Pueblo, Colorado, President/CEO United Way of Pueblo County. Appointed: March 2007 for a four-year term

As President of United Way in Pueblo County, Andrea Aragon has the vantage point of seeing both the needs and the generosity in her community. Raising hundreds of thousands of dollars though, according to Aragon, never seems to take away the shock that comes with seeing the numbers of people without access to affordable, basic health care, and the growing numbers of working Coloradans who can't afford coverage, nor do they qualify for government assistance programs. For that reason, says Aragon, she would place funding priorities on health care access in rural areas, capacity building for organizations that can provide more affordable health care and a focus on mental health.

Aragon began work at United Way of Pueblo County in 2002. Previously, she served as the Assistant Director of Alumni Development and the Director of Alumni Relations at Colorado State University - Pueblo. Aragon graduated from the University of Southern Colorado, now CSU-Pueblo, with a BS degree in Mass Communications and a minor in Political Science in 1993. She has worked for U.S. Congressman Scott McInnis, and served as the President/CEO of the Latino Chamber of Commerce from 1994 to 1997.

Whether working with her 17 partner agencies at United Way, or serving on the Caring for Colorado program committee, Aragon says, "Funding is a challenge because...there are many worthy causes, and a limited amount of dollars to go around." She says she is always asking, "How do we get the biggest bang for our buck? And how can we help communities and organizations build more capacity for the future?"

The future has long been Aragon's focus. She has served on many non-profit community boards and committees including the College/Invest Board, the Board of the Pueblo Hispanic Education Foundation, Girl Scouts, The El Pueblo Adolescent Treatment Facility, The Historic Arkansas Riverwalk Project Commission and others.

Helping to provide opportunities to those in need, whether in education, health or human services is what Aragon hopes her professional and volunteer work will offer. "Its cliché, but it is my goal to make a difference in my community," she says.