Wellington’s Visocky among BizWest Women of Distinction honorees

FORT COLLINS — Donna Visocky, director of public relations and fundraising for the Community Services Center of Wellington, will be one of 13 women from Northern Colorado to be recognized with this year’s Women of Distinction awards, a BizWest program to acknowledge the contributions of female leaders in the region.

The awards will be given out at an event to be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Drake Centre, 802 W. Drake Road, Fort Collins.

Selected in the nonprofit category, Visocky assumed her current position in 2023. Since then, she has helped raise more than $1.5 million to create a permanent home for the Wellington Food Pantry as well as offices for Larimer County Health and Human Services as well as several mental-health and social-service organizations. The building will break ground this fall.

She also is kicking off a Legacy Brick Campaign as well as hosting a Cereal Box Concert and a Fall Gala.

Her work history includes serving as a marketing specialist for the City of Fort Collins’ Parks and Recreation Department from 1986 to 1994, director of marketing at Steele’s Markets from 1994 to 2001, executive director of the Fort Collins Symphony from 2002 to 2005, executive director of Arts Alive Fort Collins from 2005 to 2007, owner and CEO of BellaSpark Productions and BellaSpark Magazine from 2006 to 2018, parish administrator at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church from 2016 to 2021, and executive director of the Loveland High Plains Arts Council from 2021 to 2023.

Her past entrepreneurial experiences included owning a cheese and gift shop and a direct-mail business. Through a second mortgage and credit cards, Visocky started BellaSpark as a dedication to her daughter Kristi, who at age 21 was killed in a car crash in 2003. BellaSpark Productions offered motivational workshops, seminars and events.

She and her husband, Bob, also founded the Kristi Visocky Memorial Foundation, a family charity dedicated to funding and supporting programs that provide young women with a means to further their education and achieve economic independence and self-sufficiency. In the 23 years since its inception, the foundation has awarded more than $1.5 million in scholarships to young women and support of area organizations including Project Self-Sufficiency, Crossroads Safehouse, SAVA, Child Safe, Mathews House, Poudre School District Foundation, Boys and Girls Club, and Larimer County Community Corrections for Women. In 2014 the foundation built a house for Habitat for Humanity.

Visocky and this year’s dozen other honorees were selected by previous recipients of the award to represent multiple categories of business and nonprofit activity.

Also to be honored, along with their categories of award, include:

• Leading Ladies: Betty Aragon-Mitotes, president of Mujeres de Colores and co-founder of the Museo de las Tres Colonias; and Beth Walker, former dean, College of Business, Colorado State University.
• Banking and Finance: Christina Kraft, market president, Bank of Colorado.
• Business and Business Services: Lori Gama, founder and president, DaGama Digital Marketing Agency.
• Education: Leah Bornstein, CEO and president, Aims Community College. 
• Emerging Leader: Tori May, deputy director, Loveland Habitat for Humanity.
• Exceptional Volunteer: Paula Galloway, program lead for visual-impairment snow sports, scholarship director, instructor supervisor and board member, Ignite Adaptive Sports. 
• Government, Energy and Utilities: Michelle Vance, executive director, Windsor Downtown Development Authority.  
• Healthcare: Cyndi Dodds, CEO, SummitStone Health Partners. 
• Manufacturing: Amanda Rider, area leader, J.M. Smucker Co.
• Outstanding Mentor: Ginger Graham, owner, Ginger and Baker.
• Real Estate: Alicia Ready, training and development director, Elder Construction, BuildHER Collaborative and NoCo Construction Sector Partnership. 

Seats can be reserved in advance by clicking here.

Share on Facebook on LinkedIn