Introduction:
Beth Harris cares deeply about Palmer Lake—its people, its traditions, and its way of life. She’s running for the Board of Trustees (BOT) in the upcoming mail-in-only special election on September 9, 2025, and hopes to earn your vote to help serve the town she loves.
Candidate Statement:
Qualifications: Leadership and Collaboration in Corporate and Community Experiences
My qualifications for the BOT include decades of corporate experience in the financial services industry with several globally-recognized firms, most recently leading a team of eight Technical Program Managers delivering complex technology to a user community of 40,000 in support of a high visibility global-scale firm. The unit I work in has a $50 million annual operating and capital budget, while the firm itself had a 2024 EBITDA of $18.3 billion. Previous experience includes technical program management of a cryptocurrency startup and merger and acquisition projects worth billions of dollars in assets and accounts. These roles require my highly collaborative, diplomatic, level-headed, results-oriented, and focused approach with everyone from individual contributor team members to C-level executives, sometimes traversing multiple global, high visibility financial firms and vendors at once.
In addition to my corporate experience, I have organized community-based events and teams, the most recent example of which is my grass roots political effort for the town, in collaboration with citizens from the Tri-Lakes region, an area comprised of greater than 20,000 citizens. I contributed social media skills to the Festival on the Fourth in 2022. I have also shared my leadership, collaboration, organizational, and technology skills to the Festival of Nations and mobilized neighborhood organizations for events such as National Night Out and Operation
Brightside.
An equally important qualification is my deep fondness and gratitude for all that makes Palmer Lake special: its small-town spirit, magnificent natural surroundings, beautiful trails, wildlife, and distinctive restaurants, businesses, and events. I’ve been proud to take part in traditions like the Festival on the Fourth, the 0.5K, and the Yule Log Hunt. I especially value the town’s strong connection to nature, such as the lake itself and area hiking trails. Also, there’s simply no other town in the world where you will find a historic 457-foot lighted star shining from a mountainside.
A final qualification is my desire to serve as a trustee, allowing me to express my affinity and regard for Palmer Lake by serving the town and its people.
Areas of Opportunity: Revitalize and Reconnect
- I have lived in Palmer Lake since 2021, and deeply value its small town feel, but also recognize opportunities for growth from sources of sales tax revenue in keeping with the town’s Master Plan Community Vision (page 9).
- Many of the town’s citizens have personally expressed to me their concerns about disenfranchisement thus I see the need for a return to governmental service and transparency owed to its citizens by the laws of our town’s municipal code, our state’s statutes, and our nation.
- Not only does the Town of Palmer Lake have an opportunity to reconnect with its own citizens, but also with citizens and government of our Tri-Lakes neighbors, Monument, and Woodmoor.
Summary
I offer leadership, teamwork, and real-world experience managing complex organizations. I’d be honored to use those skills to serve Palmer Lake as your trustee.