We love celebrating at The Conflict Center! Birthdays, new arrivals, holidays, restorative justice cases… all receive their due celebrations. Recently, we had the privilege of celebrating our Director of Development, Ronnie Weiss, for her 35th anniversary working at The Conflict Center! Just for fun, we did a little trip down memory lane with Ronnie to commemorate her and learn about her journey with TCC over the years!
1) Ronnie, what did you do before you started working at TCC? Why were you initially attracted to working here?
I worked in the domestic violence field for 15 years before joining TCC: first, at the local level with a battered women’s shelter, then at the state level in the policy arena, finally at the national level, doing fundraising.
My work at the national level was part time and I also had my own consulting business doing grant writing for a number of nonprofits. TCC was one of my clients starting in 1992 and I worked with Liz Loescher (TCC’s founder), 4 hours a week, to get funds rolling in.
At the time, I was burnt out from the stress and crisis of domestic violence work and I found the preventive mission of TCC’s programs to be a refreshing change. In 1996, when the building on Tejon Street was donated to TCC and we started the Capital Campaign to renovate it, my hours increased to about 20 hours a week. I gradually dropped my other grant writing clients and became totally immersed in the work and community at TCC.
2) What are some of the main initiatives you’ve helped to create?
I have seen TCC evolve and grow over the many years I’ve been involved. The original skill building programs and Reading for Peace have continued, while programs offered in schools have evolved into Social Norming, Hot Spot Mapping and Restorative Practices.The most recent addition is the Restorative Denver Program in partnership with the Denver D.A.’s Office. It has been exciting to watch this evolution over the years, and to work with the many dedicated staff, interns, volunteers, contractors and supporters who have contributed to this work. Many of the original folks are still connected and involved and it is a strong and nurturing community!
4) How many years have you lived in CO?
5) Is there a specific story or fun moment you would want to recall from your years working with TCC?
6) What is your hope for TCC in the future?