26 years old • Fort Collins
Executive director of the Berthoud Area Chamber of Commerce
What’s your occupation? Explain your career, accomplishments and professional highlights.
I have more than six years of experience in the chamber of commerce and small business development industry. I’m a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado, where I served as an ambassador for the Monfort College of Business, and I am currently attending the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management to increase my knowledge within the industry. I have been the executive director of the Berthoud Area Chamber of Commerce for a year and am thrilled to bring my experience with serving small businesses to the Berthoud community.
Tell us about yourself, your history and how you came to be where you are now.
Growing up, my parents taught me the value of hard work and giving back, and because of this, I have always been excited to be woven into the community. While in high school, I met Mindy McCloughan, president of the Loveland Chamber of Commerce, who offered me an internship when I was in college. That experience taught me the importance of showing up and working hard even when things are tough, and it helped shape who I am now. My heart is with the small business community of Northern Colorado, and I am always willing to be the driver behind its growth.
Tell us something unique about you.
I have many skillsets, including event planning, administrative work and even bartending. I love spending my days outside of work fishing, and I have a booth at Cobblestone Corner, a vintage shop in Berthoud, where I sell the best antique and vintage finds.
What do you consider the biggest accomplishment or challenge you’ve overcome, either professionally or personally?
My greatest accomplishment has been stepping into the position of executive director of the Berthoud Area Chamber of Commerce. It has been an honor to learn about and serve such a passionate and interactive community. This position holds many challenges I wasn’t necessarily expecting, but nonetheless, it has been a journey worth loving more and more every day. It’s as if every stepping stone and life challenge taught me exactly how to excel in this position.
Where do you see yourself in five years? In 10 years?
For most of my life, I have been a planner, and I always worried about the future. These last two years have given me the opportunity to remove this burden from my life, so, realistically, I see myself happy and serving those around me. I am not sure where or how, but I will be in a position in life to be happy and helpful to my community.
What piece(s) of advice would you give to your younger self?
I would advise her to calm down, take a breath and enjoy the ride. I spent a lot of my teenage and younger years being extremely hard on myself and holding myself to higher expectations than God has for me. Though it may be the reason why I am where I am today, younger Reanna should’ve known that she was always doing enough.
What challenges have you faced in your role as a young female leader, and how have you overcome them?
My greatest challenge is overcoming my fear of imposter syndrome within the workplace and breaking out of my comfort bubble. I have overcome this by building confidence in myself and my capabilities every day as well as giving myself grace and taking care of my mental health when life gets overwhelming. I believe that life is too short to be anything but happy, and choosing a life I am happy living in is always my priority.
How do you navigate being a self-proclaimed overachiever?
I have forced myself to learn the value of taking pride in my work and consistently celebrating the wins, even if they aren’t as big as I had wished. I have finally learned that work is not the end-all, be-all of life and that it’s important to find a hobby and nurture the relationships in my life that I value most. I learned the importance of slowing down more recently when I found myself alone at the end of the day but surrounded by a lot of people. It took me about a year to realize that my success does not define me, nor does it make me friends or make me more loved. While I love being an overachiever, I also love keeping my sanity and relationships, so I celebrate the wins and play hard because life will fly by.
