Through working with and knowing Jeff Hines and Patti Stirk, she understands values such as grace, humanity, humility, and some spunk. She’s grateful to leaders she has encountered in the York community who have allowed her to observe and learn from them while helping her make connections that have allowed her to help others.
In addition to working full-time, Natalee volunteers for various nonprofits in our community. Recognizing her work and dedication to York County, Natalee was named the YCEA’s Ignite Young Professional of the Year in 2021 which spotlights a young professional igniting change here in YoCo, foreshadowing a natural fit for the future leader of YCCF.
This is the community that I choose to live in and am raising my family and therefore, I put my hand and heart up to do good work to ensure we all thrive. This is now my home and I want to invest in it. I want to share why people should live, work, and play in this county, and what we do to make sure we all thrive.
- Natalee Colón Gunderson, President & CEO of York County Community Foundation
“I have always been interested and passionate about seeing more of our community members thrive in daily life and I am excited to be a part of ensuring our community facilitates more of that through philanthropy,” Natalee said.
For Natalee, being a leader means, “using her platform to give voice and opportunity to others in an authentic, respectful, and strategic way that not only benefits today but the future.” In her new role, Natalee asks the York community to allow her to listen and learn so she can facilitate collaboration and progress that our entire community is connected to, not just a select few.
When she’s not at the YCCF office, Natalee can be found spending time with her husband Reed and daughter Viveeana, caffeinating at The Green Bean Roasting Co., and enjoying YoCo’s outdoor assets!
