Meet Libby Ogletree | Boulder Feet Forward Program Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Libby Ogletree and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Libby, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
At the root of everything I do and my organization does is the believe that everyone has the right to dignity, and that all people deserve second chances. We work within a community which is often marginalized, overlooked, or outright ignored, and frequently spoken over–whose very real pain and trauma are at best minimized and at worst criminalized. Lived experience and empathy drives us towards a greater understanding of and compassion for the multilayered and complex issues that cause and surround homelessness and substance use disorders. I strive to meet people wherever they are in their journey out of homelessness, substance use disorder, and toward greater stability and increased mental health. I make it a point to walk alongside program participant; rather than leading, prodding, or prescribing, I and my team use trauma-informed motivational interviewing to engage our participants and encourage them to set goals and build towards sustainability and self-advocacy.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My nonprofit career in unhoused services began later in life. As a teen, while I was never fully unhoused, for a number of reasons, I most often stayed away from home. A number of unhoused individuals in Boulder took me into their community, offering acceptance, care, and protection. When I was able to support myself with a job at 15, I immediately started giving back by providing food and bus fares. After graduating, I worked for Yellow Cab (remember that?!) and while I wanted to become a writer, I ultimately went to the local Culinary School of the Rockies (now Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts.) I graduated with honors, but while there I discovered that I was pregnant. So, instead of becoming a chef, I became a mother, and to support myself, I worked an unfulfilling but stable white collar job for over a decade, where I designed tracking and training systems, documents and spreadsheets.

It was while still working at that job that I became involved with Boulder Feet Forward, at first by creating the weekly meal as a volunteer, then by managing the entire event.

Our weekly Tuesday Outreach event, which we hold rain or shine, makes Boulder Feet Forward very special. We serve a full meal with a well-sized serving of quality protein and vegetables, prepared by a trained chef (me!) Our event is more than just a ‘feed’ and not just a few handouts; the food is made with love, and it shows; I’ve been given so many comments and compliments on how cared-for the meal makes people feel. Food is a human right, and I believe that dignity is too. While many groups provide sustenance, which is of course appreciated, our event is truly unique in bringing people together.

When the Program Director position became available, I went for it, despite feeling that I might not have all the right qualifications. Since then, I’ve learned that nothing really could have prepared me for the role in any case; the most poignant requirements are fierce and unrelenting compassion and empathy. As Program Director, I was tasked with designing the Peer Support program that we would soon be implementing; I was able to do so with much help and consultation from experienced experts in other organizations that generously gave of their time and knowledge. And despite occasional flare-ups of imposter syndrome, it has turned out that a willingness to keep learning and a determination to find a way or make one is all I need to keep doing my job, and incidentally, the skillset of which I’ve always been most proud. Not that the hodgepodge of skills that I acquired in my white collar role and as a parent haven’t come in useful; and of course, my culinary talent comes into play weekly. I can design a spreadsheet, give a great hug, keep to a budget, ask the right question, and cook a good meal. Everything in life and also nothing prepared me for this.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’d certainly take my friend to a show at Red Rocks–one of the most beautiful venues in the world is a true Colorado treasure. What show doesn’t particularly matter: I like Atmosphere as much as Tyler Childers as much as Zeds Dead.
If money were no object, we’d go to a concert at the Mishawaka the next night; it’s also a gorgeous venue, intimate and friendly and immersed in nature, right on the Poudre. For that matter, the Denver Botanical Gardens is a gorgeous place and their summer concert series is always fun.
Next, we’d go for Sunday brunch at one of my favorite local restaurants in Longmont: the West Side Tavern. That place deserves a visit purely because the TV above the bar shows the most surreal series of wacky old film and commercial clips you can imagine, lovingly (and impishly) compiled by the owner to get people talking.
Perhaps we’d pay a visit to Blue Mountain Vineyards in Berthoud, where the wine tasting room is set in the vineyard itself, and where the owner’s Great Pyrenees dog, Bear, will give you a guided tour of the beautiful gardens.
Everyone needs down time, so at this point we’d relax by visiting Longmont’s Cheese Importers for some great charcuterie, then we’d hang out on my patio and play Scrabble while we listen to some good music and watch my chickens peck around in the yard
Next, we’d head for the mountains, taking I-70 to the Georgetown exit, and through Georgetown to Guanella Pass. For over 50 years, my family has had a secret camping spot in Guanella pass that we backpack to, and I try to get up there at least once a year. There are a number of 14ers nearby that can be summitted, most easily Mt. Bierstadt, but also Mt. Evans and the Sawtooth, but these days I mostly prefer to just relax in nature, admiring clouds and lichens and a good campfire (though not, of course, when a fire ban is in effect!) Finally, on the way back, still smelling of campfire, unshowered and covered with trail muck, we’d stop at Tommyknockers in Idaho Springs–luckily they’re used to that sort of thing there.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
A small, grassroots organization such as Boulder Feet Forward does not function without a supportive and engaged community! Absolutely everyone within the Boulder Feet Forward community deserves to be recognized for their contribution to our mission, from our Board of Directors and fantastic Interim Executive Director, Leanne Wheeler, to the employees comprising the Peer Support team, as well as the group of amazing volunteers who show up to help every Tuesday and do so much more to give back. Many wonderful individuals and businesses such as Peppercorn have become part of our community when they donate to support our work. As well, we could not succeed without our network of partner organizations whose services dovetail with ours and who show up at our events to support our mutual constituents, such as Carlos Ibarra and the Boulder Community Court team, Victor King and the Mental Health Partners team, Alex Mitter with Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence, and so, so many more. For her particular help in developing my career and Boulder Feet Forward’s programming, Mary Putman from the Reciprocity Collective in Denver deserves a shoutout, and all possible praise; her organization is a powerhouse in unhoused services, and well worth checking out. But, despite the fact that most don’t want to be where they are, my deepest gratitude is to the unhoused community itself, for showing me every day and in so many ways why I keep going in this work.

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