Summer Gathercole is driven to help make our world a better place. Despite graduating with a degree in accounting and attaining her CPA license, Summer heard a calling to join the nonprofit sector, and began working full-time directly with homeless and low-income individuals to prepare them to (re)enter the workforce. She has founded and launched a nonprofit organization, served at the “state” Secretary of Labor for Washington, DC, and consulted to organizations of all sizes across the U.S. She is currently the Managing Director of SHG Advisors, a strategy and management consulting firm.
In May 2007, Summer was listed in Washingtonian magazine as one of the “40 People Under 40 to Watch.” She is an alum of the 21/64 training on how to engage the next generation of philanthropists. Her work has been published in PR News’ Corporate Social Responsibility Guidebook. Most of her current work is focused on a new statewide fund for the local community foundation, serving as the liaison to the community, and overseeing the localized asset/needs assessment process to ensure that data is in hand to inform and design the funding strategy. Summer has developed and guided the discernment process, provided grantmaking recommendations, and put practices in place so that the work can be completed internally in future years.
Summer moved to Colorado in the spring of 2012, and works with entities across the U.S. She is a graduate of Leadership Denver Class of 2015, and was appointed to the Colorado State Service Commission in 2016. During her free time, you can find her on hiking trails with her boxer, Sammy, or traveling to some far-off adventure around the world.