SAMANTHA BLACK
Q: What’s your occupation? Explain your career, your accomplishments, and professional highlights.
A: As the CEO of After School Kindness, I am privileged to lead our school-age childcare program toward excellence and success. Serving over 300 children in Northern Colorado, I have assembled a team of 20 dedicated childcare professionals. I provide comprehensive oversight across all organizational aspects, from strategic goal setting to operational efficiency. Guided by my passion for enriching children’s lives, I ensure rigorous quality assurance measures that prepare them for a brilliant future. Through managing every facet of After School Kindness—including marketing, website design, advertising, financials and training—I forge partnerships with cutting-edge childcare management software providers.
Q: Tell us about yourself, your history and how you came to be where you are now.
A: At age 11, I relocated from Atlanta, GA, to Windsor, where I completed my education at Windsor Charter Academy and Windsor High School. I then pursued a degree in communications with a business emphasis at the University of Colorado Denver. I started my professional journey with After School Kindness at the age of 24, starting as an intern and progressing through roles such as aide, assistant director, site director and eventually director of operations. Through hard work and dedication, I ascended to the role of CEO by the age of 27.
Age: 28
Occupation: CEO of After School Kindness
Q: Tell us something unique about you.
A: I placed third place with my dance team at the state level in high school. I also golfed for four years and became captain of the golf team. My oil painting (inspired by Renoir) was displayed at an art museum in Windsor. My entrepreneurial father taught me how to start a business at 17, called White Glove Cleaning Service, where I am the vice president. I am also the executive vice president at BLSN Properties and manage ski resort rentals at Copper Mountain in Frisco.
Q: What do you consider your biggest accomplishment, either professionally or personally?
A: Reaching the position of CEO at After School Kindness. I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked my way up and earned this role. Overcoming challenges and taking on this magnitude of responsibility have taught me valuable lessons and helped me grow. These experiences have shown me that age doesn’t limit our potential for success, and I strive to hold myself to high standards with humility.
Q: Where do you see yourself in five years? In 10 years?
A: In the years ahead, I aim to expand the company with a new childcare location each year to support more families in Northern Colorado. I also aspire to be a trusted business consultant, helping entrepreneurs of all ages start their own ventures. Ultimately, I plan to build a diverse portfolio of rental properties and enhance my expertise in real estate. These goals reflect my commitment to growth and making a positive impact across different business sectors.
Q: What piece(s) of advice would you give to your younger self?
A: If I could share advice with my younger self, it would be to work smart, not just hard. Education is a powerful tool for success. Embrace the principles of “Ask, Believe, Receive.” Cultivate a mindset focused on the law of attraction. Seek wisdom and guidance from your elders. Never place limitations on your potential. Practice self-affirmations. Approach each day with a kindness mentality.
Q: Why are you so passionate about enriching children’s lives?
A: My passion is creating the highest quality childcare in our community that I would be proud to send my child to. It comes from the After School Kindness program’s mission statement: “We want to create more family time. We do this by making sure most, if not all, homework is done and completed by the time the parents pick up their children.” It’s hard for parents to enjoy their children when time is of the essence. By the time they make dinner, bathe them and try to have a morsel of family time, it’s time for bed. I know how important balance and family time is for me, so it felt essential to highlight that in our program. I am always humbled and inspired by the positive feedback we hear about children’s grades improving from our free group tutoring, along with children wanting to join sports because they got to experience a variety of activities from our weekly professional specialty event instructors. We know we’re doing things right when the children don’t want to go home because they are having so much fun with us.
Q: How does it feel to be CEO after just 3 years at After School Kindness?
A: I was nervous when I came into this position because I was working with a lot of highly accredited childcare professionals who were much older than me. Why would they listen to me? I knew my heart was in the right place, so I pushed forward and followed the tried-and-true principle of treating others the way you want to be treated. The staff saw that I was a woman of my word and that I had respect and compassion for each of them. It was intimidating at first, but I just took one step at a time while learning all aspects of the company. Serving Northern Colorado families and helping to educate our future leaders (the children) is not a job to me; it is an honor.
