You belong

As the Board of Directors for Inside Out Youth Services (IOYS), we write to express our deep appreciation of Jessie Pocock (she/her) for her charismatic leadership, and share our excitement about IOYS’s future, as Jessie steps down from her role as Executive Director & CEO of IOYS effective December 31, 2024.

To provide some perspective on Jessie’s impact on IOYS, when she was hired as Executive Director in 2018, IOYS had a paid staff of two employees – one full-time and one part-time – and a $250,000 budget. In nearly seven years, IOYS has grown to include more than 19 paid staff members and a budget of over $2.2 million. Financial statistics, however, only speak to a fraction of Jessie’s impact on this incredible organization. 

Jessie’s ambitious vision for IOYS led to the formation of a strategic planning committee to support the newly expanded organization. IOYS staff were inspired to envision Inside and Outside missions as part of the newly adopted strategic plan. The “Inside” mission expanded and formalized youth programming, ensured access to mental health care, and secured an incredible new space. (By the way, if you have yet to see it, please schedule a visit to experience just how amazing our new IOYS home is.) The “Outside” mission was bolstered through community partnerships, the Safe at Schools Coalition, and advocacy within the local Colorado Springs and statewide community. Both missions centralized creating support and opportunities for more than 200 youth per year served by IOYS, more than 20,000 youth per year impacted through pro-LGBTQIA2+ policy changes, and more than 1,500 adults per year in the community trained to better support and uplift LGBTQIA2+ young people.   

Jessie has always been, and continues to be, a thoughtful and strategic leader, even during some of the most volatile periods we have faced as a community. Impressively, Jessie and her team dramatically grew the organization through the COVID-19 global pandemic. When schools and universities were shut down and many non-essential working people were mandated to stay home, she and the IOYS staff found creative ways to continue providing life-saving support, resources, and connection to the IOYS community through an expanding virtual world. Similarly, in the aftermath of the violent attack on Club Q, while facing menacing threats to IOYS and her own personal safety, she and the IOYS staff developed a plan to ensure that IOYS would remain a safe environment, both physically and psychologically, for LGBTQIA2+ young people.  

We believe Jessie was precisely the leader IOYS needed for the past nearly seven years, and we are not alone in this sentiment. Jessie was consistently recognized at the state and national level – earning an honorary doctorate from Colorado College; the Colorado Springs Young Leader Award; a Governor’s Fellowship from Governor Jared Polis; and a  Commissioner appointment on the Colorado Suicide Prevention Commission. She has also been Vice Chair of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, on the Advisory Council for the Human Rights Campaign, and invited to testify before the United States House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Accountability.  We want to reiterate our gratitude for her leadership and many contributions to IOYS staff, volunteers, and LGBTQIA2+ young people.  

IOYS has one of the most talented and passionate teams we have ever worked with. We can assure you that the current IOYS team of directors, staff, and volunteers will keep IOYS’s mission and vision moving forward with the same level of energy and focus. 

Jessie’s transition has provided a great opportunity for IOYS to reflect on our leadership structure to ensure it aligns with our values. In looking toward the future, the IOYS board has decided to shift IOYS toward a co-director model. The co-director model better reflects our commitment to justice, equity and diversity principles, while increasing opportunities for collaboration, and shifting away from the traditional hierarchical model. In addition, it helps to reduce leadership burnout and enhance future succession planning. The co-director model has proven effective in many non-profit organizations across the country.   

In filling the co-director roles, the Board has selected Angie Hackett-Larson (she/her) and Stephanie Samora (she/her), both currently serving as directors at IOYS.  Having spent considerable time with Angie and Stephanie over the last several months, we are confident that they are the best to lead IOYS into its next chapter.  Both came to IOYS with a tremendous amount of experience working and leading in non-profits.  In addition, they provide a perfect complement to each other with Angie’s strengths focused on operations and programs while Stephanie’s strengths are in community relations and fundraising. In the interest of transparency, we will share organizational updates as we move into an exciting new chapter. Most certainly anticipate an invitation to celebrate Jessie’s contributions in the coming weeks.

We sincerely thank you for your continued support of IOYS. 

IOYS Board of Directors