April 2018 Employee of the Month

Joni Friedman

Department: Economic and Workforce Development

Joni has been a part of our agency for over 40 years.  As the outgoing director of the Economic and Workforce Development, (now the Larimer County Economic and Workforce Development Department) Joni has been a fearless leader since she was appointed Director in 1994.  Under her leadership, our programs within the Economic and Workforce Development Department have flourished.

One of our agency's highest priorities is customer service. Her commitment to the individuals we serve, her staff and her community is outstanding. Joni believes in treating everyone with respect no matter their station in life and she has embedded that same belief throughout the Economic and Workforce Development department.  It is the bedrock of our agency and our customers frequently mention this aspect as one of the reasons they value working with us.

Joni is a role model who knows that her actions and words help establish the culture of our agency. She sets her sights high and expects us to do the same by innovating, responding to customer needs and staying informed on best practices.

Joni has always known that to stay on the cutting edge, you take a certain level of risk. Her support for calculated risk has been critical for staff to test out new practices. We can try new things because Joni has been supportive in word and deed. 

Joni is recognized in the state as being a prominent leader in Workforce. She is able to see the big picture of our agency not only in the present, but always continuing to look into the future and see how improvements could be made.

For those who have worked with her and for the community at large, Joni has been a phenomenal director. 

— Nominated by Ella Gifford-Hawkins, Marcy Kasner, and Regina Chavez