Dear Community,
I am writing to share important news regarding a leadership transition within our organization.
After seven and a half years of dedicated service, our Executive Director, Beth Yohe, has made the decision to step down from her position, effective July 9.
Throughout her tenure, Beth has been an extraordinary leader—guiding our organization through periods of growth, challenge, and transformation. Her commitment to our mission and the communities we serve has left a lasting impact, and her contributions will continue to shape our work for years to come.
We are grateful for Beth’s vision, passion, and tireless dedication. Under her leadership, we significantly increased our partnerships and funders. Beth expanded the Center’s programming and secured a better financial outlook for the entire organization. She has also been a strong advocate for collaboration, and we know many of you have worked closely with her over the years. For that, we thank you.
Our board is in the process of planning a thoughtful transition and we have launched a search for new leadership. The position description is online. We hope that you will share widely with your networks.
We will keep you informed throughout this transition and remain committed to continuing the important impact of The Conflict Center and the strong relationships we’ve built together. Please see the personal message from Beth below.
With gratitude,
Jesús D. Escárcega, Board President
On behalf of The Conflict Center Board
A Message From Beth Yohe
The opportunity to serve as Executive Director for The Conflict Center has been such a gift.
And after almost eight years in my role, I feel confident “passing the torch” because of our remarkable Board leadership, grounded in governance best practices and clarity of purpose, the phenomenal, dedicated and talented professional staff and the supportive, invested Conflict Center community. Every person I have worked with has made an impact on me and the organization. Together we have fostered a strong, inclusive, people-focused culture. One intern finishing their internship this term said, “TCC has set the bar high for any workplace I go to next” and that is a testament to the work environment we have built. The Conflict Center truly is a special place to work while fulfilling its critical mission and making a difference in people’s lives.
During my tenure, we built upon a strong foundation laid by Liz Loescher, since its founding in 1987 in her basement. This local organization was truly built from “below the ground” up and now has incredible impact not just in the Denver-metro area, but nationally as well. I am proud of our work and our many achievements. TCC’s programming has grown in reach and impact. Rethinking Conflict, our youth skills-building class, is offered both onsite and through school and organizational partnerships across the region, allowing for more students to gain preventative skills to address conflict. Our ability to think creatively and embrace technology during the difficult pandemic period, allowed us to maintain our important work during that time as well as continue to expand our reach. We now provide classes and professional development virtually and in person across Colorado and nationally. As a result, we have consistently full Addressing Conflict and Anger Effectively adult classes and a robust slate of professional development partnerships. It has been really satisfying to see the broad range of organizations that we’ve had the opportunity to train.
When I started, The Conflict Center had just changed its approach to restorative practices, and we now have a one-of-a-kind Five Strategies RP approach, focusing on true culture change in schools as well as a strong teacher educator program, including over 80 attendees registered for our upcoming Restorative Practices Summer Educator Institute this month. In addition, we have had the honor of building on our restorative practices expertise to launch Restorative Denver in partnership with the Denver District Attorney’s office. Since its inception five and a half years ago, we have successfully facilitated over 520 case referrals and launched a thematic program and Spanish-language process. With a remarkable 6% recidivism rate after 6 years, we know that we have offered a true off-ramp from the traditional legal system.
I am also really gratified by the addition of two fantastic events. Peace Day (which just took place on Saturday), a completely free community day that expands on the tenets of Reading for Peace, builds social-emotional skills through fun activities and the power of reading. The day itself has grown each year with families returning every year and through the distribution of over 1,000 Peace Boxes throughout the community. The other event, our Development Director’s favorite part of the year, is the In Your Element Skills Auction, which brings the power of skill-building to the community through a one-of-its kind auction and super fun in-person culmination, setting the standard for a fundraising event aligned with our mission.
I laugh when I think about one of my first tasks when I was hired in 2017. Before I had even started, the Board informed me that my first piece business was successfully renting out much of the space to new tenants. I had a program management background, so being a landlord was completely new. And since then, I have grown to love the community we have built in 4140/4130, reflected in the fact that the offices have been fully leased since 2018, even through COVID. We now have consistent, sustaining income for TCC with a wonderful mix of nonprofits and individual practitioners, aligned with TCC values of providing affordable space within a welcoming community.
In short, I am incredibly honored and proud to have been part of The Conflict Center’s impact over the last almost eight years, guiding through many challenges including financial instability when I started and the unexpected upheaval and fear during the pandemic. TCC is in a strong financial position with an amazing staff, dedicated volunteers and top notch board and I know that the organization will continue Liz Loescher’s legacy of practical skill-building and will be at the center of reframing conflict for years to come. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of that legacy.
Sincerely,
Beth Yohe
