Leslie McKay

Director of Development

Leslie McKay has dedicated her career to community impact through philanthropy, strategic corporate partnerships, and volunteerism. With over thirty years of experience in community relations, marketing, fundraising, and corporate giving in Colorado, Leslie has formed long-lasting collaborative partnerships with corporate, media, civic, foundation, and non-profit community organizations.

As a leadership team member, she motivates stakeholders, board members, development committees, and corporate advisory councils to lend their time and resources to support the missions of impressive organizations in the healthcare, education, and cultural arenas. Leslie excels at bringing shared values together to form strategic partnerships that elevate both mission and brand.

Leslie is a dedicated mother to son Aidan, a loving daughter, sister, and friend. She’s an avid Colorado sports fan, still roots for her hometown teams in St. Louis, and her college team, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, and loves to converse in Italian, swim, bike, hike, and hit comedy shows, gallery openings, and concerts. In her free time, Leslie enjoys teaching swim lessons to preschoolers.

Lizbeth Williams

Director of Operations

Liz is a seasoned office administrator with over 20 years of experience in various organizations across the Department of Defense (DOD). Liz joined ActivateWork as an executive assistant and quickly assumed additional responsibilities, including Salesforce administration. Her duties include Finance, Accounting, HR, impact and evaluations, and systems. Additionally, she has held positions in contracting, security, IT support, and security forces for DOD installations, as well as public affairs.

Liz received her B.A. in IT System Management from the University of Miami, Florida. She is now pursuing her MBA. She is passionate about her family, hobbies, and enhancing workplace efficiency through the use of technology.

Tara McLauchlan

Director of Learner Success

With over a decade of experience in fast-paced startup environments, particularly in edtech, Tara has an established history of leading cross-functional teams and driving impact in growing organizations.

She has extensive experience in supporting technical education and enhancing team operations, having played a key role in building and scaling a large coaching organization and managing bootcamp-style programs, all aimed at supporting working adult learners.

Her earlier work in recruiting and HR further deepened her expertise, allowing her to successfully guide hundreds of individuals through their career transitions.

As a lifelong learner, Tara firmly believes in the importance of accessible education for all. She is dedicated to promoting job-aligned education and creating pathways for meaningful career growth, both within and outside traditional education systems.

Outside of work, you can find her hiking with her dog, seeking fresh snow on the slopes, attempting a new recipe, or hunting for airfare deals for her next adventure!

Kathryn V. Harris

President & Chief Operating Officer

Kathryn Harris is a recognized leader in building equitable education-to-employment pathways that expand opportunities for Coloradans. Since 2019, she has served as President and COO of ActivateWork, where she launched innovative tech training and apprenticeship models that connect talent to in-demand careers while driving ecosystem-level change.

Her career began at Accenture, where she developed software applications and improved small business lending systems for financial institutions. Over the past 25 years, she has led nonprofit organizations, including the Grand Foundation and Qualistar Colorado, where she advanced quality early childhood education statewide.

Kathryn’s leadership has been recognized widely: she is a Buell Early Childhood Leadership Fellow, a Leadership Foundation Civic DNA Fellow, a Colorado Governor’s Fellow, a Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business, and a Titan 100 honoree. She also serves as a Governor-appointed member of the State Apprenticeship Council and as a founding board member of Colorado Inclusive Economy and the Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative.

Known for her blend of strategic vision and collaborative leadership, Kathryn has raised millions of dollars and built alliances across business, government, and philanthropy to tackle systemic barriers such as income disparity and unequal access to education. She holds a B.A. in Economics from Middlebury College and a certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility from Boston College.

Helen Young Hayes

FOUNDER & CEO

Helen is the Founder and CEO of ActivateWork, a culmination of her past experience in for-profit and non-profit sectors, where she harnesses the power of the marketplace to develop a vibrant talent ecosystem that fuels opportunity, growth, and prosperity for Colorado.

The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Helen is a believer in and an embodiment of the American Dream, which she has woven into the fabric of the organization. ActivateWork bridges the gap between individual potential and realized success through rigorous recruiting, industry-driven training, curated job matching, and professional skills coaching, preparing new employees to thrive in their careers. ActivateWork seeks to advance economic mobility and professional success by fostering new habits, mindsets, and disciplines to transform driven individuals into highly skilled, valuable team members.

Helen is a 20-year veteran of the financial industry. She was the portfolio manager of the flagship Janus Worldwide Fund and Janus Overseas Fund at Janus Capital, a mutual fund company headquartered in Denver, Colorado. She also served as Managing Director of Investments, heading the 100-person research and investment arm of Janus Capital, encompassing equities, fixed income, money market, and trading.

In 2018, Helen was selected as one of the Denver Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business for her leadership at ActivateWork. Helen was honored by Girl Scouts of Colorado as a 2019 Woman of Distinction. In 2020, Helen received the GlobalMindED Inclusive Leader Award for the Nonprofit Sector and the Colorado Titan 100 CEO Award. She was a 2021 Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business and an APEX Awards Colorado Technology Association Talent Champion of the Year. The following year, Helen was honored as a Top Entrepreneur Finalist by ColoradoBiz Magazine and was a finalist for the 9 News Leader of the Year Award in 2023.

Helen is a member of the Colorado Forum, the International Women’s Forum, and the AEI Leadership Network. She helped launch the Colorado Inclusive Economy, a CEO-led collaborative aimed at building a more prosperous Colorado, and serves as a Director of MalarVx, a vaccine company seeking to eradicate malaria in developing countries. She is an advisor and former board chair of Mile High Ministries, a Denver nonprofit serving low-income Coloradans.

Helen, her husband Matt, and her family have called Denver home for 30 years. Helen is an avid, albeit average, athlete and enjoys biking, swimming, running, skiing, and surfing.