Hello, I'm Simone Ross, CEO of the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce.

We partnered with PBS12 to bring stories of women in the workforce to a new platform.

These stories are real.

They're raw.

They show both the victories and the challenges women in the workforce are living.

The statistics are clear.

For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 81 women are.

Also women make only 29% of C-suite positions in the U.S. as compared to men.

These numbers are from the 2024 Women in Work report.

Along with the challenges, we're seeing signs of change as well.

In Colorado, we are closing the pay gap three times faster than others here in the U.S..

So how do we keep moving forward?

Well, by learning from one another and sharing our experiences.

And that's how Humanize Women in the workforce was born over the past four months.

We interviewed 12 different women, all in different industries and different places in their careers.

They come from different communities, too.

It's my privilege to share these amazing women with you right now.

In tonight's episode, we hear from Ale Spray, Berry Koné and Jade Marquez.

First up is Ale Spray, CEO and president of the Hispanic Contractors of Colorado.

My name is Ale Spray.

I go with Ale, but my full name is Alejandra Spray.

I'm the CEO and president of an association called Hispanic Contractors of Colorado.

We always have this, notion that construction is a male dominated industry.

What we see in the labor and the general managers, every level.

But as the years have gone by, more women interested in the STEM fields, more women proven that they have the skills and knowledge and the passion for construction.

We're changing that narrative is no longer a male dominated industry.

It's a male populated.

There are women taking more leadership roles as owners and entrepreneurs, as architects, engineers, designer, construction managers.

I was the only woman in my class room and there were 23 male classmates.

So in my graduation picture, the only woman in a picture of 22 or 23 guys.

People think is my quinceanera on my wedding picture.

And I say, no, that's my graduation picture.

My teachers didn't treat me differently.

They treat me as one of the guys, and that's one of my prized to see that picture and for both my kids to see.

If you have your passion, if you have a goal, you just have to fight for it.

Then moving to the United States as a Latina, as a woman of color, moving into an industry that, again, we were thinking is only for men, white men, and trying to make my, my career advancement and proven that I have the skills and knowledge that I went to school.

I have a degree.

And when I moved here, my degree didn't transfer.

So it was the language barrier.

It was the cultural barrier.

But I know that I wanted to be part of this industry.

It was just finding my my place where I felt comfortable to keep thriving and growing.

It has always been a challenge.

Sometimes being the only woman in the room, being that voice.

And, you know, we hear about the stereotype that you come to passionate.

I've been labeled as outspoken, too loud to Latina, but it's about that.

I'm the same.

I'm I'm this person.

And when we see it with a male counterparts, we always feel like is not the same standard male are advanced because they have the potential.

They see the potential on them.

But women are promoted based on performance.

They have to perform a special project, make sure they give this results.

There have been some sacrifices being in this point in my career.

We say leadership has some sacrifices.

I have the honor of being a mother of two teenagers.

I was not the typical mom to be in the PTA meetings volunteering.

I was the mom that you told me what you need.

I'll bring it to you.

Buy it from the store.

But I was always honest with my kids at their level of understanding.

The mom was not going to be always picking them up or being in the the this in the function at their school.

But if they needed their mom for an emergency, mom will be there.

And I explained to them how important was my career.

To be honest, I don't think I regret anything.

I know that this is what I wanted my kids, now 16 and 19, they know the value, they understand their place in my life and they see women can make it.

People feel.

Women are really hard on each other in this industry.

And it is.

The reasoning is sometimes companies don't give the same opportunities.

We see there's an opening session and a woman, we're going to fight for it.

And also ageism is a factor.

Women, as they get season, they don't have the same opportunities as men in a different age.

So sometimes we're mean to each other because we're fighting for that opportunity to be seen, to be taken in consideration.

And sometimes for my colleagues, when they're younger, it's like, oh, you're too young to be this project manager.

Oh, I didn't know you will be in this meeting.

If a man comes to the room and say, I have 20 years, they take it like, oh, yes, you do.

A woman, she'll always have to say, I've been in projects, I have run my business.

I'm doing this giving woman trying to get loans for their businesses.

It's hard because again, they feel like, do you know the industry?

Do you know the business?

So it's still we're fighting, but we're not giving up that fight, is it?

Sometimes is not just the pay is the title that we deserve it.

And nothing gets me more a little passionate when people ask me why you need the title.

And I say, because I'm tired, took care of my resume to every room I walk into.

The answer session always has been around for 34 years and they always have executive directors.

So when they ask me for the opportunity to be in this role, I ask, yes, but I want to change the title to CEO and president.

And that took them a little back.

Like why so?

Because you deserve this title and I deserve the title to go with it.

And if you look in the industry in construction, most of these organizations, they have men.

They get this CEO president title.

So take it, think about it and let me know.

And a couple days later they call me and say, yes, you can get the title to advocate for myself and not be afraid to ask for what I want it.

It was a little moment of, oh, okay.

They said yes.

Wow.

Now what I do with it, but also a proud moment as a Latina and negotiate what I want.

For me, I want to see more women of color advancing and opening business and being successful.

I said, any industry, there's competitiveness, there's sometimes jealousy.

But we identify the women.

They're elevating each other and they're supporting because we know that we're not going to be here forever.

We have to support a younger generation, and we have to make sure our voices are being represented in more rooms to open more space.

So hopefully more women will see I'm not competing.

I'm just trying to also make my path so well.

What I want to see is that that is the numbers.

How many women have stayed in this industry?

How many women are being promoted and not just in the field labor, but how many have been promoted to upper management, vice president, C-suite levels?

Those are the numbers that I still want to see, because that's really tell me you are investing and you really believe in the power of women being recognized with accolades by the women's chamber, by the LGBT chamber, by my industry.

It really fills me with joy, because I came here 25 years ago with a suitcase and a lot of dreams, and I just want an opportunity to work.

In an interview here today in PBS, I was watching PBS when I was transitioning from coming to Mexico, from Mexico to the United States, watching all the kids show Sesame Street.

Arthur.

Curious George, just to get familiar with the English.

And now being here in a seat here in PBS, a really well-respected station is one success that I can just pat myself and say, I made it.

So what I'm going to do with this now, I'm going to elevate other women to say, you can make it, too.

I serve on the board of a Stem organization, Stem Blazers, and we inspire young women interested in Stem careers.

And what we've seen is the representation for them to see, for them to hear stories, for somebody to hear immigrant leaders afraid to leave my apartment because I was afraid of getting lost.

Sometimes I had to draw a little map in my hand watching TV to learn the English.

It's about the determination.

It's about knowing this.

Sometimes you will fail.

It's about sometimes you will not always find the allies who have the the faith.

There are people cheering for you.

And then if you look around in this industry, you will find a female or a woman that will say, I'm here, this sisterhood is here.

We will help you, will protect you, will guide you, and will sometimes correct you too.

If you're trying to go in a different path that we you're bringing us back to.

So it's for those people or women they are looking we often lost a lot of coin.

We sometimes question or skills.

Don't let it last too long.

Look at yourself in the mirror.

Make your power posts full of friends.

Reach out to me and if you need a pep talk, I will give it to you that you're capable.

You're strong.

You're smart.

The only thing you need is the desire to keep fighting.

It's not women versus men.

It's about how we bring different skills, different perspectives, and we make a team stronger.

We see construction is diverse.

Diversity is in everything.

We all have our backgrounds.

We all have our ways of thinking.

So it's not only the color of your skin, but we have to ensure that people feel included and they feel like they belong in there.

So I work with our membership is of around 200 comprised by females.

Women starting their business in construction that people feel is your husband is your father's business.

Women have started a business on their own.

They have that degree and they started.

So for me is talking to companies and say it's not about the right thing to do is the smart thing to do.

If you're talking about reaching out to local clients, why you don't reach out to local suppliers, to local contracting companies, and even my members companies, they say I don't want the job because I'm checking the box for you.

I want the job because I'm qualified and capable of doing this work.

So working to help people understand the diversity is part of our fabric.

We are a great and I don't call it the melting pot is the salad bowl.

We all have a spice, we all have a flavor that we bring and enrich.

Our community is how we include everybody in whatever capacity, how we make them feel welcome.

We all want to provide for a family.

We want to create generational wealth.

We all want opportunities, and we all want to have be recognized for what our talents and our skills.

thank you, Ale Your words are very inspiring for women leaders everywhere.

Next, we turn to Berry Koné.

PBS12 business development and fundraising manager.

My name is Berry Koné.

I'm currently the business development fundraising manager at PBS12.

I'm originally from Ivory Coast, where I was born and raised.

My first language is French.

I moved to the US initially for school.

I moved here to Denver, where I attended Deuce grad school in International Intercultural Communication with a certificate in Global Health Office.

After my grad school, I applied for the OPT, which is optional, practical training, and they usually give you one year for that.

And so I had to find a job after graduation in the span of three months, or I would just go back home.

So I was really applying everywhere and trying to find something that also like suited me, and something that also aligned with my values.

Denver Food Rescue actually gave me this opportunity when I started the job at Denver for the rescue.

After, I think just couple of months in, I fell pregnant and I felt disappointed.

I think feeling like I was letting down, like the work.

But people there were very like, supportive, like, you know, that's life.

And while I was going through that, I also was applying for my green card.

Everything happened there.

I had a baby.

Then I had the green card.

And I feel like things pretty much just happened, like naturally.

So right now he takes care of the baby while I go to work.

I am currently the breadwinner, I would say, for my family.

He decided to put his career kind of like, you know, in the backburner and stay with the baby while I can focus on my career.

Recently, I've been integrating the Colorado Woman's Chamber of Commerce.

I'm currently doing the Leadership Lab in, I also move into the second, round of the interviews to be part of their boards, and I feel like those are the opportunities, I guess, that I see to kind of create the community around myself a little bit, being around other women in the workforce and, you know, kind of like having the advice, being in the community in that way.

I feel like that's kind of like what I've strive for right now.

Everything seems great.

But, you know, like being here, I've seen that like, racism is like a thing.

Image is a little hard because it made me very self-conscious of like, who I am, what I look like.

Not necessarily things that I would have to do if I was back home because, you know, the majority of the people are like black.

But then there's there's different nuances with different ethnicities and tribe.

And I feel like the way I sound to maybe I do have this accent.

I've tried to, you know, worked on it, but I feel like it's still there and I'm now learning to embrace it.

I feel like it's part of me, and it really had to be that, like having the resilience, like adaptability and, you know, making sure that I keep I stayed determined regardless.

But eventually, you know, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Like, you can make it like I've seen women make it.

And it was regardless of what they look like.

It's really more about what you can do and your skills.

That's why I've been so focused on, like getting my education and making sure that I had this higher education because I feel like for me, it's always been like, I have to prove what I'm capable of because of what I look like.

I feel like there's stereotypes.

I mean, stereotypes are subconscious.

People are walking around having stereotypes, and I can't let that stop me.

But it's really about like me accepting myself and realizing, like, what I'm capable of.

I know that it feels like you stand really out because you don't look like anyone else, but I feel like that's also it's been it's helped me embrace, like, my uniqueness.

I don't feel like any places I've worked so far here.

I've, you know, tried to push anything on me for my hair, for example.

I was really expecting to have to cut my hair, for example, to have like work.

Some employers would discriminate and would not hire you because of the type of hair that you have.

That's why a lot of women have to wear.

We use and, you know, making sure they have like straight hair and all that.

So that's something I was really worried about.

But I never, ever, like, came, you know, came up like, oh, you have to do this or you have to change the way you dress or, you know, you have to speak differently.

You know, nobody ever brought that up to me.

I've been privileged and grateful that that never happened to me.

But, I know that some people have had this experience is the most fulfilling thing for me, I think is the impact.

I just love seeing, you know, my work have a lot of impact, and I've had the privilege to do just that.

I never food rescue and here to like securing corporate partnerships and sponsorship for event.

These are the things that really make me happy.

When I know that this funding is actually going to something that's impactful and that will help people and like, you know, deeper like we Denver Food Rescue definitely gave me a lot of that because, you know, I knew that this money was directly going to purchase food, you know, for people that didn't necessarily have the means to get these, like, healthy foods on their plates or their families split.

And here it's really all the impactful documentaries that we're doing, all of the stories that we're highlighting.

I feel like these are the little things that just make me go every day.

I know I'm doing something great.

It's not I'm not going to save the world.

But, you know, just doing something that has an impact is what I'm going for.

My country right now is getting back.

But growing up, the country went through like two civil wars.

That was really hard because, you know, there's just this sense of insecurity.

Like what am I going to do with my future?

Am I even going to have a future?

Am I going to survive this?

You're just so much unknown.

And I feel like just coming out of that, it's made me, you know, super resilient and adaptable and, you know, also more determined because I'm like, if I can show the way to, like, my daughter or the little girls and, they can see that, oh, she's doing this and just having this visual representation of someone that looks like you, that's doing something impactful.

It's just encouraging.

And that's what I want.

I want to be able to do like a work that has a great impact and also motivates people to actually do better.

Thank you, Barry, for sharing your unique story.

Our final interview is with Jade Marquez, senior Lead Digital Experience manager for Lumen Technologies.

My name is Jade Marquez and right now my 9 to 5.

I work for Lucent Technologies.

My title is Senior Lead Digital Experience Manager.

I'm scared every day.

But recently I've learned you never know if you don't shoot your shot.

And most of the time, if you just try, like take that one step and that second step, it either works out very well for you and it's like a wonderful surprise and like an ego boost, or you learn a very valuable lesson or lessons that you carry with you forward.

I think especially at lumen, we we have a fabulous, female leader, Kate Johnson, who I think we're all obsessed with.

And so that's amazing.

I think that kind of like, really lights a fire under you when you see your leadership out there being amazing, transforming the company.

It gets people intrigued.

Like, maybe I do want to be in a leadership role.

Like, maybe I do want to put myself out there.

And I think that's a decision that everybody needs to make.

I feel like women especially have this expectation of themselves, oh, if you're tasked with this, then you must do the whole thing.

Instead of I am tasked with this, I collaborated.

We came up with this.

Maybe there's like a little bit of fear, like of proving yourself, proving your value.

And if you bring people in, maybe that might be seen as you can't do it yourself.

I would say that probably I started my career with that energy, feeling like if I didn't do it or if I asked for help, that I wasn't meeting or exceeding expectations.

What I've learned is to like, let go and to not be so tightly wound and to just kind of ask for help.

Don't be shy.

If you know somebody that's really good at something that you're it's kind of in your space.

Help them up.

See if they'll help get their advice.

Asking for help and letting go has been like really huge for me now that I've, you know, been in the game and I've succeeded and I've failed and I've tackled challenges that I never thought I would achieve.

I'll say like, yeah, ask for help immediately.

Like, as soon as you get that project, start hitting people up, asking questions.

I would say 90% of it is asking questions and being quiet and learning, and then the 10% is like hitting the go and putting people in a room together like a team.

Everybody has their place and that's usually what they're good at.

And then all of a sudden you get synergy and so people can start picking up things that necessarily weren't in the description or, you know, the assumption of your responsibility in the beginning.

I love like that teamwork.

I love looking around the room and being like, okay, well, if anybody could do it, it's definitely us.

And not like if anybody could do it's definitely me.

It's like, no, it's us, because I couldn't do it by myself.

My two favorite leaders have been male and they have been very, very into teaching me, but also uplifting my work.

Like whenever my work is being talked about in the rooms where decisions are made, being like, well, this is Jade, let me let me have her speak to it.

And that's something else that I have just recently realized, like it's a huge green flag when it comes to your leadership is if you're working on really great work that they call you up to talk about it, instead of kind of like, grab that great work and and talk about themselves, but making sure that you're in those rooms so people know what you've done.

I've been seen, I am valued.

My advice would be sometimes, if you're not being seen, that's not the right place.

And, as somebody who's struggled with, like, loyalty to a fault, releasing things that don't serve you is very important.

And I would say, like, any good relationship, what you're putting in should be coming out.

Keep your head down and work hard, and then you'll get noticed and promoted that.

That's what I was kind of told by my dad.

No, don't do that.

I would say work hard.

Talk about it loudly.

If you are that type of person who can't talk about their work or themselves in a way that doesn't feel cringe or, you know, brown nosy, then you can be you can put yourself in a vulnerable position for people to take advantage of you.

Proudest moments when I worked for the Colorado Technology Association.

One thing that brought me a ton of support and taught me a lot of things I didn't realize that I needed to learn was, participating in their Young Professionals board and so I wanted that for other folks.

So started the Colorado Technology Association.

Yo, pro, where they can have speaking and leadership and thought leadership, in the organization have better networking opportunities, but also kind of start getting that board service experience.

I think learning how to work with a whole bunch of people with different motivations, different perspectives on one thing is very hard, but 100% necessar.

I would also say that creating a network is very important, because what I always tell people, your network is your net worth.

Don't forget it.

I need other like minded, professionally motivated women to talk to when stuff goes down.

I can't tell you how many times I call them with like in my mind, an impossible situation.

And we'd get together for a happy hour and I would have women like who was in H.R., who was, you know, completely different areas, give me advice.

And I would take a little nugget from each and come up with my own, like, okay, this is how I'm going to handle it.

And I know for a fact that if I didn't have them there to give me the advice that they did, I would not have made such strategic, smart decisions that didn't screw myself over.

I think we should have more young professional boards.

Because, you know, you look at board service, you know, that aren't young professional boards and they're just like, no young people.

And there's definitely not a lot of women.

And so I think like getting people thinking about it potentially is also something I'm very proud of.

In 2022, I was the chair of the Women's March Denver.

I feel great about it.

It's something that I've achieved.

But marching right after Roe v Wade was overturned was one of the most stressful, dark, painful learning moments of my life.

And like all areas, it changed my feminism.

It definitely taught me how heavy responsibility can be.

But also, again, it taught me how to lean on the people that I'm doing it with.

To ask for support was one of the the largest things that I've done.

I felt like my whole life was kind of leading up to that.

My personal passion is, you know, women's rights and gender parity and government and industry and and leadership.

And so I felt like my whole life had led up to this.

I don't think we need to change.

I think allies need to change.

I think people need to take a real look on what showing up as an ally looks like.

I think we're out here doing the work, and sometimes it takes other folks also being like, hey, that's a microaggression.

Or like, hey, we don't have enough diversity in this room.

Hey, how can we have this leadership, this thought leadership, when it's all white men who kind of look similar wearing a same outfit?

It's kind of like taking the allies.

Not necessarily women, men, other folks to call these things out.

Because I think we've done enough.

I think we just need to show up now and be our fabulous selves, because we do bring a different type of leadership like we do bring a different perspective, like we are mothers were sisters.

We do bring that.

But I'm like, we even bring that every day.

And so I think other people need to step it up now and open their eyes and realize diversity makes you successful and makes you a good team.

It makes people feel like they belong outside the box.

Thinking happens, innovation happens, problems are solved.

And so like, if you're into that, then you're into diversity and you should be in allyship and you should change.

Thank you, Jade, for being candid.

Your words of advice are appreciated.

12 women, 12 voices.

All incredible stories.

We hope you've come away with some new insights and inspiration.

To learn more about the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce.

You can visit our website at cwcc.org to watch all of these stories and learn more about humanize.

You can visit PBS12.org or visit PBS12's YouTube page.

I'm Simone Ross.

Until next time.