Share

Kimberley Reese | US Air Force Veteran, MLK Committee, GMWA, Colorado Springs Community Choir, Women in Red, PPDC, Colorado College

Update Listing Info
Open, honest, authentic communications

I truly believe if we learn to openly and honestly communicate with one another (both listening and talking), we can see we want the same things for our world. We simply must learn to compromise. I see my role in my profession and in my community as being a communication conduit – creating opportunities for parties to meet one another in mutual endeavors. As a servant leader, this is the one thing that fulfills my work and effort.

Featured Interview

Kimberley Reese | US Air Force Veteran, MLK Committee, GMWA, Colorado Springs Community Choir, Women in Red, PPDC, Colorado College
Update Interview Answers

What role do you play in your Industry?

  • I am an active member of local gospel choirs (Colorado Springs Chapter of GMWA, Women in Red, Colorado Springs Community Choir). I sit on the Colorado Springs area MLK Planning Committee. I work with PPDC (Pikes Peak Diversity Council). I have edited content for My Black Colorado (2021). I have worked with MLK programming for AAYLC (African American Youth Leadership Conference - 2021). I work at Colorado College who partners with the City of Colorado Springs on many community events.

What year did you start in your industry?

  • I have been singing in gospel choirs since childhood, but my work with the MLK committee commenced in 2017.

What Certifications, Degrees, Titles and Experience do you have in your industry?

  • I received my Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in General Christian Ministry in 2011 from Dallas Baptist University. I am currently the Administrative Assistant for the Office of Campus Activities at Colorado College, and I am currently an Executive Administrative Assistant for the Colorado Springs Chapter of GMWA (Gospel Music Workshop of America).

Why & How did you get involved in your industry?

  • The best advice I have received is to be authentic and honest with who I am. It is hard to convince others of what you are trying to sell them if they don't feel your heart and words are honest and true. If people don't believe what you portray is the real you, they can't commit to follow.

What do you love most about your role in your industry?

  • I like making sure people get connected to make events happen for the community. I love seeing people come together in unifying efforts to strengthen and create bonds for healing our world.

What is the best advice you have received about how to impact your industry?

  • As an administrative assistant with Colorado College, I was introduced to the MLK Planning Committee in the Colorado Springs area. This opportunity allowed me to connect my professional work with my community work as a member of local gospel choirs.

What do you think are the top 3 things that help people excel in your industry?

  • First and foremost, you have GOT to appreciate people! There is no way to form bonds if you can't start with where people are at. Second, you can't be afraid to roll up your sleeves and do the work. And there's a lot of it to do! LOL! Thirdly, (for me) be humble. Accept your limitations, accept feedback (aka criticism), and expect that you will not always succeed. It is ok for things not to be perfect. Just give it your all with sincerity. I think people appreciate that more than anything else.

What encouragement would you give to those who are interested in being in your industry?

  • DO IT! We need your voice. A community means everyone in that space. That includes you! So what if you don't have experience? So what if it is new and a little scary? We all had to learn to walk - and look at us today.

What do you think is the most important qualities for people to have in your industry?

  • Have patience for the process. There are far too many pieces and people to get to the end goal for you to rush through. Take things in stride, don't panic, just be as prepared as you can be. Be realistic in your expectations. The moon is hard to reach sometimes, but if you reach a couple of stars along the way that too is a win. Be able to see the fun in each moment! Laughing is such a great thing for the mind, body, and soul. Use it always. Laughing at others is fun, laughing at yourself is cleansing. Learn to depend on others. An army of one will exhaust themselves in record time. Plus, no one person has all the knowledge, expertise, and abilities needed to get the job done. Delegate what needs to be delegated and trust the experts to get it done. Your job is to keep the circle going through continued communication - not hovering over every detail and person to push them into your vision of how it should be. Share your dream, don't hog it.

What obstacles have you overcome, or are you overcoming to excel in your industry?

  • LOL! I am a social introvert believe it or not. I love to sit back and watch the interactions bring people together with a big smile in my heart. But I recognized a long time ago that sometimes I have to put myself out there too. So I had and have to push past my comfort zone and become a voice that speaks for those who are not in the room.

What accomplishments are you most proud of in your life?

  • I am the mother of four successful and beautiful Black men in America. It was not always easy for them, but they have flourished. That is why I enjoy my work at Colorado College, I get to see and (hopefully in some small way) help the new generation navigate their world to their own success. Hmm, that's becoming a theme here - LOL!

Who is is one person that has influenced your direction in life? Explain How.

  • My grandfather, Wesley Simon Sims. He has passed away, but his life meant so much. He was a minister of the Christian Church and made sure his children and grandchildren were in service to the church (the body of people, not the building). He loved music and could play that organ like nobody's business while he let his pipes fill the air in the room with melodius sounds. I read of his exploits during the 1960s when Black Americans were fighting so hard to gain access to social justice through the Civil Rights Movement. My grandfather helped organize prayers, sits ins, and lay downs. What do I mean by lay downs? Well when the cops would show up, as they inevitably did when Black folks gathered together in the South, my grandfather and his community would lay down on the sidewalks so the cops would have to carry them away to arrest them. My grandfather stood over 6 feet tall and had some weight on him (former Army man), it would take a few cops to move him. There was one article in particular that makes me so proud to this very day - I still tear up. My grandfather organized a group to go to (I believe it was) Houston when the city leadership was sitting in session. The members of the city decided to leave the chambers mid business, so my grandfather took over the chair's seat and presided over business while they were gone since, you know, it was still open session and they had not closed business for the day. So proud of my gramps for this one!

What advice would you give to the younger generation?

  • Believe in your voice, believe in your truth. You do have something to say and it has value for all of us. But be careful to listen to other people's thoughts so you have the fullest version of the space and moment. Remember, a community is everyone in the space. We all have a point of view that adds to the bigger picture - no one person should claim to have the only right point of view. That is when the conflict comes.

What do you want your legacy to be?

  • Oh wow! Um, I guess I want my legacy to be a different kind of pipeline for people to recognize. I want people to understand and appreciate communication, the two way communication that used to be taught: listening and talking. I put listening first because to me that is the most important aspect. You have to understand what you are walking into in order to navigate successfully. Being a communication conduit is an art form that does not get enough recognition. But think about it, without people plugging others together in conversations of mutuality and purpose, where would we as a society be? We need more people communicating with and not just talking at the world.

What else would you like people to know about you?

  • This sounds cliche for my generation, but I am a life-long learner. I take each moment to understand aspects outside of myself so I can grow and continue to be part of the evolution of my world. Each day is an opportunity to learn something new. Each person has something I can add to my own knowledge. But let's not forget the value of having fun: I am so team Marvel! Yet I can appreciate a good DC black label storyline. The MCU is ok too - Falcon and Winter Soldier is the best they have done at the mini-series they are making - my opinion only. And then there's reading of a good book when we need a calming moment. Yup, she's a nerd y'all. LOL! We need to make that word an act of heroism - nerds rule!
Add Your Featured Listing
Related Listings

Discover more from My Black City

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

Kimberley Reese | US Air Force Veteran, MLK Committee, GMWA, Colorado Springs Community Choir, Women in Red, PPDC, Colorado College

This is a special link to update your information on our directory

Unpublished form

My Black City . Login

[passwordless-login]
Unpublished form
cropped-MBC-Logo.png

Search Directory